Archive for December 11th, 2009

Oatmeal, How I Love Thee – Now!

Did you ever really despise a certain food for most of your life, and then come to really enjoy it once you’ve learned that you were either eating it the wrong way, with the wrong combination of foods, maybe cooking it wrong, or buying bad brands or something of that nature? Well, my sudden turnaround with oatmeal may be a combination of all of those, plus add in a little bit of maturity and the desire to eat a hot, nutritious breakfast without having to do a lot of work, oh and the fact that we have one of those nifty insinkerator hot water machines at our newer house.

You wouldn’t believe how easy oatmeal is to make in the morning with a hot water dispenser. Shoot, it’s easy even without the hot water machine, it’s just way easier and almost ridiculously lazy to make once you have that too! Oh, and the best part is, we also have one of those insinkerator things where I work too, so it’s voila, instant hot breakfast at work as well. Cheap and nutritious, and filling too. Here’s the types of oatmeal that I have found a new love for, and how I prepare it so that it’s tasty, never bland.

I really enjoy the brand Quaker Oats, which is probably one of the biggest maker of the ready made packets they sell at most any grocery store. There’s that and then I’ve seen a few other brands like Kashi cashing in on the craze too. My current favorites are the reduced sugar Maple and Brown Sugar, the Banana Bread, Cinnamon Roll and Cinnamon and Brown Sugar flavors. They’re all excellent, and you totally forget you’re eating mushy oatmeal when you’re eating them because the flavoring is so good.

I add only the equivalent of a few tablespoons of hot water, since I’m not a fan of really soupy oatmeal. This gives it a thicker texture, although I also don’t like it too thick and pasty, so I often add a little water first, check it’s consistency, then keep adding it until it’s just right. I then add a couple tablespoons of chopped plain walnuts to the top of the oatmeal. I sometimes add a little extra sweetness by adding a half packet of stevia to the top as well.

I only eat one packet of oatmeal in the morning, so I’m pretty generous with the walnuts because they add the really filling fats and omega 3′s that get me through the morning and help suppress my appetite better throughout the day.

Oatmeal provides a filling, hot and nutritious breakfast that’s fiber filled and the walnuts add a lot of vitamins and nutrition as well, I wouldn’t recommend eating it without them. Sure, the plain stuff may be better for you, but when you’re eating such a small amount, it probably doesn’t matter.