Oatmeal diet!

I don't know if you have access to them (especially now that they're out of season), but gooseberries are pretty nutritionally dense and very delicious. If you add a little bit of softened cream cheese, it goes really well with them and makes oatmeal even creamier.

Other nutritious stuff that go nicely in oatmeal: blueberries, elderberries, currants, actually all berries are pretty nutritious. Lemon with poppy seeds and a bit of lemon zest is nice. Apricots (can use canned, still very nutritious), oranges, sour cherry is very nice in oatmeal, for something tropical I love mango and kiwi oatmeal.

If you like and can afford protein bars, you could crumble some on top of oatmeal for extra protein (watch the calories though), you could simply add all kinds of protein powders for the same kick though I find it a bit tricky.

On days you have a heavy dinner planned, you could use flavored teas as a base instead of milk to save some calories.

janekana wrote: »

amusedmonkey wrote: »

I don't know if you have access to them (especially now that they're out of season), but gooseberries are pretty nutritionally dense and very delicious. If you add a little bit of softened cream cheese, it goes really well with them and makes oatmeal even creamier.

Other nutritious stuff that go nicely in oatmeal: blueberries, elderberries, currants, actually all berries are pretty nutritious. Lemon with poppy seeds and a bit of lemon zest is nice. Apricots (can use canned, still very nutritious), oranges, sour cherry is very nice in oatmeal, for something tropical I love mango and kiwi oatmeal.

If you like and can afford protein bars, you could crumble some on top of oatmeal for extra protein (watch the calories though), you could simply add all kinds of protein powders for the same kick though I find it a bit tricky.

On days you have a heavy dinner planned, you could use flavored teas as a base instead of milk to save some calories.

Thank you so much, those are some great suggestions! Unfortunately I've never seen gooseberries around here (I don't think we have frozen options either), so I was wondering if you know other alternatives or would just other berries be a good alternative?

Also, I always make my oatmeal with plain water, much easier and cheaper, especially when the berries and fruits are already quite expensive! Thank you for the tip though, I might try it out with flavoured tea and see how it goes

It doesn't have to be a particular berry. Any berries would do, they are all nutritious. To save money, you could even use canned mixed fruits. They don't lose their nutrition just because they're canned. Just make sure they're canned in light syrup or water pack (I prefer light syrup because it sweetens the oatmeal). Heavy syrup can be higher in calories.

Here are the facts for a cup of water packed fruits, they have a little bit of everything in terms of vitamins without having to buy all these ingredients separately which could be costly:

I have been adding carrot, apple, nuts, cinnamon & nutmeg - it tastes like carrot cake. Or dates, banana & mixed spice = banana bread

Mmm this thread is making me HUNGRY! And it all sounds like dessert. Can't wait to start shopping for goodies to add to oatmeal.

Hershey's special dark cocoa powder, 10 calories for a tablespoon. A teaspoon of coconut oil makes it into Mounds bar flavor if you add stevia, sweetener or sugar. Oatmeal is so cheap and filling, I just love it.

I make a muesli mix. I use rolled oats, porridge oats, barley flakes, rye flakes, sometimes some wheat flakes, basically any grain flakes I can find. Then I add dried fruit such as cranberries, sultanas, raisins etc. And pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts and linseeds.

This is my base mix, and I can do it as overnight oats, cook it in the morning as porridge, or eat it as muesli as a crunchy cereal with milk. I usually add some fresh banana, or I buy frozen summer berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries) or freeze whatever berries I can find, including blackberries I go pick myself with the occasional spider in there.

To all of this I add a big dollop of greek yoghurt and some cottage cheese. And sometimes a spoon of honey. It's my go-to breakfast, pre-race food, and sometimes works just fine for dinner.

unrefined coconut oil is good too...if you like coconut

Savory oatmeal! I make my oatmeal with broth instead of milk or water and serve a fried egg or two on top of it, and if there's room in my day, a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

Sorry, I know you asked for berries and fruit. Just wanted to share this idea.

janekana wrote: »

cabwj wrote: »

Savory oatmeal! I make my oatmeal with broth instead of milk or water and serve a fried egg or two on top of it, and if there's room in my day, a sprinkle of shredded cheese.

Sorry, I know you asked for berries and fruit. Just wanted to share this idea.

I've been thinking of savoury oatmeal but I'm uncertain on how well savoury food would sit with oatmeal. Does it make the taste weird or unsatisfying in any way? I also eat rice a lot and was wondering if oatmeal could substitute rice well or should I just don't bother?

Savoury oats are awesome...I've done most of these and then some...

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

I love oats too, but I'm not sure I could hang with them for two meals per day...I eat them like 2-3 times per week.