Please forgive me if there are a bazillion typos in this post. My mind’s not exactly in top shape today. I usually get about 8 hours of sleep per night, but for some reason I woke up at 2 this morning and could not fall back to sleep. Of course, the harder I tried, the more wide awake I became. So frustrating. Does this ever happen to anyone else? If it does, what do you do? I’m happy to say it doesn’t often happen to me… and hopefully it won’t happen again. I like my sleep!
.
I definitely needed something to wake me up this morning. Caffeine was a no-brainer. I’m not a big coffee-drinker,which left one thing:
Chocolate, of course! I took a rest day from running, which gave me ample time to cook a delicious, energy-packed brekkie: Melted Banana Trick oatmeal.
Hello Breakfast!
.
Brownie Batter Oatmeal
- I cooked 1 serving of oats (using the “Voluminous Oatmeal” trick) with water and a pinch of salt.
- Later, I mixed it with about a T of Extra Dark cocoa powder and some non-dairy milk.
- Then, I added a piece of frozen, melted banana (using the famed melted banana trick), and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- I cooked it all up, then blended a bit (but I don’t always bother blending, as I like the chew).
Brownie Batter in a bowl, I tell ya; Brownie Batter in a bowl! Woke me right up 
.
(My favorite caffeinated green tea, pictured below, helped!)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Thank you, Melted Banana Oats!
Thank you Green Tea!
.
{ 173 comments… read them below or add one }
Katie,
Hope you get some rest today. I usually don’t have trouble falling back asleep, but if I do, I’ll have a little snack and then read for a bit. That usually does the trick.
I want to go for a swim in that beautiful bowl of dark chocolate goodness.
When I can’t sleep I pop in a movie that I know really well so I can close my eyes and listen to it instead of watch it. Sometimes that helps. Or a bath. I’ve been known to wake up the house while running my bathwater-not a popular trick!
omg those oats look sooo good, way to wake me up this morning, katie!!
sorry you havent had some great nights of sleep1 what helps me is falling asleep with a fan on, sounds crazy but the noise of the fan is so soothing i just love it! helps me every night!
i hate waking up so so early, i wake up usually every morning at 3 am :/ but i slept till 7 3 days in a row this week, but i think that was because i was sick, but today ugh woke up at 3 am…but glad you had a delicious nourishing breakfast to get you going, chocolate for breakfast, nothing better!
lol…
and all those banana brulee photos look so good! makes me want to make your banana brulee oats tomorrow, cant believe i am not on the banan brulee bandwagon yet
love you girly, enjoy your Sunday.
xx
Eliza
I have a lot of problems with sleeping. I’ve learned to just adapt at this point though, so I am probably not the best person for advice. Your oatmeal sounds delicious Katie! I don’t think I’d mind staying up all night if I could treat myself to that in the morning.
Try to take it easy today and rest!
Isn’t that the worst?! I know how you feel b/c I get insomnia for like 3 months straight where I can’t fall asleep until like 4am (and then I have to wake up at 6 so 2 hrs of sleep!!) and then it will stop for like 6 months and I’ll be fine. It sucks and makes me so paranoid. The best thing to do is to get out of bed and go read a book away from your bedroom if possible. But don’t turn on a lot of lights…just maybe a lamp. I know it sounds strange.. but light interrupts our natural sleep rhythms. I gotta work on not falling asleep to the tv.
p.s. your breakkie looks really good!! I think I’m going to try that one tomrorow
I just commented underneath your sweet head by 1 minute on HEABs post over there
Choco in the oats…girl, we’ve been hooking that up around here for awhile with the chocolate stevia and cocoa powder too sometimes. Soooo goood. Except ive never tried the hershey’s dark. Just regular cocoa powder. Must get on the DARK action!
xoox
You’re always a winner in my book 
thanks for entering my contest
Wow, those are some beautiful bowls of grains. I had dark chocolate Mighty Tasty Gluten Free Hot Cereal this morning and it hit the spot!!
