If you want a healthy, filling breakfast to kick off the day, it’s hard to do better than a bowl of oatmeal. Oatmeal is high in fiber, low in fat, and one of the cheapest breakfast foods available, per serving. So why don’t more people make this miracle food part of their morning ritual? Answer: taste. As in, not much taste.
When there is no shortage of tasty oatmeal in your grocery stores, at your grocery tastes good, it also adds flavor. It contains a significant amount of sugar and costs more, thus greatly reducing the benefits of one of the few foods that are both nutritious and healthy. Fortunately, you don’t just have to choose between sugary, high-calorie oatmeal and candy, old oatmeal tasty oatmeal You can have the best of both worlds.
Just buy a big cardboard tube of oats, which is made in oats or old or 1-minute (my preference) – and try one of the following flavor ideas to give your breakfast a healthy taste, without sacrificing its health benefits, and without adding much to the price. Taste for yourself and see.
Bananas and Cream Flavor Oatmeal
One of the simplest and best ideas for flavor is to add one sliced banana and a cup of skim milk to your 1 to 1.5 cups of oatmeal. If you’re pressed for time, you can cut the bananas while the oatmeal is heating up in the microwave. However, I found that it is better to split the bananas and heat them all together, making the banana puree warm and soft. At least they are thinly sliced and will easily break up and mix into oatmeal. This also adds some vitamins to an already health conscious dish. Want a little extra sweetness for the taste? Add a little honey.
Weightlifter’s Vanilla Flavor Oatmeal
One of the few mistakes is a legitimate oatmeal breakfast that doesn’t naturally have a lot of protein. What can be easily improved: Throw in half a vanilla-flavored whey protein powder (about one-fourth to a cup tertiary, to taste) in your morning oatmeal, and wake up with some milk before heating. The result is a creamy, flavorful concoction that provides the full nutrition of a great meal without an abundance of calories or fat. My benefit? Take it a step further and throw in fresh blueberries for added flavor and anti-oxidants.
Nutty, Fruit-Flavored Oatmeal
If you want a little fruity flavor, try throwing in a few pecans, walnuts, and dried cranberries (raisins work too, but I think cranberries just taste better, personally). Add a touch of cinnamon and brown sugar for some added flavor. With this combination, I think water works better than milk, but you really can’t go wrong. Another option? Chop some peaches and mix them with a little sugar maple syrup. It’s like pecan-pie flavored oatmeal!
All Flavor Oatmeal
If you must have a sweet taste for breakfast, and you are looking for an oatmeal flavor that has more of an oatmeal cookie flavor than actual oatmeal, a small amount of baking powder and (low sugar is good, all natural is better) to a bowl of oatmeal with milk. butter adds protein and value as a breakfast that tastes like a cookie and yet is relatively healthy.
