Photo by TheBittenWord.com. Bonus recipe here!
Oatmeal. Common staple of the breakfast table. Plain. Boring. Often eaten only under duress, or with a grim sense of determination. ("I will lower my cholesterol, I will eat more fiber, I will I will I will")
It doesn't have to be this way! Oatmeal can be delicious. And fast. And still healthy. (Er. Sometimes.) Think of oatmeal as a blank canvas, just waiting for you to spruce it up.
I'm reluctant to even call these recipes. They're fast and easy enough to be done while you're still waiting for the coffee to brew. My basic formula for oatmeal is 1/2 cup of oatmeal (quick oats, natch), covered with 1/2 water, and microwaved for 2 minutes. Getting the water level right is such a personal thing. Experiment. Sweetener is another personal choice. My default sweetener is agave syrup. Now, the fun parts!
1. Apple Cinnamon
Dice 1 small apple. Add to oatmeal, and nuke as usual. Once cooked, add a few shakes of cinnamon, and the sweetener of your choice. OR. If you're feeling like you need a little something extra...a spoonful of caramel sauce. Ah. Maze. Ing.
2. Mango
Add 5 or 6 frozen mango chunks to the uncooked oatmeal. Nuke for 2 minutes as usual. Add sweetener, and a bit of cardamom to the cooked oatmeal.
3. Almost-a-muffin Blueberry
Add frozen blueberries to the uncooked oatmeal, cook as usual. Add cinnamon, sweetener, and about 1/2 tsp. of vanilla to the cooked mixture.
4. Tea-Riffic Oats
Okay, this one isn't mine. And I haven't tried it yet. But it sounds amazing! Head over to (never home)maker's blog for the recipe!
5. Cranberry Oatmeal
Mix in 1/4 cup of dried cranberries and 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract to the uncooked oats. Cook, and then add sweetener (and perhaps a pinch of cinnamon!) to taste. Oh, the yum.
