Are you looking for a new breakfast idea after eating oatmeal for the last 30 days in self-isolation? Are you realizing it’s time to upgrade your pillow game since you’re spending so much time in bed? Want to listen to me rant about my complicated relationship with sleep? You’ve come to the right place!
Please feel free to scroll down past all my chit-chat if you just want the recipe!
I have always had a conflicted relationship with sleep. I love sleep and I’m really good at it, but I also feel guilty waking up late (for me, that means any time after 9:30-10 am) because I feel like I should’ve been using that time more productively, and I feel like I’m starting my work day playing catch-up (especially because some of my clients are on the east coast).
This has actually been exacerbated during quarantine because, while I normally “let” myself sleep in more on the weekends, it currently feels like the weekend doesn’t exist. And, because I could technically sleep in every day of the week, I battle my conflicting desire to sleep and desire to be productive damn near every morning.
The fact that I’m nearly getting sick of my usual breakfast hasn’t helped either, so I decided to change things up just like I changed up my pillows before all of this craziness started.
The cheap pillows I purchased at Target got flat seemingly quickly (in about 9 months—or maybe that’s normal?), so I knew it was time to upgrade. I’d previously tried Crown Goose’s duvet cover (click here for my full review), and they kindly offered to send me two of their goose down pillows as well.
Let’s just say that my sleep game seriously improved after adding these pillows to my bed. First off, having four pillows on my bed seems way more legit than having two (and is also ideal if you have any guests over). Second off, these pillows are perfectly fluffy and firm. Not like those hotel pillows that look fluffy until you put your head on them, and not like those foam pillows that are low-key hard and not my thing.
You can purchase your own Crown Goose pillows here, because now seems as good as ever a time to improve your sleep game.
After you’re done with a good night’s rest, might I recommend trying my Beyond Sausage, Kale, + White Bean Oat Bowl recipe?
Here’s what you need for 1 serving:
- 1.5 TBS olive oil
- 3 stalks of kale or 1.5 cups of kale (or, just fill your pan with an even layer of kale)
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ cup oats (I use these because they’re gluten-free also)
- 1 Beyond Spicy Italian Sausage (or any sausage, but these are my favorite plant-based sausages by far)
- 1 cup vegetable broth OR 1 cup water
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup white beans (or any beans really)
- OPTIONAL:
- Bitchin’ Sauce, Sriracha, or any other sauces you may wanna add on top
This recipe, like most of mine, was crafted on one random day in the kitchen when I was sick of my usual breakfast, so feel free to adjust as you want for your preferences/for what’s currently in your kitchen, I think you can play with this a lot and it’ll still turn out good!
Here’s the recipe:
1. Add 1.5 TBS olive oil to a large pan and turn to medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and red pepper flakes (just a few shakes is fine) to pan.
3. Once the oil is bubbling a bit, add the red onion and kale and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes to taste (just a few shakes of each should be fine). Stir the kale so that it’s evenly coated in the oil and spices, then leave it be for two minutes.
5. Stir/flip the kale pieces a bit before leaving it to sit again for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, wash and drain your beans and add to kale. Then, start cooking the sausage and the oatmeal according to instructions. Instead of making my oats with water or milk, I used vegetable broth to give it more of a savory flavor.
7. Flip your kale one more time. It should be crispy and even a little burnt in some places. If it looks good, you can turn the heat off or low while you prep the bowls.
8. Top your bowl of oats with kale, cut-up sausage (feel free to add the extra oil/juice from the pan), the white beans, and any sauces or other toppings you would like. I added bitchin’ sauce, Sriracha, and fresh herbs to mine. This would also be good topped with nutritional yeast, avocado, or even some kind of red sauce.
9. Enjoy + start your day off on the right foot (or, if you intermittent fast like I do, start your afternoon on the right foot).
If you want to see this visually, check it out here on my TikTok. And check out more of my recipes below if you’d like:
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