Interesting Oatmeal

Oatmeal with a Tropical Twist

Whole grains are a staple in a clean diet. Having some oatmeal for breakfast is a great way to start the day.

The soluble fiber in oats gives your belly a feeling of fullness and provides slow-burning energy to get you moving while keeping your blood sugar levels even. To top it off, it has been clinically proven to help reduce blood cholesterol levels.

This may sound strange to some but… I love oatmeal. When someone tells me that they don’t like to eat gloppy oatmeal for breakfast over and over, it’s like someone telling me that they don’t like chocolate and I just blink in amazement.

There are just sooo many different ways to prepare oatmeal, that you’ve got to find a couple ways you like! Yeah, you can do the standard no/low-cal sweeteners, or a little brown sugar, with cinnamon, fruit, raisins, and nuts… but have you tried making it interesting?

For those who say that they don’t like oatmeal, the health benefits alone make it worth the effort to try to find in a way that you like!

Basic Oatmeal Preparation

When making oatmeal make sure to use the old fashioned rolled oats, not the quick or instant ones and not the ones in envelopes. Quick oats get mushy quick and are fine for most recipes, but, in my opinion, lack taste when served alone.

The quickest way to prepare basic oatmeal is in the microwave. For a half cup of oats, mix it with one cup of water—a little more or less based on how thick you prefer it—and place it in a large bowl so that it does not boil over. Zap it in the microwave on high for about three minutes.

(Cooking time may vary based on the power of your microwave, and may need to be adjusted a little for personal preference. Reduce the cook time to make it chewier, increase the cook time to make it softer.)

If desired, add your choice of spices and other mix-ins and sweeten.

Make it Interesting

Here are some ways to make your oatmeal interesting. Try these or make up some of your own (and report back!).

• Brew some of your favorite herbal tea (fruit flavors and vanilla work well) overnight to make a strong brew. Use the tea to replace the water when making your oatmeal.
• Replace one-forth of the water with flavored, sugar-free coffee syrup, such as butterscotch or coconut flavors.
• Replace half of the water with unsweetened apple sauce, or an unsweetened fruit juice such as apple or pineapple.
• Instead of adding fruit after the oatmeal is cooked, try cooking your fruit with the oatmeal. It spreads the flavor of the fruit throughout, but you may need to adjust the amount of water and the cooking time.
• Top with a small dollop of light whipped cream. For kids, you can use it to create a face or the first letter of your child’s name.

Other Non-Traditional Mix-Ins:

• Raw chocolate nibs
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• No-salt added, organic peanut butter
• Spray lightly with some low-sodium butter-spray. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, works nicely.
• Unsweetened coconut
• Dehydrated-rather than dried-fruits add a nice crunch when added at the last minute
• Sweeten with agave nectar, honey, or sugar-free breakfast syrup
• Add some crunch with Cinnamon Toasted Oats (see recipe)
• A packet of Splenda Flavors for Coffee – the caramel flavor is my all-time favorite but all of them are good!
• Fresh pineapple, chopped into small chunks, or unsweetened canned pineapple chunks in its own juice
• Non-traditional, dried fruits such as dates, mango, or pineapple

Give it a Twist

• Chunky monkey – mix in some unsweetened coconut, mashed banana, and raw chocolate nibs (or cocoa powder), and sweetener
• Two great tastes that taste great together – mix a tablespoon of no-sodium peanut butter and some unsweetened cocoa powder, and some sweetener. It doesn’t look pretty but it sure tastes good!
• Southern Home – add some mashed butternut squash or canned pumpkin, finely chopped pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweeten with maple syrup
• Tropical Treat – add half a cup of unsweetened pineapple chunks in juice to replace one quarter of the water when cooking. Sprinkle with unsweetened coconut and sweeten with honey or agave nectar
• Blueberry Pie Oatmeal (see recipe)

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