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Ideas for Oatmeal

Oatmeal

In winter I often crave a warm breakfast. Sometimes it’s an egg scramble or pancakes, but I have to say that oatmeal usually gets trump. It’s just perfect for one of those cozy mornings where you feel like eating in your pajamas while standing over the heat vent. Yes, I do that. And yes, I’m usually cold. Winter and I have never warmed up to each other. Literally. Let’s just say that hot cereal and I get along.

But I admit it, despite the wholesome characteristics of oatmeal, sometimes it can get a little dreary. I usually have it with a drizzle of honey and a smattering of nuts. Sometimes I add almond milk. Good, but boring. I decided to become more adventurous.

So here’s some fun ways I found to shake us oatmeal fans out of our ruts.

Oatmeal Combinations

This one is my absolute favourites, even though it sounds slightly strange. I assure you, adding the yogurt is not weird, because it becomes creamy goodness. I miss dairy yogurt so much, especially when eaten this way.

-2 teaspoons organic peanut butter, drizzle of pure maple syrup, sliced almonds, topped with plain yogurt mixed with truvia

For those of us who wish they could magically transport themselves to the Bahamas for the winter, this is the cheaper alternative. My second favourite.

-Shaved coconut, raisins, chopped dates, ½ banana, 1 teaspoon coconut oil, drizzled with agave nectar

When you feel like eating something close to the traditional version…

-2 teaspoons coconut sugar*, toasted almonds (this amps up the flavour!), 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and milk (*coconut sugar is relatively new, but it is sooo good…it tastes a lot like brown sugar, but it’s a lot healthier with a lower GI)

Apples are delicious cooked…this one reminds me of apple pie.

-½ cooked apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, a teaspoon of almond butter, with maple syrup for sweetener

I’m not crazy about eating bananas plain, but I love them in everything else. Banana bread is scrumptious. Here’s the oatmeal version.

-½ banana mashed up (and mixed in), a teaspoon of honey, and dark chocolate chips on top (of course!)

 

You can cook up your oatmeal in different ways too…

-Add coconut milk instead of water (especially good with the tropical version of oatmeal)

-Use milk when cooking to make it creamier

-Add an essence, like vanilla or almond extract

 

Ways to up the nutritional content of oatmeal…

-Add seeds (preferably raw) like hempseed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or chia seeds (my personal favourite)

-Make it more fibre-full by adding a topping of fibre cereal (like Grape nuts or All-Bran), wheat bran, oat bran, chia seeds, or shredded coconut

-Grind the smaller seeds. I don’t just sprinkle the flax on, because it needs to be ground to get all the benefits. It’s so easy to just use coffee grinder to crush sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and flaxseed.

-Top it off with fruit! I like my oats with berries, bananas, and pears.

How do you eat your oatmeal? Are you into trying different flavours or do you like to stick with the same old?

Category: Breakfast, Healthy Living, Recipes | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 8 comments »

8 Responses to “Ideas for Oatmeal”

  1. callie

    What great ideas – the coconut one sounds especially awesome!

  2. Angie's Recipes

    Coconut in oatmeal sounds really fabulous!

  3. Gemma

    I make it with 2tsp of cocoa, 1 tbsp of peanut butter and a mashed banana. Usually don’t sweeten it but if I do just a sachet of stevia. It tastes like delicious banana bread but with the cocoa cooked into the oats it is more like a delicious treat and the peanut butter makes it creamy.

    nom nom nom could have some right now!

  4. Charissa

    Callie and Angie…it’s so delicious.

    Gemma, I will have to try that. Sounds especially yummy to the chocolate crazed woman I am.

  5. The Mistress of Spices

    Great ideas! I’m always looking for ways to spruce up my oatmeal!

  6. Sweet Remedy » Back to Fall: Recipe Round Up

    […] Ideas for Oatmeal […]

  7. Stella

    I agree with you Charrisa, I’m not a fan of bananas unless they are mixed with something else! My strange oatmeal mixture lately has been oats + water + shredded carrot, then cook. After I add chia, 1/2 banana, flax and sometimes raisins. It’s like a nutrition packed carrot cake breakfast =)

  8. Al

    Having burned out on box cereals, I began to experiment with oats. While i will do a variety of combinations, the one that i do most is: oats, flax meal, cinnamon, honey, raisins, and chopped walnuts cooked in skim milk in the microwave for 1min. 45 secs. In season, I will add fresh fruit rather than raisins. Nutrition all the way.


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