Laziness is the mother of invention- that’s what my old spellcrafting instructor used to say. I’m a fairly adept conjurer of dinners, and my breakfast spellcraft is the envy of most of the guild. Making many things in between, though, has always been an elusive target. Sandwhiches mean keeping bread around, and, after a somewhat tragic incident involving an accidental mold golem and a sentient head of lettuce, I decided they were not the answer to my lunch problem.

For weeks in a row, I had the same problems: having very little on hand that is ready to go, and very little energy to craft something tasty. In a flash of inspiration, I realized that  breakfast might be the answer to my lunch difficulties! Oatmeal! It’s always around, and its fiber keeps me full and out of the pantry for hours. It was a natural fit, but I needed to make it different enough from breakfast that it wouldn’t feel like the same old thing…

That’s where my old pal laziness stepped in to lend a helping hand. It was cold, I didn’t want to leave the laboratory, but I was hungry. A thorough inventory of my stockpile of reagants revealed a few carrots, a handful of celery, and a somewhat sad bag of frozen peas. What was I going to do with this mess? My back was against the wall, and the need for a lunch break loomed large.

So, I  started chanting and throwing things together, and by the end, as it usually does, magic happened. Here was a healthy soup of oats and veggies that tasted like chicken soup-like a hybrid between the canned stuff and the soup grandma would make… It was incredible! It’s made from ingredients that’re always around, and it can be thrown together with little thought or effort (especially if you just use a frozen veggie medley!). It’s the satisfying middle ground between a light lunch and a hearty soup- filling, but not heavy!

Savory Oatmeal and Veg – Chicken Soup Flavor (+3 mana, +5 health, +4 stamina)

Ingredients

• 1 cup oatmeal
• 3.5 cups water
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• ½ cup frozen peas
• ½ cup frozen edamame
• 1-1 ½ teaspoon Better than Bouillon veggie soup base
• 3-4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, more as needed or desired
• ½ teaspoon salt, more as needed or desired
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add oats, soup base, and water to a small pot, and bring to a low boil over medium or medium-high, stirring frequently.
2. Once boiling, add frozen veggies (still frozen is fine), celery, and carrot. Stir and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until veggies are tender.