oatmeal

dee_thurman
dee_thurman Posts: 240 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I would like to try to eat some oatmeal to start my day. I am looking for ideas of what type of oatmeal to buy. Any secrets to make it healthy and have a good taste. I have tried it in the past and i have not enjoyed oatmeal. I would like to try again. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • space_case
    space_case Posts: 89 Member
    Quaker makes instant oatmeal packs that are raisin, date, and walnut and they are fantastic in my opinion. Do not require anything extra. I also will make baked oatmeal (lots of recipes online) that I made on Sundays and then cut and heat throughout the week. Also when I make plain oats, I make it with almond milk because it tastes better than with water but less calories than real milk and then I add some banana and blueberries.
  • tcaley4
    tcaley4 Posts: 416 Member
    Check out this thread. It has lots of good suggestions.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10296006/addicted-to-oatmeal#latest

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    I like Quaker Instant. I recently fell in love with their Cinnamon Roll flavor. omg so good. I also enjoy the apples & cinnamon and the strawberries & cream varieties.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    I just buy the Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, and then I buy a bunch of dried fruit and nuts at Trader Joe's and dress it up when I make my bowl of oatmeal in the morning. I make it in the microwave and it only takes about two minutes, plus one minute of 'rest time'.
    Sometimes I'll toss in some vanilla or almond extract, cinnamon, or cloves, etc. This morning's choice was pecans with dried cherries. My husband loves hazelnuts and apricots.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I always hated the look of oatmeal. But the eggs, buttered toast and bacon were adding up so I decided to try it. I now eat this everyday and its cheap. 1/4 cup good old fashioned Quaker oats, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, cook in microwave, add 1 tblsp chia seeds, 1/3 cup walnuts, back in microwave. add fresh strawberries, blue berries and 1/2 banana. I think it cost me about fifteen bucks a week (Costco) and my cholesterol dropped 50 points. It my be a lot of calories but I usually run five miles before breakfast so I am very hungry. Doesn't taste fantastic at first but it grows on you. Just the oatmeal alone is about $7 for two huge bags that last for months.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
    Ooh! Chia seeds! I should add chia seeds to mine!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited January 2016
    dee_thurman wrote: »
    I would like to try to eat some oatmeal to start my day. I am looking for ideas of what type of oatmeal to buy. Any secrets to make it healthy and have a good taste. I have tried it in the past and i have not enjoyed oatmeal. I would like to try again. Any thoughts?

    Texture - over cooking will give most oats a mushy (gluey) texture. If texture is important, cook less (or more).

    Instant oats are steamed & rolled very thin. These will have a texture like baby food. Some people will mix dry oats directly into smoothies and such.

    Rolled (old fashioned) oats are steamed & rolled a little thicker. These will retain some texture when cooked according to directions.

    Instant steel cut are cut & steamed (or toasted). The texture is less chewy than regular steel cut. Because they are cut (not rolled into flakes) it's kind of like eating little buds.

    Steel cut oats are raw and cut. The texture can be a like eating little buds to chewy.

    I find adding a bit of salt to ALL oatmeal is a must. There are so many ways to eat oats; from sweet to savory. You can eat it hot or cold. Experiment with cooking less (cooking more). I think it will grow on you.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Rolled oats can be put in the refrigerator with the liquid the night before. Rolled oats taste much better than the instant. Steel cut taste even better. I used to put them in the crock pot overnight to have ready in the morning and would take some to lunch as well.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,498 Member
    ElizabethOakes2 wrote: »
    I just buy the Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, and then I buy a bunch of dried fruit and nuts at Trader Joe's and dress it up when I make my bowl of oatmeal in the morning. I make it in the microwave and it only takes about two minutes, plus one minute of 'rest time'.
    Sometimes I'll toss in some vanilla or almond extract, cinnamon, or cloves, etc. This morning's choice was pecans with dried cherries. My husband loves hazelnuts and apricots.

    ^ Good advice here. I avoid the packets as most of them are full of sugar and are just nasty compared to plain-*kitten* oatmeal. Packet oatmeal also tends to be mushier.

    I will add cinnamon and sugar to my oatmeal, but then I control the amounts.

    The best, though is steel cut oats. Get the regular (not quick cook) steel cut oats and make them in the crockpot over night. oh my!!!!!

