Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to breakfast, eggs and oatmeal tend to be two different menu items — the foods are rarely seen together on the same plate. But combining them can increase the happiness of your tastebuds and better your health. It’s time we see them as one.

The additional protein from the egg will keep you fuller for longer and make you feel more awake. This, paired with oatmeal’s heart-healthy, cholesterol-lowering powers, make egg oatmeal (eoats, can we call them?) a herculean morning meal. The destined-to-be-together ingredients will having you shouting Good Morning from the roof tops, before you’ve had your coffee, while still sporting your pajamas.

Get the High Protein Oatmeal recipe from Fannetastic Food

The egg will thicken those oats right up, making them more fluffy — almost buttey. It’s a bit of texture magic. And this all happens without altering the oats’ neutral taste, meaning you can still dress them up however you like. Sweetened with a little maple syrup and cinnamon? Golden. Prepared savory with sriracha and avocado? Do it.

Sold? Fabulous. To make this beautiful meal, cook the oats as you would normally — either by stovetop or by microwave. Crack a single egg (or a few if you’re cooking up a big batch of breakfast) into a small bowl and whisk it up. If using a microwave, pour the egg mixture into the oats, add your milk or water and mix all together. Nuke as directed. You may want to add more liquid after the first microwave session, mixing the oats and microwaving for another minute or so.

If you are preparing the oatmeal on the stove, heat as you normally would. Once the pot comes to a simmer, reduce the heat and allow it to cook for about 5 minutes, while stirring frequently. Now stir in the whisked egg(s) and turn up the heat. Cook for another 5 minutes or so, and add more liquid if desired.

Get the Egg White Whipped Oatmeal recipe from Can You Stay For Dinner

Once your egoats are ready, add whatever ingredients you like: perhaps a dollop of peanut butter and jam, some honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon. You’ll never go back to plain old oats again.

Get the Protein Pumpkin Oatmeal With Egg Whites recipe from Eating Bird Food

And feel free to add an egg to any of these:

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WASHINGTON — Nearly 100 school shootings have occurred in the two years since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report, sponsored by anti-gun violence groups Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, counted at least 95 school shootings in 33 states since Dec. 14, 2012, when a gunman killed 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut. According to the data, previewed by The Huffington Post, each week averages about one school shooting.

The results show that despite the outcry that followed the Sandy Hook shootings, the threat of gun violence in schools is very much alive, with 45 deaths and 78 non-fatal gunshot injuries resulting from shootings since the massacre. The report found that at least one person died in 32 percent of the incidents, and that 73 percent of the time the assailant or assailants intentionally injured or killed someone with a gun.

The report counted incidents as a school shooting if the press or law enforcement confirmed that a firearm was discharged inside of a school building or on school or campus grounds. If a gun was brought into a school but not fired, or was fired off school grounds, it was not included.

“I think this report is astonishing,” Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, told HuffPost on Monday. “There’s no other developed country that looks like this or that would tolerate this kind of violence among schoolchildren.”

The groups also released a new advertisement to coincide with the Sandy Hook anniversary. The chilling video shows small children in a classroom when an alarm goes off, sending them hiding under their desks for a lockdown. The camera pans over their terrified faces as the voices of TV anchors delivering news of “another school shooting” reverberate in the background.

“Our children are facing it every day, so when are we going to?” a narrator asks at the end of the ad.

Watch the ad above.

The new analysis and ad are the latest materials that groups like Moms Demand Action and Everytown, which is backed by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, hope will bolster support for stricter gun laws. The anti-gun violence coalition contends that Americans support several measures to reduce gun violence, including universal background checks.

Although Congress failed to pass legislation to expand background checks in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, polls show that a strong majority of Americans continue to believe background checks should be required for all firearm purchases, including at gun shows and in private sales. Everytown president John Feinblatt said the anti-gun violence movement has not given up on Congress, but has found some states willing to tackle the issue.

Last month, voters in Washington state overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative to expand background checks and close the so-called “gun show loophole.” Bills designed to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers were signed into law in as many as six states, including those led by Republican Govs. Bobby Jindal (La.) and Scott Walker (Wis.).

“I’m a father of two school-age kids and I can say that every school shooting on this list represents a parent’s worst nightmare,” Feinblatt said. “So clearly more work needs to be done and we can’t accept a culture where lockdowns are the new fire drill.”

Although any legislation to curb gun violence is assumed dead in Congress, groups dedicated to the cause said they will continue to push federal lawmakers while focusing on state legislatures and ballot measures. Emboldened by the success of Washington state’s background checks initiative, advocates are eying a similar strategy in states such as Oregon, Arizona and Maine.

In Nevada, nearly 247,000 signatures were submitted to force the state legislature to consider universal background checks. If the measure is not signed into law, it will be automatically placed on the 2016 ballot.

“There has been demonstrable progress,” Feinblatt said, although he was quick to add that the new report shows just how much work needs to be done.

Watts emphasized the report’s finding that among the K-12 school shootings perpetrated by minors, nearly two-thirds of the weapons — 10 of 16 — were acquired by shooters from their own home.

“We talk a lot about keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, abusers, and the dangerously mentally ill,” she said. “We also need to keep handguns away from our children and teens.”

Holiday parties are the best part of the season — whether it’s an office, friends or family affair, it’s bound to be fun.

But, there are always some obstacles that try to bring down our #partyhard vibe — like ripping our tights or misplacing our coat check ticket. Don’t worry, though, because we’ve got you covered. From the madness of wardrobe malfunctions to the hysteria (yes, hysteria) caused by missing purses, here are some style tips and tricks that’ll keep you fresh as fa-la-la-la-la during your holiday party hopping spree.

