Winnipeg, the cottage, and great oatmeal

We spent four nights and three full days in Winnipeg – actually, it was two days in Winnipeg and one afternoon out at the Tuenis’ cottage. We were happy to visit to the cottage, but really did wish for better weather. Upon our arrival, it started to rain. Luckily for us, Tony had started up the sauna, so we were able to enjoy an afternoon sweat session before adjuring to the cottage for a not-so-rowdy game of dice – amusingly the same game we learned to play back in Comox with Jane and Paul. For the record, Becky and Scott both won the second game.

Hanging out at the cottage.

On Saturday, we were treated to a wonderful lunch and visit with Fred and Diana (Diana is Scott’s first cousin once removed) and a great dinner with Scott’s Uncle Terry. It was nice to visit, and hear stories about their travels while sharing pictures and stories about our journey.

Fred, Scott, and Dianna

Uncle Terry and Scott

It rained pretty much the entire time we were in Winnipeg, so we were extra happy to have a home to live in (thanks Donna and Tony). It was also very neat to see where Katrina got her super cheery personality and tenacity. Although it took some searching, we certainly did find some great examples of “Friendly Manitoba”.

On our way to Diana and Fred’s for lunch, we detoured to Grant’s Old Mill, a Winnipeg historic site where Scott remembered buying grain and flour as a child. We picked up some stone chopped oats and barley for our morning oatmeal, but skipped the mill tour and free hotdogs in favour of Diana’s delicious lunch.

Oatmeal is our breakfast staple, and we think we have now perfected the recipe, so we decided to share it.

Ingredients:
1 pound of whole rolled oats
1/2 pound of rolled barley (looks just like the oats) – just add more oats if you can’t find the barley
1 cup of coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 to 1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 to 1/2 cup cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 cup whole almonds
1 tablespoon sea salt

Directions:
1. Place whole almonds into two bags (zip locks work well). Take hammer or other hard object and break up the almonds – I find a hammer and a cement floor work well. If no hammer available, whole almonds are OK too
2. Add almonds plus all ingredients above into a large bowl and mix.
3. Distribute oatmeal into six containers (I use zip lock freezer bags – medium size). Each container serves 2 hungry cyclists first thing in the morning.

Cooking directions:
1. In an insulated pot, add one packet of oatmeal and boiling water to cover 1 cm.
2. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Serve into bowls.
4. Add your choice of milk (cow, soy, rice, almond,…)
5. Add a large spoonful of peanut butter or almond butter and stir.
6. Enjoy.

Note 1: You could also boil the oatmeal for 2-3 minutes instead of letting it sit.
Note 2: We use regular oats, because we like the texture. If you use quick or instant oats, then you can just add milk immediately after stirring the boiling water – no need to heat or let stand.