“Oh I love pigeons more than anything else…besides oatmeal.”
Bert (Sesame Street)
It figures that my first two posts are about oatmeal. I really love this stuff, just like Bert! I eat it every single morning because it is simple to make, it’s the perfect balance of carbohydrate and protein to start your day, and it tastes real good.
This is the simple, daily oatmeal recipe that I make every single morning. It isn’t a complex recipe at all, but there’s a few simple tricks that I have, which really help boost boring oatmeal up a few notches.
First, a few simple ingredients:
The brands don’t really matter, but I find that these are the cheapest all-natural brands of these ingredients. However, it’s all relative. I go to school in NYC, so what is “cheap” around me is skewed because everything here is expensive.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of Rolled or Quick Oats
- 1 cup of water (can be substituted with your milk substitute as well)
- A splash of Flaxseed Milk + protein (I have started only adding it in as a splash because I like the watered-down flavor with the added creaminess from the splash of milk.
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp of chia seeds
- Maple Syrup to taste
- A handful of FROZEN raspberries and blueberries
Directions:
Stove top: Pour the water and milk into a medium saucepan on high, covered. Bring the liquid to a boil. Stir in the oats and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the mixture cook covered for about 3-5 min (rolled oats) or 1-3 min (quick oats). Once the oats have absorbed most of the liquid, stir in the maple syrup, cinnamon, and chia seeds. Pour into a bowl and top with frozen raspberries and blueberries.
Microwave: Pour the dry oats into a deep bowl (deep because the liquid can boil over if you aren’t careful!). Pour the water or milk over the oats. If these are rolled oats, I recommend letting them sit and soak up the liquid for 5-10 minutes before putting them in the microwave. Place the bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes and 30 seconds, or longer depending on your preference. Take it out and stir in maple syrup, cinnamon, chia seeds, and top with frozen raspberries and blueberries.
I highly recommend using frozen berries because the contrast between the warm oatmeal with the cold berries is the best part. Also, frozen fruit doesn’t go bad, so you can store bulk packages in your freezer for months and use them whenever you’re ready.
Feel free to use whatever frozen fruit you like. My favorites are raspberries and blueberries, but my best friend loves frozen mangoes and cherries in her’s. So get creative!
Katrina-Safe Eating 