~Justine
Ohmigosh brownie batter oatmeal! Sounds like dessert!
Hey Katie!
I love reading your blog
Sorry to hear about your lack of sleep, I actually struggle with the same problem and have found that burning some lavender essential oil in my room will help me to fall into a nice, dream filled slumber.
Liz xx
Lack of sleep happens to me a lot.. for some reason my body doesn’t like sleep a whole lot even if I feel really tired. This week it happened to me actually, and I was so awake- I did some yoga.. There are specific poses that you can do to try and wind down- a lot of forward bends and stuff like that.. it did work somewhat- and I was able to get a couple of hours (I finally got to sleep somewhere around 4 am, but woke up at 6:30) Good luck
A chocolate bowl of goodness. WOW, looks amazing!! I also am having trouble typing.. Im sure there will be some errors in this comment! Rest up
I didn’t see any typos, just some delicious foods. Waking up in the middle of the night happens quite often to me. I’m dealing with it by ignoring it. I get up and organize my bookshelf, read something, or do something else to distract me. Even if that doesn’t help I don’t have to spend the night by getting upset about not being able to sleep
I woke up at 3 this night, and I didn’t feel like sleeping.But it’s harder to get up when you have someone by your side
Next time, try some warm beverage, I like warm milk with some carbs. It always helps me sleep better
That happened to me the other day. I woke up at 3 am and could NOT go back to sleep. Then I eventually was able to take a 30 mins. nap. Blah!! Those banana brulees are lookin’ gooooood.
Happy Sunday to you too. It’s so beautiful out over where I’m at
Hope it’s like that in Texas too!
Luckily for me I have been sleeping really good lately. Though, I would try reading or do some light stretching or medidation. Your chocolate bowl of goodness sounds amazing!!!
unfortunately it happens to me often, maybe 2-3 times a month? when that happens, I eat some carbs, read for an hour and go back to sleep… 90% of time works.
you got a great breakkie to counteract the frustration, don’t you?
Yikes! I’m so sorry you woke up super early. I actually woke up at 6:30am today! Not fun! I wanted to sleep in like a normal teenager
Aw, thanks for posting my pic! It all looks so delish, I will have to try out the cocoa powder next!
i love oats!!! lol hope you get some sleep girl
chocolate in my banana brulee oats is a problem I definitely would not mind having
ugh I hate when I cant sleep.. I feel so alone and like i’m the only person awake on earth! no lie — I’ve gotten so frustrated from not being able to sleep to the point where I’ve cried.. wish I were joking.
hope you catch mad z’s tonight Kataaaaay!
I’m a banana hater but even so, that brownie batter oatmeal just looks so impossibly good!!
I have been skimping on the sleep lately, too, but I’m sorry you had a restless night! Hopefully you can get some extra zzz’s tonight.
I love your chocolately oats. Glad they woke you right up. I think there’s nothing better than a little chocolate in my oats, especially if it’s dark chocolate!
I know exactly what you mean! Whenever I know I have to wake up early and put a lot of pressure on myself to sleep, I suddenly can’t!
Yay for new Chocolate Covered recipes
Can’t wait to see them, Katie!!!
Chocolate in oats is a brilliant way to get that much needed morning caffeine, hehe!
Mmm, delicious looking melted banana bowls!
<3 jess
xoxo
P.S I just posted about hug a carb month in my latest post–sorry for the confusion! It was my fault, not yours
all those yummy banana oatmeal’s are making me wanna go to sleep soooo i can wake up and have some banana oaties!
banana brulee oats are the best! so sweet and creamy, perfect way to eat nanas in oatmeal!
sorry lovie that you couldn’t sleep, i feel your pain! i often wake up at a ridiculous time of 2 a.m and stay awake all night, :/ so frustrating is right! recently i have been sleeping until 5 which feels like a vacation haha.
have a great sunday!… or hope you had a great sunday!
Xo
maya
How do you make oatmeal so darn appealing?! I will have to try that melted banana trick.
