Not So Simple Oatmeal

As I mentioned before, Jungle has remarked more than once, “It’s hard to be you!” One such occasion occurred while watching me prepare a bowl of oatmeal. Seems like an easy breakfast option. I thought it was easy until DH pointed out all of the ingredients I added – otherwise known as “the oatmeal fixin’s bar.” (He spent a little too much time as a corporate pilot in Texas.)

I start by choosing a bowl. I use the bowl pictured above if I’m cooking the oatmeal on the stove. I use a different one for the microwave.

Fixin’s Bar

The first ingredient is plain, rolled oats. Before cooking, I also mix in about a tablespoon each of dried coconut, oat bran, and flax seed meal. Sometimes I add wheat germ, but lately I don’t like it so much.

Next goes in the liquid – usually water, but sometimes I use rice milk or Horizon organic milk. I used to cook it in the microwave for two minutes on high, but lately I’m cooking it in a small saucepan over really low heat for about 10 minutes.

After the oatmeal is cooked, I add either soy milk or organic milk and frozen blueberries (most of the time – if other fruit is around, it is fair game – like the perfectly almost-ripened banana in the photo above.)

Oh, I forgot – sometimes I add raisins, dates, or other dried fruit before the cooking begins. It’s VERY important that dried fruit is cooked along with the oatmeal.

The addition of frozen fruit and cold milk must be brought to almost the same temperature as the oatmeal, but not cooked so that the fruit gets mushy. If that happens, it can still be eaten, but it just isn’t as delectable that way.

When heated to the perfect temperature, coarsely broken, not chopped, walnuts go on top. Maple granola (organic) is also a great bonus topping.

Since the oatmeal will not maintain the perfect temperature for long, it now requires my undivided attention. If I’m distracted, or if I don’t eat it quickly enough, which usually is the case, the oatmeal has to go back into the microwave for a quick reheat.

Simple, right?

I haven’t tried steel cut oats yet. I recently read about a way to cook them overnight in the crock pot. I have to try that next…