We eat oatmeal nearly every single day for breakfast. We can’t help it. It’s fast, easy to take on the go (just put it in a mug!) and you can add so many different things to it to give the meal some variety. It also keeps you full for quite awhile, and a box of it will keep you fed for a long time.
Long ago, we ditched those pre-packaged boxes that are filled with tiny oats and fake brown sugar. Now, we start with the big round box of Quaker Oats, totally plain.
We usually go for the 1/2 cup oatmeal to 1 cup water combo, but if you have a larger appetite than that, go for what works. Just remember, it’s always one part oatmeal to two parts water or milk.
Since we eat this meal so many times a week, we started to experiment with different flavor combos when we have a little bit of extra time in the morning.
Here are five that we really love.
1) There is always the good old fashioned fruit and brown sugar combo. We love to add sliced bananas or berries when they are in season. You’d be surprised how much flavor those kinds of fruit can add to the meal.
2) We’ve also experimented with infusing the milk. You can pretty much add any flavor you’d like to the milk while it is warming up on the stove top. We’ve taken Chai tea bags and brewed them directly into the milk. You could use an early grey and add a dash of french vanilla creamer to make it taste like a London Fog. Or perhaps a few orange rinds and a stick of cinnamon for a delicious holiday time/winter taste combination. There are no limits with this one!
3) If you don’t have fresh fruit on hand, throw in some dried fruit instead. Cranberries, raisins, apricot, all will taste delicious in a warm bowl of oatmeal. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top with a dash of maple syrup and you are ready to go.
4) In addition to the dried or fresh fruit, add in some nuts! Almonds, walnuts, pecans, whatever you think would taste good. The added crunch creates a variation in the texture and adds extra nutrients to the meal.
5) Finally, add a teaspoon of Nutella. Yup. We said it. We’ve done it. It’s delicious. If we had extra hazelnuts at the time we would have crushed them up and added it too. Don’t ask questions, just do it.
Happy eating!
-Sasha Huff