I’m having a really big giveaway right now (two this month actually) to fill in while you break
you are a oatie genius!! So trying this out tuesday for that cozy comforting breakfast before school
yum!!!!
That Brownie Batter Bowl looks delectable! I love seeing creations of other bloggers! Thanks for posting mine! I definitely need to work on my oat pics.
I hate nights like that. I’m usually a great sleeper but there are some nights, luckily very few, when it will take me an hour or two…or three to fall asleep. Pure agony!
Today is a big day around here so last night I was a bit nervous and excited so I couldn’t fall asleep and then kept waking up over and over again until my alarm finally went off at 6. Whew. Now I am debating if I should head to the gym to try to generate some energy or if I should just take the day off and lounge around. I’m thinking lounge…
That brownie batter oatmeal is beautiful! Chocolate in the morning will always do the trick!
Ok, I’m going to have to try this melted banana trick! I normally just slice some banana on top of my oats but the melting bananas and banana brulee sound lovely!
I do love cocoa powder in my oat bran but I always need something to sweeten it! I’ll have to check our your brownie batter recipe…
You’re oatmeal looked yum! I hate those night when I just can’t sleep, you’re right, they are totally frustrating. Hopefully tonight is much better
Wow, that’s the best looking oatmeal I’ve ever seen!
Have you tried shredded carrot and coconut in your oatmeal? I read it somewhere and they said it tastes like carrot cake. So you can try it and let us know how it tastes! lol!
Everyone jumped on the Bananawagon! Sorry you had such a bad night, that sucks! When my brain won’t stop thinking or worrying about something there is no sleeping. It’s so annoying, I wish we came with an on/off switch.
Your brullee is making waves! Brullee, soft serve…can we start a banana club?
Yum! Your brownie oatmeal looks AMAZING!
<3 jess
xoxo
Hello,
I just found your blog and i love it. i tried brownie batter oats immediately, so simple yet so delicious. i love the positive attitude your blog takes, so great to read.
take care!
aww sorry to hear you couldn’t sleep! i always sleep like a baby so sorry no adivce there!
i am in love with your chocolate oats katie! i tried the banana brulee last night as a nice evening snack and i nearly passed out by the goodness and the smell of this stuff! you are a genius!
Geez, I should come to your place for breakfast. I have no culinary passion in the AM. Ha ha
Ok this is my entry for the food scale. My computer I’m using on vacay has such a horrid screen, pretty much all I could tell is that the close up is…white. haha!
Scavenger hunt is pretty clever, love the way you think
Scale guess #4!
Gee, I woke up at about that time this morning too and couldn’t fall back asleep! That breakfast looks like an awfully good idea. Thanks!
i really like acai green tea that my college cafe sells
I love vanilla rooibos
I drink sleepy time extra a ton – it helps so much
i love sleepytime tea!
I like fruity teas – like Wild Berry. Tea usually has to be pretty sweet for me to like it!
Ginger Lemon with brown sugar and soy creamer is my fav!
I do really like some Green tea from time to time!
Hi Katie. I love your site.
Yerba Mate, Red Rooibos, and Green Ginger are among my staple teas. I do love a Hot Tazo Chai tea latte (Soy~of course!) from Starbucks on the weekends!
I have a tough time falling asleep usually 3 days out of the week. No T.V., music, or computer too late and no eating past 7 is very helpful, but lately I can’t seem to achieve that. No exercise or caffeine in the evening is a must. My husbands snoring is a total bother too, so I sleep on the couch usually half of the week. If all else fails I read until falling asleep.
I love chamomile tea!! Tea is just amazing and so calming!!
-Lena
My favourite tea is Celestial Seasonings’ holiday flavour Sugar Cookie Sleigh ride. I stock up in the winter so I’ll have enough to last me until next year
My favorite vanilla honey chamomile! So delicious!
I love chamomile tea in the evenings. My MIL gave me a cannister of Double Dark Chocolate Mate by Republic of Tea. It’s really good in the mornings!
