Now that fall is here, Recycla and her family are once again eating one of their favorite breakfasts: Oatmeal.
Ahhhhhh…
A bowl of oatmeal is a warm, nutritious breakfast that tastes good and gives any Eco Warrior enough energy to battle even the most dastardly Hummer owner.
When Recycla says oatmeal, she doesn’t mean one of those single serving packets of oats, sugar, and artificial ingredients. Oh no. Oatmeal in Recycla’s home comes in an 18 ounce cardboard container so that there’s less packaging waste and the cardboard can be recycled later. And why buy something that’s flavored already when you can so easily add your own special ingredients, such as fresh or dried fruit, nuts, and any number of spices?
Recycla’s personal favorite is to cook her oatmeal with skim milk and then mix in raisins, cinnamon, and some of her homemade applesauce. Yum! Alternately, she stirs in some of the cherries she froze last summer, a teaspoon of flaxseeds, and a tiny dollop of honey. Delish.
Oatmeal has a number of health benefits, including the ability to lower one’s cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Even better, quick oats take only a minute to prepare in the microwave. Best of all, oatmeal is inexpensive, so Eco Warriors don’t need to spend a lot of money on a breakfast that has staying power and will stick with them all morning.
Some weekend morning, when you have more time to dally over breakfast, Recycla suggests you try steel-cut oats (a.k.a. Irish oatmeal). Irish oatmeal takes about 20-30 minutes to cook, but the result is a chunkier, nuttier, more flavorful oatmeal that will keep you full for hours. Stir in some dates, maybe some walnuts, and enjoy.
What about you Eco Warriors? How do you like your oatmeal?
We use the ‘quick’ oats, but make them on the stovetop – usually 1/2 the liquid is water, other 1/2 is soy milk. Mix in a little vanilla and flax seed, then when it’s done we add raisins and brown sugar. Probably my favorite breakfast!
That is so funny as I was just reading your post before I made my breakfast which just happens to be oatmeal! I chop up an apple and add it to the water to cook with the oatmeal. Once cooked, I add some honey and peanut butter and maybe a dash of cinnamon. It is my go-to breakfast!
Oatmeal is a big breakfast item around my house year round! We eat ours with raisins and molasses but sometimes we drop in blueberries and raspberries. Yum!
I am embarrassed to say I have only recently discovered the joys of real oatmeal. I’ve been buying the organic boxed variety for far too long… But now I enjoy slow cooked oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter, a little bit of honey and a topping of flax meal all stirred in with half a banana. Yum!
I’d like to try other varieties but would miss this one too much!
Do you add molasses? I’ve heard of adding molasses to oatmeal to increase iron.
My husband eats oatmeal all the time. He even eats it raw.