Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal (For One)

Jainene's Note:

This is a tasty concoction I came up one morning. I can't tolerate too much oatmeal, so the pumpkin, flaxseed, pumpkin seed kernels, and nuts really fill out this dish. Substitute other nuts as you wish. Feel free to top with vanilla yogurt--I just like plain because of the flavor contrast. Also, you can use other spreads, but I've found that there's something truly delicious about the combination of pumpkin and apricot. Enjoy!

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 8 mins
• Cook Time: 2 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 1

Yield: 1.0 bowl

• ¼ cup quick-cooking oat
• ¼ cup milk
• 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin
• 1 ½ tablespoons margarine
• 1 teaspoon apricot fruit spread
• 2 teaspoons ground golden flax seeds
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin seeds (optional)
• 5 almonds (option)
• 3 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Put quick-cooking oats into a microwave-safe bowl. Add milk and microwave the oatmeal about one minute.
2. Remove bowl from microwave; the oatmeal will be quite sticky and possibly a little dry on top. Stir in the pumpkin and 1 tablespoon of the margarine.
3. Return bowl to microwave and cook for about twenty seconds.
4. Remove bowl from microwave. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of margarine and the apricot fruit spread, until the oatmeal starts to look creamier. Then stir in the flaxseed.
5. Return bowl to microwave and cook for another twenty to thirty seconds.
6. Remove bowl from microwave, top with pumpkin seed kernels, almonds, and plain yogurt.