Oatmeal

Remember how I said I go on food binges?  Like, how for weeks on end I'll have a grapefruit every day for breakfast or a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch?  I also mentioned having oatmeal for breakfast every day when I shared my baked oatmeal recipe.  I used to make oatmeal from the packets but I've realized that making it yourself is easier and healthier than buying those packets of the flavored oatmeal.

In college, I refused to eat any variety of oatmeal other than the maple and brown sugar kind.  I'd put a packet of that sugary stuff in a mug, fill it with milk, and microwave it for about 1-1/2 minutes.  It was super easy and there's nothing more delicious than a hot breakfast on a 10 degree day (who thought DC got that cold?).  However, when I came back home and wanted my family to eat oatmeal my mom refused to pay extra for the pre-packaged stuff and got the giant tubs of Quaker oatmeal instead.  I probably whined and lamented over the fact that plain oatmeal is disgusting, until I knew how to make it properly.

But let's go back to the pre-packaged stuff first.  Even though Quaker Oats has reduced the sugar in their packaged oatmeals by 25%, the numbers are still pretty outstanding.  260mg of sodium compared to the 0mg of sodium in plain oatmeal?  And 9g of sugars as opposed to 1g of sugar?  The old fashioned oats have 1g of protein and soluble fibers more than the packaged kind too...

So what am I getting at here?  I know I wanted to share a list of workouts and activities you can do to keep yourself healthy and active during the winter months, but there's more to it than just that.  Living a healthy life also means being aware of what you eat and making healthier decisions when it comes to what you put inside your body.  You'll feel amazing when you couple your workouts with healthy meals.  Also, I find that when I eat healthy first thing in the morning I tend to make better decisions about what I snack on for the rest of the day.

So here's how you make delicious oatmeal:

(Yield: 1 serving)

Ingredients
- 1 c water
- 1/2 c old fashioned oats
- pinch of salt (cut out if you're watching your sodium intake)

Bring water to a boil and add the oats.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 min, or until all of the water has been absorbed.  If your oatmeal starts bubbling and foaming, lower the heat or else the oatmeal will be slimy.  Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Now here's where it gets interesting...
Remember how I said that I loved the baked oatmeal because you could put anything in it?  Well the same is true for regular oatmeal.  I personally love to eat mine like hot cereal by pouring milk over it and sprinkling a tiny bit of brown sugar on the top (I just can't get away from the brown sugar!).  Instead of milk, you could serve it with yogurt and top it with any fruit or nuts you may have on hand.  Shredded coconut, bananas, and pineapple would be delicious, don't you think?

I hope you enjoyed this other side of the winter workout series!  How would you enjoy your old fashioned oats?

Posted by Ali B at 8:52 AM