  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    Overnight oats are my new favorite way to eat them.

    1/4 C Oats
    1/4 C Almond or milk of your choice
    1/2 C Greek yogurt
    1/4 C Fruit, your choice
    Mix together, place in container with lid, refrigerate over night.

    I make enough for 4 servings then grab one in the morning. Quick, tasty, protein rich!
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I like making a batch of steel cut and portioning it for several days. A poached egg on top is a great savory way to eat your oats. Spinach and cheese is good too. I find adding protein instead of fruit satisfies me for longer.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    edited January 2016
    I've been making oatmeal pancakes and they're amazing.

    Here's the recipe:

    1 egg white
    1/2t cinnamon (recipe calls for 1/4t cinnamon and 1/4t nutmeg)
    1/4t baking powder
    1/4t sugar (I use powdered sugar, but the recipe calls for regular)
    1 and 1/2 fl.oz. milk (I just measure 45g on my scale)
    48g oats (I use quick oats, but the recipe doesn't specify. Rolled oats would probably be good too.)
    Tiny pinch of salt

    Mix and cook up like pancakes. I use strawberry preserves as a topping, but whatever you like works! Applesauce would be good too.

    For me, oatmeal was a texture issue and it wasn't until I realized that oatmeal doesn't have to be watery that I started to like it.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited January 2016
    Figure out what texture you enjoy then pick the oats to match. I suggest getting the smallest portion you can buy (maybe Bulk Barn) and try making it a bunch of different ways. I like gooey so my oatmeal might not be your oatmeal.

    From most crispy to most gooey,
    Cheerios
    Granola
    Pancake
    Muffin
    Oat pilaf
    Muesli
    Dragon's Blend Holy Crap
    Steel Cut
    Large Flake*
    Minute Oats*
    Quick Oats*
    Instant Packet*

    *cook any of these in milk for a creamier texture. Starting the oats in cold water will also make it creamier/gooier.

    I prepare steel cut oats overnight (bring to a boil and let it sit), and doctor it with raisins (also cooked with the oatmeal), sunflower seeds, and swirled with Greek Yogurt and maybe a tablespoon of peanut butter too. But I like the creamy/gooey consistency. If you don't, try oats a different way.

    Some savory recipes:

    http://www.thekitchn.com/rethinking-oatmeal-7-savory-morning-recipes-177491

    An oatmeal chart:
    http://63d0ff2c808a68022076-4ecac0f06e2399f1de4ab4efa8293f3a.r6.cf2.rackcdn.com/Oat%20Chart.pdf
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    Mmmmmmm...oatmeal. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

    1) My trainer has me on very restricted carbs, but I blow the bank for Old Fashioned Quaker Oats, one serving, cooked with half milk/half water and a small handful of raisins, finished with a little cold milk to thin it and cool it down, 1 or 2 tsp brown sugar, a lot of cinnamon, maybe some chopped Granny Smith apple if I'm ambitious, and a drizzle of heavy cream if I'm being extra naughty. SO GOOD. It is best next to a roaring fire in the winter.

    I avoid the instant oatmeal packets--too many calories from crap, tastes like chemicals, disgustingly sweet, packed with salt, higher glycemic index, ugh. Now that I do more cooking from scratch I am getting finicky.

    2) I can also recommend the infamous Neiman Marcus cookies: half flour, half oat flour, and also a lot of finely chopped nuts. Of course there is sugar and chocolate as well. But with the healthy stuff in it, you can make half a case to yourself that it's all good. :) Use the $250 recipe in this article: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/02/garden/the-250-cookie-recipe-exposed.html

    3) Apple crisp is another great way to get oatmeal, especially if you double the topping and don't sweeten the apples themselves. I need to experiment with the very rich, sugary, buttery recipe that I use and see if I can come up with a lower calorie version (in this Betty Crocker recipe, the sugar can probably be cut down significantly):

    http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/apple-crisp/3715a45c-3c00-430c-bbe2-9865f9013238

    Good luck in your oatmeal quest!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    How could I have forgotten apple crisp? I make a low-cal version in baked/nuked apple. Core the apple and fill it with walnuts, cinnamon, half sugar Splenda, and oats. Microwave for a couple minutes. Serve with a dollop of Greek Yogurt.

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