I may be in the minority on this, but I have always loved oatmeal. It's easy to make, and can serve as a vehicle for tons of great flavors. However, for some people, oatmeal falls in to the category of "I was forced to eat this as a kid, so now as an adult I hate it." Other foods I have seen on this list include eggs, tomato soup, chicken, and carrots (both raw and cooked). Thankfully, my mother never tried to make me eat anything I didn't like. This could be because she just loved me more than yours did, but I suspect this was actually because the list of foods I disliked was so short it could be easily avoided (thanks, mom!).
A big reason to love oatmeal for a person on a budget is the cost. A large container of oats is less than $3 and can last through many meals. Plus, the oats can be ground into flour (I'll post some recipes later that include this, the texture is great), or even blended with water and strained into milk. Yeah, I bet most of you hadn't heard of oat milk. It's surprisingly creamy (I ran out of milk and was too lazy to go to the store, okay?).
Then came Pinterest. Oh Pinterest, you give me so many ideas, only 3% of which I will ever actually use. This time-wasting idea geyser of a web site has enlightened me to the idea of overnight oats. If you pour a liquid (generally milk or water) over oats and leave them in the fridge overnight, they soften up as if they were cooked, but with a slightly different texture that you either love or hate. I love it. I also love experimenting with different flavors, especially the ones that make me feel like I'm having dessert for breakfast. I love my sweets, so any time I can have more dessert, I am all over it.
So, here's a list of oatmeal combinations you might want to try. I left off obvious ones like maple brown sugar or apple and cinnamon. Those are in the packets you find in the store, everyone knows about those. These recipes are the fancy kind. These will all work hot as well, obviously. No pictures this time because let's face it, oatmeal is not exactly a pretty food. Yeah, they can try and dress it up with fancy slices of fruit and swirls of spices, but it doesn't change the fact that the substance underneath looks like wet sand. Tasty wet sand. I use unsweetened almond milk to make these, but you can use whatever milk or milk-like substance you prefer. I have also tried a couple of these with water, and while it's not as creamy, it does still work.
Pour 1/2 cup oats into a mug or small jar, add milk to about a quarter to half inch above the level of oats (modify depending on your preference, I like my oats on the thin side, so I use more milk), add all mix-ins except fruit, and mix it up. If you're using a jar, you can literally just put the lid on and shake it, this is a recipe for lazy people. You can pretend you have your life together by making your breakfast ahead of time, and in the morning, you just open the fridge and there it is. If you actually have your life together, you can portion out several days' worth and keep the jars in a cupboard so all you have to do is add milk the night before. Ah yes, I am now free to do important things, like create a recipe blog.
All of these recipes have an implied "sweetener to taste" at the end because I don't feel like typing that a thousand times. I personally use maple syrup, but you can use honey, brown sugar, white sugar, agave, stevia, or whatever sweetener Dr. Kale von Detoxtea has decided won't give you cancer this week. I also like to use powdered peanut butter for the peanut butter flavored ones because when it's cold, peanut butter is hard to mix evenly. Powdered peanut butter (like PB2) gives a more even distribution of flavor. Use whichever you prefer.
Chocolate with Strawberries
-1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder
-a few drops of vanilla
-pinch of cinnamon
-top with sliced strawberries right before eating
Strawberry Shortcake
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-a few drops of almond flavoring
-top with strawberries right before eating
-Optional: top with whipped cream
Matcha Latte
Only attempt this one if you know you like green tea-flavored things. Matcha is expensive and not everyone likes its bitter flavor. This one also looks really revolting. I love the way it tastes, but it looks like snot.
-1 tsp matcha
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-a few drops of almond flavoring
-Optional: top with banana
Chocolate Peanut Butter
-1-2 tsp cocoa powder
-1-2 T powdered peanut butter
-a few drops of vanilla
-pinch of cinnamon
-Optional: top with banana
Peanut Butter Banana
-1-2 T powdered peanut butter
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-Top with banana right before eating
Spiced Chai
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp cloves
-1/4 tsp ginger
-1/4 tsp nutmeg
-Option 1: a splash of vanilla for a vanilla chai
-Option 2: a dash of espresso powder for a dirty chai
Oatmeal Cookie Dough
Seriously, this one totally tastes like cookie dough, especially if you use brown sugar as sweetener
-1/4 tsp vanilla
-1/2 tsp cinnamon
-Optional: top with raisins or chocolate chips to enhance the cookie experience
Cafe Mocha
I got my hands on some espresso powder, I'm probably going to make the whole coffee shop!
-1-2tsp cocoa powder
-1/2 tsp espresso powder
Pumpkin Pie
-1-2 T canned pumpkin puree
-Pumpkin pie spices (if you don't have any, use the mix from the spiced chai recipe plus a dash of allspice)
-Optional: If you're feeling like the whitest white girl to ever "not even," throw in a dash of espresso powder and have Pumpkin Spice Latte
Gingerbread
This is a very Christmas recipe, but last I checked, gingerbread always tastes good, and this one really does taste like gingerbread.
-1/2 tsp ginger
-1/4 tsp cincanmon
-1/4 tsp cloves
-dash of nutmeg
-Molasses to taste
-Optional: red and green sprinkles to be festive
If you have a modification on one of these ideas, or if you are inspired to create a totally new combination, go for it! What do I look like, the breakfast police? Most of these were created in my kitchen with me staring at my spice cupboard like a witch brewing a potion, so they're what I felt like eating. If you notice a conspicuous absence of coconut, there's a reason. That reason being I don't like the stuff. If you do, go ahead and try using it with banana or vanilla or something. I hope this list encourages you to rise and dine on something good!
I have a list of flavor combinations I have yet to try, so expect a part 2 eventually. Most good things don't happen overnight, but at least breakfast can.
No comments:
Post a Comment