1. Call ahead to see if there’s a coat check, so you know how much baggage you can bring (or not).

2. Consider safety pins your confidants — they’ll act as buttons, will put broken jewelry back together AND they will mend purse straps.

3. Wear garments with zippered pockets, so you can keep your cell phone, credit card or lipstick on you.

4. Boob tape is a gift sent from heaven to make you look killer in your sparkly, sequined dress.

5. Don’t give up your coat if your phone is in an unzipped coat pocket. Think of it — your jacket gets thrown onto a bed with 20 other coats, said phone falls out of your jacket pocket and is never to be found again.

6. Bring a small bottle of clear nail polish to dab on random runs in your tights or stockings.

7. If you wear a scarf, tuck your long strands into it so the wind doesn’t make your hair stick to your bold lipstick or gloss.

8. Fleece-lined tights and cashmere socks never hurt anybody.

9. A cross-body bag is the way to go so you can hold your drinks and more drinks.

10. Get gel-inserts, because heels hurt.

11. Make sure to wear tights that don’t have holes at the toes — you never know when you’ll be asked to take your shoes off!

12. Pocket tissues will always come in handy.

13. Put some dryer sheets in your bag to combat static messes.

14. Remember Every. Single. Detail. about your coat and bags, so if you lose your ticket, you can expertly point out your goods.

15. If you can avoid it, leave nonessential winter accessories at home so they don’t get lost.

16. Finally, layer to your heart’s content, so you can keep warm or keep cool inside and outside the soiree.

Tale Of Two Cities
Two women friends from neighboring communities shared the same weird dating story with me last week. Both were about coffee dates that quickly dropped into the disaster category. One woman arrived after her date was already seated at a table drinking a glass of mineral water from a large bottle on the table. She sat down and they talked for a while, but he never offered her a glass of water. After 10 minutes she got up and bought herself coffee, but she still can’t fathom why a guy wouldn’t offer his date a glass of water.

The second woman met her date at a café where they arrived at the same time. They stood in line together after getting their drinks. He was just ahead of her and they chatted while the line moved. When he reached the cashier he pulled out his wallet, paid for his coffee, and walked to a table. He noticed she had coffee but never offered to pay for it.

A Paucity of Spirit
I want to be clear that I advocate sharing expenses in new relationships, but the lack of savoir-faire these guys exhibited wasn’t really related to money. These weren’t wine bar dates, five-course dinners, or pricey theater tickets. This article is about generosity of spirit. Buying a date a cup of coffee, or sharing a bottle of mineral water, is about generosity of spirit, and it’s not gender specific.

Generosity Of Spirit
I dated for a several years before meeting my partner. During that time a fair number of women paid for my coffee, especially if they were ahead of me in line, but sometimes for no reason other than generosity of spirit. Of course I thanked them, but buying a date a cup of coffee, or sharing your bottle of mineral water, while polite, aren’t particularly noteworthy. But pettiness or a lack of manners is remembered long after a date. Both leave a bad taste and suggest a less than stellar catch. Losing a good man or woman simply because you don’t know about an essential character quality is tragic. Generosity of spirit means liberal in giving or sharing; unselfish; free from meanness or smallness of mind or character; magnanimous; and being warm and giving without expectation. If your character doesn’t include it you might want to consider that the nature of your character bleeds into all of your relationships, romantic or not. Whether on a date or in a relationship, nothing says, “Get me outta here,” louder than being treated in a petty manner. A first date is meaningful in terms of how someone’s behavior defines them, and while every first impression mistake isn’t a deal killer, bad manners, pettiness, and weird behavior most certainly are.

Manners Reflect Your Nature
I urge daters to consider whether or not their interactive behavior with people reflects generosity of spirit. It’s an admirable and attractive quality that savvy people always notice. Had the situations in the two stories been reversed, in terms of a woman already seated with a bottle of water on the table, or a woman ahead of a man in line at a café, and either behaved like the men in these stories, their behavior would also be petty and small,, and life’s too short for small.

It’s Not About Falling In Love
You don’t have to feel the earth move when you meet someone in person in order to demonstrate good manners and generosity of spirit. If neither is in your DNA then consider implanting them if you hope to attract someone special, because anyone worthwhile will surely recognize good manners and generosity of spirit and they’ll expect both in a date.

Lead With Your Best
For heaven’s sake get your head screwed on tight before a date to avoid committing the thoughtless faux pas nearly everyone finds unappealing. What else are you going to be unwilling to share in a relationship if you won’t even share a bottle of water with a date? And if you’re so stuck in outdated, non-evolved behavior that you won’t buy a date a cup of coffee, you might consider working on whatever issue is keeping you in such a dysfunctional stuck place. Generosity of spirit will have a positive affect on every relationship you will ever have. If you’re dating, think of it in terms of behaving like the man or woman you’d be most attracted to.

Visit www.kensolin.com for boomer dating articles, videos, and more.

Earlier on Huff/Post50:

PARIS (AP) — A Frenchman held for more than three years by al-Qaida’s North African branch has been freed, France’s president said Tuesday.

Serge Lazarevic is in “relatively good health” despite the conditions of his captivity, President Francois Hollande said. The Frenchman kidnapped along with Lazarevic, Philippe Verdon, was found dead in July 2013. “We no longer have any hostages in any country of the world, and we should not have any,” Hollande said.

He said the former hostage was en route to Niger, whose president Hollande specifically thanked for helping in the release.

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb took numerous Western hostages until France intervened in Mali in January 2013 to rout extremists. Hostage-taking has proved to be a lucrative business in Mali and other Sahel countries. Hollande’s government insists it pays no ransoms, although American officials have said otherwise.

At one point, at least 14 French nationals were held hostage by Islamic militants in West Africa. Lazarevic, abducted in November 2011, was the last Frenchman known to be held.