New to oats! Help please?

couple of tablespoons of canned pumpkin with a few walnut pieces is delicious in oats!

There are soooo many ways of enjoying oats. One of my favourites is still plain oatmeal (cooked with a pinch of salt and double the volume of water to oats) topped with some fresh blueberries, 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and some agave syrup/brown sugar/maple syrup. If I have nothing else in the house it's sugar and cinnamon (especially nice in winter).

The key is to have a bunch of staples at home that you can easily mix into your porridge: different nut butters, sweeteners (brown sugar, agave, maple syrup, honey, whatever you fancy), some dried fruit (I sometimes like cooking raisins with my oats), some frozen fruit (frozen blueberries etc are quiet cheap at Tesco and perfect for just warming up in the microwave with a little sugar to pour over your oatmeal), some granola for crunch on top and things like cinnamon, gingerbread spice etc.

If I am in need of some inspiration, I tend to turn to KERF (a foodblog from an american registered dietician who posts tons of oatmeal recipes): http://www.katheats.com/kaths-tribute-to-oatmeal

The only other things to bear in mind is that the toppings can obviously add quite a lot of calories to your oatmeal, so just make sure you don't go overboard with your sweeteners or your nutbutters!

My favorite lately is 1/2 cup old fasioned quaker oats, 1/2 cup almond milk (or whatever kinda milk you use), 1/2 cup water...then add 1 T. crunchy natural peanut butter and a few cut up strawberries on top...sometimes ill add in 1 T. of ground flax meal too for a little extra added nutrition...good fuel breakfast...yum

The most fantastic ideas you could wish for :-) My personal favorite - Carrot Cake Oatmeal

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/category/oatmeal-recipes-2/

how did i not know this existed until this moment?!?!?!

Using frozen Blueberries works great - also
8oz of vanilla yogurt
any frozen fruit
can use Splenda or Truvia to sweeten
Old Fashioned Oats are the best. The instant stuff is all processed with sodium & sugars.
Good Luck!

I love love love steel cut oats as opposed to instant oats. The difference in day and night. The steel cut are nutty a little chewy and totally different taste. Try it you might like it. By the way you cook these way longer. I put in a deep bowl in microwave for about 7 minutes.

bump!

Katheats.com has a tribute to oatmeal with tons of recipes! My go-to oatmeal mix ins are a spoonful of peanut butter with a sliced banana.

Shannon...I eat fresh apples in my oatmeal every morning! They are soooo good! They add a bit of crisp sweetness that is divine!! If you need it sweet, get the stevia drops! It does the trick without the carbs from sugar.

There is also a product called PB2 that is powdered Peanut Butter....but 45 cal a serving!!! Mix that in with the oatmeal....YUM!!

Best wishes!

i squirt some sugar free maple syrup. simple and sweet. try it.

Overnight Oatmeal

Pina Colada

In a mason jar (or finished PB jar) Add:
1/3 cup oats (your choice, flavored or not, steel or not)
1/3 cup pineapple yogurt
1/3 cup light coconut milk
1 Tbsp Shredded Coconut
1 Tbsp Pineapple (dried, tidbits or fresh crushed)
1 Tbsp of crushed Macadamia nuts.
Stir together, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

Peanut butter lover's oatmeal

1/2 cup dry quick oats
1-2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
sweetener (optional)
1/2 - 3/4 cup of water or milk

Instructions:

Put oats and water or milk into a microwaveable bowl. Sprinkle your desired amount of cinnamon over oats with the optional packet of sweetener. Put your helping of peanut butter into the bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Take the bowl out, stir, then put back into microwave for another 30 seconds. Add in chocolate chips, stir, and enjoy! You pretty much have yourself a giant cookie for breakfast


Pumpkin Oatmeal

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3/4 cup milk, or as needed
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

Directions
Mix together oats and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring once. Add more milk or oats to achieve the desired consistency, and cook for another 30 seconds. Stir in pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon sugar. Heat through, and serve.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 229 | Total Fat: 4.7g | Cholesterol: 7mg

Pumpkin lovers heaven, and healthy, too. With a little experimentation it's perfect for my taste. I use 1 cup of milk for 1/2 cup oatmeal (cook on stovetop) 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a dash of cloves. For sweetness I added a Sweet-n-Low. It's like having dessert for breakfast, and I agree with the other reviewer - extremely filling and satisfying!

Oatmeal in a Jar

Pour dry rolled oats (not instant) into a canning jar to the halfway point. I don’t care what size canning jar you use. A half-pint jar will make one serving; a pint jar will make two servings; and a quart will make four servings. You choose what will work best for your situation. If you don’t have a canning jar, use a recycled glass jar. We’re easy around here.
Add a handful of extras if you’d like: chopped nuts, flax seeds, dried fruit…whatever suits your fancy.
Add a bit of brown sugar or honey or maple syrup. Top it off with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Pour boiling water into the jar to the bottom of the threads. Screw on lid and invert the jar a couple of times to mix the water with the dry ingredients. Let the jar sit on your counter for at least 15 minutes, and it will be ready to eat. Add a little butter or milk if you like.

Pumpkin Oatmeal in a Jar

In a jar, add one part oatmeal, one part almond milk and one part pumpkin puree. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Add a touch of maple syrup, a sprinkle of cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg and a small handful of toasted walnuts. Mix well and enjoy!