Rooibos! I love it with lemon/orange juice and stevia..mmm
i love early grey in the morning (for a little more motivation to get going), but the rest of the day i’m usually sipping on peppermint tea. I adore anything peppermint, yum.
any kind of tea is great. i tend to prefer black teas to green, but i have a weakness for all of them! I really like celestial seasonings sleepytime tea at night. maybe it’s just the picture of the snoozing bear on the box, but it really helps me feel sleepy
By far the best is Harney and Son’s cinnamon spice tea from Barnes and Noble.
I really like Celestial Seasonings’ holiday Gingerbread flavor. I also want to try their Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride next time too.
I love Ginger Peach tea!
My favourite tea flavour as of late is Sweet Chili (licorice, cinnamon, mint, chili, …). I’m not quite that fond of berry-teas but prefer spice teas.
favorite flavor of tea? now and forever, always green tea. I also love peppermint and anything peachy and spicy all at once.
My favorite tea is:
http://www.celestialseasonings.com/products/detail.html/herbal-teas/honey-vanilla-chamomile
It is awesome! When I find it (not all stores carry it) I buy it in bulk… I am currently out and whining about it EVERY! SINGLE! NIGHT!
My favorite flavor of tea is blue flower earl gray. I have no idea what the blue flowers are, but they taste amazing!
My favorite tea is probably simple rooibos.
My favorite flavor of tea is Twinings Herbal Unwind “african honeybush and orange” flavor. So good!!!
My favorite tea is anything MINTY! I get really bad stomach aches and mint tea seems to be only thing that soothes me
I love honeybush tea!
My favorite flavor of tea is probably Chai, followed closely by Irish Breakfast.
I love all tea but mint is probably my favorite, comforting and refreshing at the same time
I love just about all kinds of tea! Especially those with mint or vanilla in them!
My favorite flavor is Orange – yum!!
It depends on what kind of mood I am in, but I am a big fan of Jasmine Pearls and also Tazo Awake. Yum!
I love green tea.
I love any kind of tea, let’s be honest; but lately I have been having a delicious coconut chai every morning…it’s AMAZING!
My favorite tea is also my second favorite drink in the world (right after water) and it’s VANILLA CHAI!!! I ALWAYS drink it on the weekends when I wake up since it has caffeine and I hate coffee. I put half water and half soy or almond or coconut milk with some soy or coconut creamer on top, honey, TONS of cinnamon and it immediately makes the world seem better — I am not even kidding!
I looove tea of any kind, though. =]
my favorite tea is vanilla chai!
I’m a total insomniac and once I fall asleep I wake up repeatedly. I have been loving some Celestial Seasonings peppermint tea lately (decaf!!). Everyday without fall I have a big cup!
I am a tea addict so picking a favourite is soooo hard for me. But I’d have to say it’s the “Apple Cinnamon” from David’s Tea in Toronto. It’s a mix of green and black leaves and it has this incredibly juicy, apple flavour… it tastes like drinking an apple pie. YUM!
I think I love every kind of tea, ever. haha
Chai might be my favorite though. =]
I love just plain black tea, YUM.
Chai is my all time fav
my favorite flavor of tea is actually celestial seasoning’s blueberry breeze green tea!
i LOVE all kinds of tea–mint, genmai, lemongrass…but nothing beats my mom’s homemade chai spice mix!
My favorite tea is chamomile…I like Cozy Chamomile by Lipton.
I love Celestial Seasonings Christmas teas! There’s a peppermint one and a nutcracker sweet tea that I adore, but you can only get them around the holidays… thanks for the giveaway, as always!
My favorite tea is Rest by Tazo
my favourite tea would definitely be peppermint! you really can’t go wrong with it! i sip it alllllll day long!
but i recently discovered fennel tea as well, and ill give it second place, because it’s pretty amazing as well!
Hmm, my favorite tea…? That’s a tough question; there are so many great ones! I like mint teas, and orange spice tea, fruit teas, green teas, cinnamon tea, and lemon balm tea… I guess I’ll go with chamomile-mint. That’s pretty slurpilicious.
