Let me start by answering that. IT TOTALLY CAN! It totally is! Oatmeal has a bad rap. It’s synonymous with blandness. But oatmeal is incredibly healthy. In fact, it has so many health benefits that it would be a bummer not to include it in your repertoire.
High in fiber
High in protein
Helps regulate blood sugar
Helps lower cholesterol
High in vitamin E (an antioxidant/cancer protector)
Longer satiation factor (controls hunger later in the day)
Great for gut health
Superior to boxed cereals (which cause spikes in blood sugar)
For health’s sake, let’s get on board and reimagine oatmeal! Call it something else if you have to (Steel Gray Lightening, Power Porridge, Mush Magic). Let me clarify. I am talking about oats that are cooked on a stove, not the kind that come in a packet. Cooking it yourself affords you the freedom to control the texture. Cook it longer and it’s more of a solid grain. Cook it for less time and it’s soupier. And all things in between. It doesn’t have a strong flavor on its own. It’s a blank healthy canvas, just waiting for your artistic hand to bedazzle it with colorful fruits and crunchy nuts.
Here’s what I do.
1 cup Steel Cut Oats
4 cups water
Pinch of Salt
Stove top in a pot for 30 min (because that’s the way I like it)
This makes enough for my husband and I for a few days. I store it in the fridge in a container and eat it cold (the first bowl, hot).
Kristi’s Hot Oat Bowl
Oatmeal mixed with vanilla and cinnamon
Peanut Butter in the center (melts as I eat, which is awesome)
Blueberries
Walnuts
Coconut (dried pieces)
Hemp Seeds
Soy Milk (or whatever milk I have in the fridge) around the edges
Maple Syrup
More Cinnamon on top
Kristi’s Cold Oat Bowl
Cold Oats
Peanuts
Bananas
Coconut Yogurt
Flax Seeds
A little sprinkle of Ginger/Clove mix I keep around - sometimes Allspice
These are not the only combinations. I get creative and you will, too!
Fruits, nuts + nut butters, seeds, milks, herbs and spices, yogurt, vanilla, almond extract, maple syrup - these are all things that are great in or on oatmeal.
Here’s a photo of my half-eaten bowl right now. I’m eating it while writing for inspiration.
Current Cold Oatmeal
Soy Milk
Walnuts
Maple Syrup
Golden Spice (turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, clove, cardamom)
(You get the idea.)
Food should bring joy - inside and out. Have fun with The Beige Beast (too much?)!
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