Oatmeal 7 Ways

Let’s talk about something very exciting: oatmeal.

I know, I know. Oatmeal gets flack for being boring and plain, but really, you just need to jazz it up. Like tofu, oatmeal is really just a (very healthy) base for a variety of flavors. We all know the benefits of oatmeal: it’s a good source of fiber, helps lower your risk of heart disease, naturally low in fat, etc etc. But what I love most about oatmeal is it keep me full FOR HOURS. And that’s no easy feat.

So I wanted to share with you some of my favorite oatmeal preparations. My base is always: 1/2 cup oatmeal (I like old fashioned oats), 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 banana (either chopped or mashed), and 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed. The flaxseed is like a sprinkle of fairy dust – not only is it another great source of fiber, but it is also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Now if you feel like it, you can eat oatmeal seven days a week, with this handy guide for Oatmeal 7 Ways:

Coconut Bliss: 1 tb Artisana coconut butter mixed in + mashed banana, topped with finely shaved dark chocolate, coconut flakes, and blueberries

Double Chocolate Almond: 1 tb MaraNatha Dark Chocolate Almond butter mixed in + splash of Silk Dark Chococolate Almond milk, topped with chopped banana

Classic: topped with 1 tb brown sugar, 3 chopped prunes, 1 tb chopped pecans, and chopped banana

Overnight Tropical: 1 tb Artisana coconut butter mixed in + 1/4 cup Chobani pineapple Greek yogurt + chopped banana + 1 tb coconut flakes (I decreased the skim milk to 1/4 cup in this version; mixed everything together in a big bowl then let it chill overnight)

PB&J: mashed banana, topped with 1 tb creamy peanut butter + 1 tb mixed berry preserves

Chocolate Covered Strawberry: topped with 1 tb dark chocolate shavings and 1/4 cup fresh strawberries (no banana)

The Usual: topped with Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter and 1/2 chopped apple (no banana)

Some of you may think that the only reason I eat oatmeal is to have an excuse to have some chocolate or something dessert-like for breakfast. You are right. But as I already mentioned above, I also choose oatmeal because it keeps me well satiated for hours! No more it’s 11 am I’m starving what lunch is an hour away let me have a cookie I need that cookie now hunger pangs.

I love starting my day with a hearty breakfast, especially because I usually work out in the mornings so a big bowl of oats is a nice pre-workout fuel or post-workout meal. Eggs are another one of my favorite keeps-me-full-longer breakfasts, but I more often have eggs for dinner.

If you like oatmeal, what’s your favorite way to eat it? Would you try any of my oatmeal ways?

   

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