You can drink a protein smoothie every morning, but variety is the spice of life. And oatmeal is a divine way to add variety to your breakfast choices.

There’s nothing wrong with the instant, microwave oatmeal. It’s high-fiber and good for you. But skip the pre-flavored, pre-sugared packets and buy the plain old oatmeal packets. You can add flavor yourself.

If you’re able to spend 5 minutes preparing your oatmeal, pick up quick cooking oats — you boil the water, stir in the oats and simmer for a minute, then let the mixture sit for another minute.

While the cooked oatmeal is resting, get flax seeds, almonds and cinnamon ready to mix in. You can grind the roasted flax seeds in a coffee grinder you dedicate to spices. (In the photo, that’s the ground flax seed in the front.) Grind raw, unsalted almonds the same way. (Almonds are on the right side of the picture.) And then sprinkle some ground cinnamon onto the pile. If you arrange the flax, almonds and cinnamon on a plate, others who are sharing the oatmeal can choose how much to stir into their cereal.

Finally, drizzle some low-glycemic agave syrup over your cereal concoction to sweeten it. (Low-glycemic means it won’t cause your blood sugar to spike the way sugar or honey does.)

Come to a morning piloxing class an hour after you eat your oatmeal, and I guarantee you will have your body motor purring by noon.

CLICK HERE to download the print-friendly version of this recipe!