girl-ish
By Kathryn Dickens Alright, so you may or may not be thanking me for oatmeal recipes right now, but trust me, your body soon will. (Warning: I am about to geek out a little over cereal. My 30 year-old soul is that of a 80 year-old grandmother.) Oatmeal is great for a whole host of reasons. It is a great source of fiber, which helps regulate our digestive systems and it binds with bile in our guts (gross, sorry) to rid our bodies of excess cholesterol - thus, heart healthy! It also tastes amazing when prepared well and keeps appetite at bay for hours after eating. I’ve been enjoying oatmeal at breakfast time since I was a wee one. I have such cozy memories of those handy little packets of peaches and cream. My innocence was lost, however, when I wised up and realized that just one of those pouches contains about half the recommended daily amount of sugar for women (6 teaspoons)*. Later in my “responsible adult years” I have been making my own homemade oatmeal on pretty much a weekly basis. And I’ve tried to keep it clean and healthful so I can get the most nutritional bang for my buck--did i mention that oats are cheap as hell? Also versatile as hell. So here I present to you, 3 tasty and nourishing oatmeal breakfasts that will feed you quickly any morning of the week. CLASSIC OATS *bottom left in the collage below* For a while, I was using quick-cook microwave oats to save time in the morning. But they quite don’t cut it in the texture department. I eventually saw the light and started following this advice from the kitchn, realizing it is just as simple to make them the old school way and they wind up tasting so much better as a result. All you need: 1 cup milk (preferred) or water ½ t cinnamon 1 cup old-fashioned oats Pinch of salt 1 T honey or maple syrup Toppings of choice! (banana, dried fruit, coconut, sunflower seeds) If you have a spare 5 minutes, toasting the oats in the pan first does add a very appealing flavor/aroma, but honestly, I often skip this step in the interest of time. Add your oats, give the mixture a quick stir, and cover This recipe usually feeds me twice, too. Just add a splash more milk and a give it minute nuke in the microwave. “SLEEP-IN” OATS (adapted from Kath Eats Real Food) *top right in the collage below* This cold oatmeal recipe may require you to open your mind a bit, but it is a genius grab and go breakfast option and actually really, really tasty--especially in the summer! Simply combine the ingredients (save nuts and other crunchy bits until right before enjoying) in a jar or bowl the night before and let the oats soak to tenderness by morning. All you need: ½ cup old-fashioned oats ¼ t cinnamon ½ - ¾ cup milk Pinch of salt ¼ cup plain yogurt (optional) Mix-ins! (berries, chia seeds, nuts, jam) ½ T honey or maple syrup (or to taste) BAKED OATS (adapted from Shutterbean and Whole-Grain Mornings by Megan Gordon) *top left in the collage below* Being homebound in a snowstorm is the perfect opportunity to bake up something warm, comforting, and heavenly. Baked oatmeal is a little more time-consuming to prepare, but makes breakfast for the rest of the week so, yeah. All you need: 2 cups old-fashioned oats ¼ t ground ginger 3-4 ripe bananas 1 cup nuts of choice (I used pecans) ¼ ground nutmeg brown sugar, butter, cream, 3 T ground flax meal 2 cups milk berries for topping (YUM) 1 t baking powder 2 eggs ½ t salt 1 t vanilla 1 ¼ t cinnamon ⅓ cup maple syrup Preheat oven to 375 and coat a baking dish with nonstick spray In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients through nutmeg In a smaller bowl, combine milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla Add wet ingredients to dry and give it a stir Layer the bottom of the dish with sliced bananas and spoon/pour oat mixture over top Top with additional banana slices and lightly spray/drizzle with oil to achieve that extra golden crust Bake for 40-50 minutes then top and eat while it is piping hot and amazing There you have it! More than you ever wanted to know about oatmeal. But seriously, you should eat breakfast and it should at least occasionally be in oatmeal form. *Honorable mention: (Bottom right) Granola! Always make your own granola. *To quickly calculate teaspoons of sugar on a nutrition label, simply divide grams of sugar by 4. Read "Healthy Eating Hacks" by Kathryn here.
Read more healthy eating related posts from the team! When Life Gives You Lemons The Dirty on Whole30
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