What's in your Oatmeal?

Regardless of what you mix in it, if you like it sweet (i do!) to cut back on sugar you can try this: spread it thin in a shallow pan (glass type thing) and bake it (without any sugar or sweetener yet). Then cut into squares and put in the fridge (you can make a bunch at a time this way). When you are ready to eat, cook on the stove like a pancake or hamburger (0 calorie butter spray is good) - cooking on each side, or even microwave it. Then after it is on your plate, sprinkle some sugar on the top (or spread honey thinly across the top). You use a LOT less this way, and it tastes MORE sweet because you get the sugar or honey in every single bite, and it is the first thing you taste, so you dont notice the oatmeal is not really sweet (it mixes all up in your mouth).

If I put sugar in oatmeal, I have to use several teaspoons in one bowl for it to be sweet enough for me, but doing it this way I can use about 1/2 teaspoon per serving. The more shallow the pan the better (i like it about 1/2 inch tall squares) . And cinn/sugar sprinkle is awesome

I like to slice up half a banana, add a little bit of brown sugar, and some cashews for crunch

1/2 c. quaker old fashioned oats, mix with water, add cinnamon, nuke for one minute, sprinkle honey crisp with almond cereal on top add a dash of milk....all yum

BASE INGREDIENTS:

❤ organic coconut sugar

❤ any homemade nut milk: almond, walnut, or pecan



ANY TOPPING/FLAVORS:

❤ banana

❤ organic chia seeds

❤ matcha

❤ organic chocolate chips (dairy-free)

❤ strawberries

❤ imitation vanilla butter & nut flavoring

❤ 100% cacao powder

❤ walnuts



I like to switch it up depending on what i'm craving.

almond milk, banana, and peanutbutter.

Sometimes brown sugar. and butter mmmmmm!!!

I put porridge seeds in mine.

Overnight oats so I don't have to think in the morning! 1/2 c oats, 1/2 c raw 2% milk, 1/2 c Fage 0%, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 Tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and a couple dashes of cinnamon. Then in the morning I add some sort of fruit, stir, and eat.

I love all of these ideas, especially maple syrup instead of the honey... also the pineapple in warm oatmeal. Yum!

I don't like oatmeal prepared the standard way. To me, it's too mushy and slimy. Not a texture I like. However, I DO like baked oatmeal. Actually, I'm obsessed with it, and I make it a zillion different ways, from "standard" sweet fruity breakfast-y concoctions, to stuff involving chocolate/cocoa that makes it more of a dessert, to veggie concoctions with savory spices that are more like a meatloaf, although it contains no meat. I bake them in single-serving ramekins, since I'm a single person. Yum yum.

This, a sweet one, is one of my faves: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/09/cinnamon-roll-baked-oatmeal/

IIRC, that was the recipe that started me on the baked oatmeal obsession. I have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, depending on the kind, and they're easy to make, healthy, and generally less than 400 calories a pop.

I can't have dairy, so I cook it with almond milk and add dried fruit/peanut butter. If it needs any extra sweetener, I add some stevia. The best kind of oatmeal is steel-cut. It has awesome texture, but it does take longer to cook.