Well, Hello Friends! It’s a wild night around here… as I sip on some soothing matcha and pen this (seemingly) ultra-urgent blog post on chai spiced oats because these are to die for… and consequentially; need to happen in your kitchen, pronto!

This week was a doozy. I want to write it off in my (very distant) memory, ASAP. It started as any other week, but ended up being everything- BUT.  To those who read me and follow along on Instagram; you have a heads up on this one. Stories from my kitchen, but also; stories from a perfectly imperfect life of a young mother of two very young kids.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve also been pulled (and mesmerized) by this picture-perfect social media world. I find myself going through my newsfeed and admiring all these beautifully curated “highlight reels” of a person’s life, their food, and their outfits. BUT- I find that’s the way with most of us-bloggers or not. We specifically tend to cherry pick & share what we want others to see. I am guilty of it myself.

That’s why I LOVE Instagram stories. Its literally refreshing. Much more real- “behind the scenes”. You get to see the food being staged, prepped, my dog barking louder than I could ever talk over him and little hands pulling at mine asking me to follow them. Now that’s real life for you. Those little hands caught a pesky bug this week that nearly decimated us all and kept jumping from person to person and then back to the rightful owner. Think of it as a “germ and virus merry-go-round”; except there was nothing merry about this one. The virus included every possible symptom a human could have- from not being able to hold anything down to a terrible cough that kept us all awake & an emergency room visit.

Just when we were turning a corner… my eldest required some emergency dental work. My big boy who’s (still) never had a cavity or any dental issues, had to be seen right away. I came home with a little one high on stickers and giggle gas to a dog throwing up because he swallowed what appears to be lego. That’s never happened before, and he’s been with us for a good 8 years. So off to put our coats again the minute we took them off. And back out the door with a sick canine. The kids literally think of him as their brother. He plays with them gently and watches over them like a hawk. He gets squeezed and drooled on and takes it like a champ.

The good news is, we’re ALL on the mend (pup included). The other good news is- I was feeling so lousy and sleep-deprived all I craved every morning was a big bowl of oats with all the superfoods, and a cozy side of chai tea. Put the two of them together, and you’ve got the most magical hot breakfast. Oh and the creaminess factor is UNREAL. Because wait for it… I added an egg white to it!

So you have an egg white, chai tea bags, a dash of almond butter, a little extra cinnamon and pure maple or raw buckwheat honey for a little sweetness. I also like to throw in my daily 1 tablespoon of collagen, and am set. Try it! This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free and refined-sugar free. If you omit the egg white, it’s fully vegan, too.