Making more of mornings / Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Oatmeal

I have completed week one of my "making more of mornings" regimen. Those of you who have read some of my earliest posts know that I have had the tendency (or habit) to climb right back into bed after waking up to take care of the dogs around 5 AM each day. No more! My neighbor and I have agreed to be gym buddies and starting this past Monday, we start the day together by meeting outside at 5:15 and walking over to our neighborhood gym. We work out for at least 30 minutes and start the day off right. I find that I now have even more energy to get things done in the morning, rather than climb back into bed. Eventually it does catch up with me and I take a nap later in the day, but at least now I feel like I deserve it. I have also started eating breakfast earlier - or at least having an earlier Primo Colazione (as the Italians call first breakfast), sometimes followed by a Secondo later in the morning (around 11 AM, which was my usual breakfast time). I've come up with a wonder fall oatmeal variety that is absolutely scrumptious: Pumpkin Spice and Pecan Oatmeal. Thank you Trader Joe's for providing most of the ingredients: frozen steel cut oatmeal (already pre-sweetened with maple and brown sugar), pumpkin butter, pecans and a splash of almond milk. Simply heat up the oatmeal per the instructions, then stir in a tablespoon of pumpkin butter, sprinkle some chopped pecans, and add a splash of almond milk. Sooooo yummy and perfect on a fall morning!