This apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe has familiar, comforting flavors, but also some special ingredients that make it both tastier and healthier! I’ve taken some ingredients out of the TCM playbook: Chinese red dates, goji berries, Chinese brown sugar, and nuts.  It served me well during my postpartum period, when I was looking for something warm, quick, and filling for breakfast.I found myself prepping it in advance for future breakfasts and feeling thoroughly nourished after every bowl!  What I Mean By “TCM Twist” TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, often uses food to help heal the body.Though we aren’t TCM experts or doctors, we do have knowledge that has been passed down from older generations.  As I myself get older (I’m staring down the barrel of 34 this year), I’ve begun taking all the “old wives” tales, advice, and guidance my mom and grandma have shared over the years more seriously!  (That is, I’ve gone from completely ignoring it in my childhood and teen years to faithfully adhering to such rules as: not going to bed with my hair wet, wearing socks or slippers in the house—avoiding bare feet, especially in the colder months—and drinking ginger date tea when I feel a cold coming on.)  So when I recently had a baby and went through my 1-Month Post Childbirth Confinement, I knew I wasn’t exactly supposed to be downing bacon and eggs every single morning.  Let me pause here to tell you that I am generally NOT an oatmeal fan.

It’s just

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