Oatmeal and Other Fast Breakfasts

If you get like whole rolled oats from trader joes, the texture is much better. I mean you can taste the individual oat and it isn't all mushie like the highly processed stuff. Much different texture than even like quaker or steel cut - both of which I find too mushie and slimy. I'm also on the go. I pour the oats into a cup, let them soak in hot water for 1 minute, then add almond milk. They are a little al dente. I eat this with a spoon as Im' driving... Then I eat 2 hard boiled eggs and usualy a piece of fruit in the car as well.... I can drive pretty well with my knees and cruise control works well although shifting can sometimes be an issue...

check out budgetbytes.com they have a whole section on breakfast.

Scramble a couple eggs; once they're almost done throw a couple thin slices of ham and some cheese on top until the cheese melts.

Toast an english muffin.

Assemble into a breakfast sandwich.

Honestly, the longest part is waiting for the english muffin to toast.

Have you ever tried cream of wheat? It's not as chewy as oatmeal (has a smoother texture). You can get it in instant packets like oatmeal. I add a banana, walnuts and maple syrup or honey. My most common quick breakfast is a protein bar and a piece of fruit.

I boil a half dozen eggs on Sunday and have one for breakfast every day. Sometimes I'll add a piece of whole-grain toast. An individual yogurt is also very convenient. A bowl of enriched cereal with some dried fruit is fast and reasonably healthy, as long as you avoid the kinds with a ton of added sugar. There are also some good protein powders which aren't too sugary and have vitamins. I like GNC's Gold Standard Optimum Nutrition. You can also pre-make things like mini-quiches the day before your week starts and just heat one up each morning.

You must be eating instant oatmeal if you have that reaction. Real oatmeal is awesome, but it certainly isn't quick. Bob's Red Mill Steel-Cut Oats are da bomb!

You could try baking something ahead of time. I saw a recipe recently that was breakfast "cookies" with just oats, banana, and some chocolate chips. Something like that might be a more appealing way to get your oats. You can also bake your own granola bars with healthier ingredients than what you would buy.

You can change the texture of oatmeal to a certain extent by using more or less water. I don't use much at all because I don't like it mushy. Lately, my add-ins are blueberries and almonds, with some plain yogurt on top after I microwave the rest together. I am also partial to almonds, dried cranberries and a bit of brown sugar. Or almonds and fresh apple chunks, which get nice and soft in the microwave. (Yes, I eat almonds often :P)

And as someone above mentioned, the type of oats you get makes a big difference. Quick oats and instant oats are pretty much always going to be mush. I get "old fashioned" oats, which are the same as rolled oats.

http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal
Refrigerator oatmeal is just oats, yogurt, milk, and whatever else you want for flavor thrown together and stuck into the fridge at least overnight.

I make egg muffins in the morning or on the weekends, I'll make a batch, freeze, and reheat at work.

hbarnesccs wrote: »

Hey MFP!!

Here's my problem. I want to like oatmeal. I want to like it so much. But the texture just sickens me to think about! How do you guys like your oatmeal? I'm wanting to try new ways or combos, but right now... eh.
I'm a teacher, so my days start very early and end very late. ...

I think you need to try steel cut oats. That wallpaper paste texture disgusts me too and betwixt the texture and the taste I had to add ungodly amounts of brown sugar to get the stuff down. The difference between steel cut and any kind of rolled oats is night and day. Not only is the texture completely different but the flavor is too. I usually just sweeten it with some raisins. I didn't believe it until I tried it myself. It does take about 30 minutes but you don't have to stand over it while it cooks. Start it when you first get up and it will probably be ready before your lipstick is on. You can speed up the cooking a little by soaking it overnight. Try it on weekends first so you can get down the timing and know exactly where to position your stove dial. It will boil over if its covered and the temp is too high and, of course, never boil milk unattended. Some folks start in a crock pot the night before but that's too much trouble for me. I've heard others say they cook a weeks worth over the weekend.
Anyway good luck, good health and enjoy what you put in your mouth.

Don't know if you definitely want oatmeal or a hot breakfast, but I really, really like the Whole Foods or Trader Joe's store brand high protein cereals. I think they taste much better than Kashi. They come in plain, berry & flax, and honey & almond. I add a cup of milk. I also have about 50g of mixed berries in them every morning. I keep a big bag of Welch's frozen mixed berries in the freezer and pour some in a bowl that I stuck in the fridge the night before. They thaw overnight and the squishyness is actually really good mixed into the cereal.

I LOVE eggbeaters cooked in a mug. I cook half a cup of egg beaters for a minute, stir and then usually another 30 seconds. Use a large mug or they'll end up over the top. I nuke one of those frozen precooked sausage links for 30 seconds and then cut that up and add it along with half an ounce of cheese. Stir it all together and you have a very easy omelet of sorts.

Edited to add: steel cut oats are awesome! I hated oatmeal most of my life, then had steel cut oats and completely changed my mind. I don't eat them often as I have trouble making it fit with my macros, but I do like it now.

Try Smart ones Frozen oatmeal, they are much better. Just a few minutes in microwave. I added fruit to mine.