Health
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10 Simple Ways To Eat Less Without Noticing
Juicing: Stupid and Pretentious or Nourishing and Enlightening?
10 Tasty Carbs That Won’t Make You Fat
How To Start Working Out When You Don’t Like To Exercise
Focus More on Your Brain and Less on Your Diet if You’re Serious About Losing Weight
Home Court Habits: The Secret to Effortless Weight Control
10 Reasons You Aren’t Losing Weight When You Think You’re Doing Everything Right
How To Burn More Calories Without Breaking A Sweat
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Foodists
Weekend Breakfast: Cinnamon-Raisin-Walnut Oatmeal
Breakfast is the best time of day to get whole grains into my diet, and I love it. However breakfast is also my most automated meal, something I usually throw together in a half-awakened daze. On weekdays, morning time is precious and efficiency is the greatest virtue. But on weekends, we have the luxury of making breakfast a little more fun.
o me, the quality of the Trader Joe’s raisins makes this meal. They do not even remotely resemble those hard little pellets sold by Sun-maid. Rather they are big, plump and colorful. Adding them first with the water and boiling them for a few minutes rehydrates them and makes them even bigger and juicier.
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup Trader Joe’s Jumbo Raisin Medley
- 1/4 cup crumbled walnuts or pecans
- tons of cinnamon
Add raisins and water to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer 4-5 minutes or until the raisins are plump, then add oats. I usually rinse the measuring cup with some water to free the remaining oats that are stuck to the side. This will provide a bit more liquid as well, which is usually a bonus.
Simmer oats, stirring occasionally until they reach your desired tenderness, about 5 more minutes (add more water if necessary ~1/4 cup). When done, move oats to a serving bowl and crumble nuts on top. I usually add a splash of soy milk (I’m lactose intolerant) at this time to make the oatmeal a little more fluid. Cold milk provides the added benefit of cooling it down a bit, which makes it easier to add the cinnamon; you should avoid allowing too much steam to enter your spice jar. I like to add a lot of cinnamon, so that I can really taste it in every bite.
With this much flavor I doubt you would need any sugar. But if you want to add some more sweetness, a touch of brown sugar or honey won’t kill you.
Mmmmm, Oatmeal!! All that wonderful, wonderful soluble fiber that makes your day and mine a little brighter.
WOW !! So Oatmeal doesn’t have to taste like Paste –
I LOVE oatmeal for breakfast. If you want creamier oatmeal you can substitute a half-cup of milk for half the water. Or if you want it a little sweeter (sorry Darya!) you can substitute a half-cup of juice for half the water. Apple juice would be really good with this recipe!
I found your site in November 2011. I have been doing a version of this breakfast since I ran across it on the site, instead of my previous 2 packets of flavored instant oatmeal. I am in a rush in the morning so I substitute 1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal and add a handful each of unsweetened raisins made from red flame grapes, dried cranberries, and chopped walnuts then sprinkle on some saigon cinnamon. I put a little almond milk on it. I also do a 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese for protein. I feel I have more energy from this and it lasts longer. and the oatmeal “cooks” while I fix my lunch. I even mix the oatmeal the night before so it goes quicker.
Nice! Glad it is working out.
I nver liked oatmeal ( porridge) as a child…. Ok this sounds tempting, I know it’s good for my health…. Probably I will try this recipe when my pantry is empty of quinoa, barley, buckwheat, Dorset muesli, wheat germ and shredded wheat cereal! (in a year I’ll get back ….)
This is a really old post. These days I just heat up muesli instead.