Diet Food Reviews
Reader Favorites: What's the Best Way to Prepare Oatmeal
I love oatmeal. Really, I think I would classify it as one of my favorite foods. However, I could never, ever eat it plain. Over the years, I have come up with many different ways of preparing it to suit my mood so that miraculously, I have never gotten bored with my trusty oats. Here are my tips to make your oatmeal boring no more.
The key to a good bowl of oatmeal is making old fashioned stove-top oats. Forget that instant-microwave peach banana flavor stuff - That's not oatmeal! The real stuff you can buy in a bulk bin for sometimes less than $.99 a pound! Talk about an economical breakfast! Take the ten minutes it requires to make a real bowl on the range top-you'll be happy you did.
my recipe: first of all, use milk to cook the oats in, not water-makes. It makes it SO much creamier. Once you try this, you'll never go back! Next, while cooking, chop in a banana. This way, the banana's sweetness diffuses to sweeten the whole bowl. When it's done, add a spoonful of peanut butter and sprinkle some ground flax seed on top for an extra healthy breakfast.
Other combinations I enjoy:
* Raw almonds, raisins, and a splash of honey or real maple syrup
* Canned pumpkin, splash of maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg for "pumpkin pie oats."
* Stir in a single-serving container of applesauce before microwaving, then mix in raisins and cinnamon for an apple-pie breakfast.
* Add yogurt, cream cheese, or cottage cheese before microwaving (all make it more thick and creamy)
* Toss in a handful of cold cereal (I like kasha go lean or other varieties of granola) for extra crunch
* Put in a spoonful of protein powder (soy, whey, hemp) while cooking to add more protein to your breakfast, which may keep you full a bit longer
* Use spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of allspice, turbinado sugar, real maple syrup, honey. A little "doctoring up" can make all the difference.
Experiment and enjoy!
P.S. Check out pictures from Tanya's 30 Day Oatmeal Challenge on Flickr.
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I have been on an oatmeal kick lately myself. I LOVE adding cocoa powder and banana to it. It tastes like cocoa wheats. LOL
I LOVE LOVE LOVE oats!!! I eat them everyday for at least one meal. They are usually my morning breakfast and bestime snack. I never get tired of them!!! Needless to say, I have done my fair share of oatmeal experimenting. I have tried almost all of your suggestions and they are all rather delicious! But I have to say that my FAVORITE way to prepare oatmeal requires NO cooking at all!!! I simply mix dry rolles oats (a little more than 1/2 cup) with 1 scant cup of unsweetened Almond Breeze Vanilla, some splenda and butter. I mix it up really well and let it sit in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour! I have also let it sit overnight (overnight oats= YUM!)
This is divine! So thick, rich, and creamy. I never get tired ot eating oats this way!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE oats!!! I eat them everyday for at least one meal. They are usually my morning breakfast and bestime snack. I never get tired of them!!! Needless to say, I have done my fair share of oatmeal experimenting. I have tried almost all of your suggestions and they are all rather delicious! But I have to say that my FAVORITE way to prepare oatmeal requires NO cooking at all!!! I simply mix dry rolles oats (a little more than 1/2 cup) with 1 scant cup of unsweetened Almond Breeze Vanilla, some splenda and butter. I mix it up really well and let it sit in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour! I have also let it sit overnight (overnight oats= YUM!)
This is divine! So thick, rich, and creamy. I never get tired ot eating oats this way!
I love oatmeal but eat the packet kind on weekdays (I know I know but it's still better than a bowl of cocoa puffs or something) and have the stove top kind during some weekend mornings. I use soy milk (never water) and have added peanut butter, bananas, cocoa, chocolate chips, and sometime granola. (not all at the same time!) Oatmeal is pretty versatile and I try to always have some on hand.
Lately I've been making a version of "no-bake cookie" oatmeal for dessert. I stir together a 1/3 cup oats, 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 tbsp. dark cocoa powder, a splash of vanilla and a packet of stevia. I nuke this for three minutes, then stir in a spoonful of natural peanut butter before eating. Healthier, portion controlled version of those yummy cookies!
I love banana nut bread, so my favorite way is: I take a banana, mash half of it, and then quarter and slice the other half. I add the mashed half to the oats while cooking, and stir in the slices at the end. Add some cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, and chopped walnuts and I'm in heaven.
I always use the old fashioned kind of oatmeal. I microwave 1/3 cup of oats with 1 cup of sugar free vanilla almond breeze for three minutes. I then add spices - cinnamon and a dash of maple extract and a whole chopped unpeeled apple and microwave for three more minutes. Delicious, filling and nutritious!
I have a 3-cup rice cooker that I use every single morning to make a large serving of oatmeal for myself. I usually just add 3/4 cup old fashioned oats, a little salt, 1-1/2 cups water, and some fruit, usually a handful of the blueberries I froze from this past summer. I also often add a half cup of pumpkin in place of the blueberries and add some pumpkin pie seasoning.
It's the easiest hot breakfast ever. I close the lid, turn the cooker on, and let it cook while I finish getting ready for work. Usually it takes about 15 minutes and it requires zero effort. Sugar to taste and you're ready to go!
This is one of my favorite oatmeal recipes:
1/2 cup oats (old fashioned)
1/2 cup shredded wheat and bran
1 3/4 cups water
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
dash of salt&cinnamon
Mix ingredients, microwave 1m 30sec in microwave take it out and mix again then add another 1m 30sec.
Once out of the microwave add a serving of 100% dark chocolate mix till it melts throughout the bowl then add shredded coconut and almonds,
P.S. Remember to have a bowl big enough that the ingredients don't overflow; messy microwaves are never fun to clean.
Oatmeal is wonderful and I eat it all the time. On an average day I usually eat around 2-3 cups of it. Normally I just microwave mine with water and then mix in whey protein and cinnamon but sometimes I add things like nuts, fruit, or chocolate.
I love oatmeal and all other forms of hot breakfast cereal. If you're into cream of wheat or a slightly smoother texture, go for oat bran! It's got even better stats than oatmeal, being higher in both fiber and protein. It is also just as quick to prepare as instant oatmeal! Two of my favorite oatbran preparations are:
-1/2 cup oatbran, 1/2 cup light vanilla soymilk, 1/2 banana, cinnamon, splenda, and some chopped walnuts (tastes just like banana bread)
-1/2 cup oat bran, scoop blueberry protein powder, 1 packet splenda, and 1/2 cup light vanilla soymilk
Give oatbran a try...It's a nice little change from the same ol' bowl o' oats!