I love all kinds of tea. Green tea is always nice, but I enjoy herbal teas, like chamomile, lemongrass, mint…
)
I really love tea
My Favorite is any variety of green tea!
Peppermint tea is my favorite after dinner tea.
I looove Almond Cookie black tea. it’s so good!
Oh, my, I do love yummy teas! The favorite black tea would be Earl Grey and the favorite herbal tea would be Candy Cane Lane – pepperminty & vanillaish green tea!
Thanks for this opportunity to celebrate teas!
hello, teas are great!
I love thai milk tea and chai tea
The pommegrante one is to die for!
Thank you for hosting:)
I had a lovely pommegrant, mango and cinnamon tes the other day, sooo much nicer than ordinary tea and caffine free
I have sleep problems too, only sometimes it takes me hours to get to sleep and my doctor won’t give me any meds for it.
Mint green tea has been my favorite lately
Hi Hi
this giveaway looks all kinds of awesome because i am going through that “i cant sleep” stage of life now
or maybe its just the volume in the halls of my dorm (:
anyways, i loveeee french vanilla tea… it tastes like a liquid cupcake (i know that sounds dank but trust me it is WAY good)
love the blog!
janet.
My favorite of the Celestial Seasons flavors is the Lemon Ginsing!!
My favorite tea is licorice mint, but my favorite CS tea flavor is Candy Cane Lane!!
Anything with peppermint, whether it is a hint or not, I love it!
I love peppermint tea and chai tea!
I love any tea with hibiscus, because it’s tangy…
I love almost anything by Celestial, its the only brand I buy! I especially love the Gingerbread Spice, Roastaroma, and Chocolate Raspberry Bliss.
Favorite tea = Good Earth Decaf Original. Heaven in a mug. Hands down
Adore you, girlie! xo
katie
http://www.ajoyinclass.wordpress.com
my favourite flavoured at the moment is an herbal type, peppermint as i feel that it calms me and it was an acquired taste…celestial seasonings actually! (or their sleepytime, chamomile)
xox
Love the green tea decaf with white and decaf english breakfast!
Earl Grey
My favorite kind of tea is simply Green Tea
Moroccan mint tea! In morocco they make THE best mint tea with fresh leaves!
I drink tons of tea and I love trying different types, but my favorite is Chinese Breakfast by Numi.
Pomegranate white tea is my current fave!
I love, love, love their honey tea. ahhh and I love their seasonal sugar cookie tea!
My favorite flavor of tea is raspberry zinger, but I rarely get to have it. But I do drink at least 3-4 mugs of green tea each day!
I love peppermint tea!
I love chai tea but I rarely end up making it for some reason…
I love corn tea
my favorite kind of tea is spiced gingerbread…yum yum
My favorite kind of tea is fennel tea
speaking of sleep, i love sleepy mint tea! haha its so good and totally relaxes me =)
I love peppermint tea since it always calms and soothes my tummy and makes me sleepy
Oolong tea will always be my favorite!
I love that tummy mint! I got some when we visited the Celestial Seasonings factory out in Boulder, but haven’t been able to find it anywhere since.
Mint! Every summer my mint plant throws out bushels (that I didn’t know what to do with for the longest time). Thank goodness it finally clicked that I could brew it! : )
My favourite tea is peppermint tea
My fave tea EV-AH is peppermint!
I have always and still do have trouble falling asleep.
I have always just read until I fell asleep.
I like a lot of teas but honestly my favourite is plain old orange pekoe (with the addition of milk, which really mellows the flavour.)
I love green tea!
My favorite is without a doubt Candy Cane Lane!
I’m such a tea fiend it’s ridiculous.
Green is probably my favorite. I also love the minty flavors like Peppermint (yay Holiday flavaz). And I have to have my Sleepytime Vanilla almost everyday.
I love ginger tea – makes my belly feel good!
