5 Minute Oatmeal
March 30th, 2009 | 
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Oatmeal is one of the healthiest foods you can make for breakfast. Studies have shown that it can help reduce cholesterol. It is loaded with fiber and high quality complex carbohydrate. Make sure when you buy oatmeal that you buy whole oats – not instant oats. Instant oats are pre-cooked and much of the fiber and nutrients are lost in the process. Also I prefer rolled oats, not steel cut oats. Besides the fact that I prefer the flavor of rolled oats over steel cut oats, it’s been my experience that steel cut oats takes 20 – 30 minutes to cook, while it only takes 5 minutes to cook rolled oats.
You can add toppings to your oatmeal to make a more delicious meal. I try to keep a supply of frozen fruit and berries, plus some fresh fruit like apples or bananas. Blueberries are great because they are loaded with antioxidants. Other good toppings are all natural apple butter (made without sugar), unsweetened shredded coconut and raw nuts (raw almonds, pecans or walnuts – halves or chopped). Remember to always use raw, uncooked nuts and natural products made without sugar. Roasting nuts introduces trans fats which are bad for you. Raw nuts contain good, healthy fats.
5 Minute Oatmeal
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not quick oats)
- Dash salt
- Sweeten with Stevia Extract, Raw Honey or Blue Agave Syrup
Optional, but very beneficial:
- 1 tbsp Rice Bran
- 1 tbsp Milled Flaxseed
Add water to saucepan. Add salt to water, then stir briefly and add oats. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Oatmeal will be cooked when starch has formed around edges and oatmeal has thickened. Add dry goods – rice bran, milled flaxseed and dry sweetener to a dry bowl, mix together then add cooked oatmeal. Add toppings and enjoy!
Toppings / Combinations:
- Apple butter with a dash of cinnamon plus chopped raw almonds, pecans or walnuts
- Apple slices with a dash of cinnamon
- Peach slices with ground nutmeg / cloves
- Banana slices with unsweetened shredded coconut
- Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries – fresh or frozen
Start by adding water to a saucepan, then add a dash of salt.
Stir to dissolve the salt, then add the oats, stirring them as you add them. Turn on a high flame after adding the oats.
Stir, then bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the flame and keep stirring to keep the bottom part from sticking to the pan. The oatmeal will be cooked when it has thickened and starch has formed. You can see the starch forming when the fiberous part of the oats break down.
I like to add a tablespoon of rice bran and a tablespoon of milled flaxseed plus a little Stevia extract for sweetening. Stevia is more healthy than sugar. Instead of adding the rice bran and flaxseed to the bowl, sometimes I will just add it to the cooked oatmeal in the pan.
After adding the cooked oatmeal to the bowl I will add toppings. One of my favorite topping combinations is shredded coconut and banana.
Another great topping combination is all natural apple butter (made without sugar) and ground cinnamon. I use about a tablespoon of apple butter. You can also sprinkle some chopped raw almonds or pecans or walnuts for a crunchy texture.
You can always serve it plain – without toppings…
Or you can simply add some fresh or frozen berries … here it is with some bluberries – one of my favorite toppings.
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