I love country peach by celestial seasonings. And I just tried it in my oats with sliced peaches…. heaven!!
CS black cherry berry. <3
Red Teas by celestial seasonings is great! box after box (but it could use some quote-updating). It’s basically just a yummy roobios
I love green tea or orange peach tea
I love peach tea or a yummy chai tea!
Raspberry flavored tea is my favorite!
I love chai tea! So yummy!
Hi Katie, I have really been enjoying your blog over the past few weeks. I am looking forward to trying some of the fudge baby recipes!
My favorite flavor of Cel Seas tea is Magic Mint, and Candy Cane Lane was a great find over the holidays. Another runner-up is Sleepytime tea, and Sleepytime Extra sounds really effective!
I have trouble sleeping sometimes (the problem flared up in middle school for me, too). Recently, I began taking melatonin supplements. It gives me vivid dreams, which I didn’t like in the past, but now kind of dig! (Note that melatonin should not be combined with other sleep remedies, such as valerian. But I think it would be fine with Sudoku!)
hi katie! thanks for holding this wonderful giveaway! my favorite tea is chai. absolutely love it especially in the winter months. takes the zip out of these vicious winds!
my favorite tea is chai, because i love soy chai lattes! passion tea is great too for something fruity
cinnamon tea is my favorite. it’s so warm and cozy on a chilly day. yum!
i LOVE tropical green tea
I love green tea, it my absolute favorite!
But I did get this new kind and its caramel apple yum!
Sugar cookie tea!
My favorite tea is Celestial Seasonings’ seasonal tea- Candy Cane Lane (peppermint green tea- sooo tasty!)
My favorite is chai tea – I love a nice cozy slightly milky cup in the morning.
My favourite teas are Country Peach Passion and True Blueberry (both are Celestial Seasonings!)
If I need some caffeine then it’s all about Jasmine green tea :]
my favorite is tea is chai or mint!
I may be boring, but my favorite tea is Irish breakfast black tea. I also like peppermint, though!
My favorite tea is orange pekoe and peppermint!!
When Im in a chai mood, it’s Yogi Sweet Thai Delight and when I am in a fruit mood, it’s celestial seasonings Apple Cranberry – yum!!!
i adore sugar cookie sleigh ride and all kinds of green tea! i don’t discriminate :]
I have loved Sleepytime forever. It reminds me of my college years and the rare moments that I was not studying and just relaxing with my roommate.
My favorite is jasmine green tea. YUM!
I think Peppermint tea is my favorite!
My favorite tea is chai tea, and after that, I love all the fruity teas.
Right now I am lovin’ the Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Tea! (I know, I know, the holidays are over. But it’s sooo good and vanilla-minty! And I stocked up!)
Favorite tea: anything hot! (what can I say, some like it hot)
well for CS, i used to really like the Vanilla Maple tea….not sure as it’s been years. Discovered, while in england, that Pineapple Grapefruit Green tea is NOT a good combination…actually, kinda decided to stop buying boxed tea and start sampling the bulk teas…have a spicy chai, a carob rum, and this lovely rosey herbal concoction to try. great sleep aid for me is to NOT have chai before bed…silly me. and some good ol’ outdoor work helps too. problem with counting sheep is they then stop jumping over the fence or there becomes a contemplative investigation into property rights and wool ownership in a sheep grazes entirely on the neighbor’s fodder….errrr….
I love echinacea tea!
I love sugar cookie sleighride!
i love green tea with jasmine!
Our favorite is Caramel Vanilla Truffle, yum!
fave tea would be orange lemon balm
Earl Grey is my favorite tea.
But I can drink just about anything.
i love chamomile. celestial seasoning’s make a great ‘honey vanilla chamomile’. yummy
I eat this at least three times a week! It’s the best oatmeal I’ve ever had!!
Hehe that’s cause there’s chocolate in there, right?
Can’t go wrong with chocolate!! (Well maybe you can, but it’s hard.)
LOL, too true, ma’am!!
{ 14 trackbacks }