I have always enjoyed oatmeal, but it is only since starting my life changes that I have fully come to appreciate what a wonderful comfort food oatmeal can be. I have oatmeal probably 4 out of 7 mornings of the week, and it always fills me up well, and makes me feel ready to take on the day. Not quite sure what it is about the stuff, but the warm gooey SEEMS like it should be not so good for you, and yet it is. Like I said..it really is one of my comfort foods.
Something I recently started doing is to put about 2 to 2.5 tablespoons of canned cooked pumpkin into it (just the stuff you would buy to make a pie with)..mix it up, add a few dashes of cinnamon, and maybe some other pumpkin pie spices, your favorite sweetener, and bingo..I have pumpkin pie in a bowl. The pumpkin also adds some more very good fiber for very low calories.
Oatmeal is my bff, it's like waking up to a cookie every morning. And sometimes at night. It is my comfort food, too, and I'm perplexed by people who don't love it as much as I do.
I was just coming here to post something about oatmeal, actually. A few days ago I was complaining about being hungry all the time and giving up at night because I was just STARVING. Well, the last three days I've cut down on my oatmeal serving at breakfast (still filling, still keeps me full through lunch) and added another serving before bed. I feel like I'm getting a treat because I LOVE IT and it's filling. It takes care of my sweet tooth and my need for something warm and gooey and because I cut my serving down in the morning, it doesn't really add THAT much to my total for the day.
My favorite is 1/3C oats in 2/3 C skim milk with 1 T natural peanut butter. Love love love and I never get hungry before lunch. Before I would have a half a cup of oats, a cup of milk, and 2 T natural peanut butter - which is a boat load of calories but like I said, never hungry till lunch. Even a late lunch.
Planning to try it with pumpkin because that's something else I love. Waiting till October because October is usually a month of pumpkiny goodness at my house.
That pumpkin idea sounds delicious, I'm going to try it! I usually eat my oatmeal either plain or with vanilla soymilk, or even better with vanilla soymilk, peaches, and blackberries.
Oatmeal really is wonderful I actually look forward to it when I come home from the gym in the monrings!
I LOVE the idea of putting canned pumpkin into it, along with some spices. I`m always up for adding things here or there for a burst of flavor, fiber, but not many calories.
I already love oatmeal, & pumpkin...surprised I didn`t think of this myself!
I was just thinking today that one of good things about the weather turning chilly is that I can enjoy oatmeal again. (It just doesn't seem like a summer food to me.)
I love Silver Palate Thick and Rough Oatmeal or McCann's Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal - wonderful nutty taste and delightful chewy texture. And I could list a thousand things I stir into it (including the pumpkin you mentioned, Tornado, and the peanut butter, NiteNicole). Some of the things I like:
~apples, raisins and cinnamon
~apples and smoked Cheddar cheese
~pears and crystalized ginger
~honey dates
~Smucker’s Simply Fruit orange marmalade and almonds
~plain yogurt, a splash of vanilla extract, and a drizzle (1/4 tsp.) of raw honey
~1 T. real butter, a drizzle (1/2 tsp.) of real maple syrup, and pecans
~chocolate soy milk
~cashew butter and dried plums
~bananas, walnuts, and nutmeg
Height: 5 ft 8.5" athlete who can give a punch & certainly take one too! :)
I love oatmeal and eat it daily! I prefer mine this way.
1/2 cup old fashioned dry oats ( I love the big flaked oats best) which I dump into a bowl, then I add 1 greek yogurt with honey (or any type of yogurt you fancy) & then any type of fruit you fancy next, strawberries, banana, grapes, prunes, kiwi, berries, or a combo etc. Then I like to add some ground flax and some almonds. Then I stir it up and chow down. So thick and filling. I eat it atleast once a day, sometimes twice. Did I mention I love oatmeal?
This is my "winter" oatmeal. Why? I do not know. But regular oats are summery, the long cooking steel cuts are for winter. I had a great baked version last year. While it's not as gooey, you can bake it ahead of time and heat up a little for breakfast on a cold morning. It's like cake for breakfast!
Sensing a theme with me? It's like cookies! It's like cake!
Quote:
~apples and smoked Cheddar cheese
I'm giving that the squint eye, but I'm going to have to try it.
I also like to splurge with half a banana, a little bit of real butter, a bit of brown sugar, and toasted walnuts or pecans. If you keep the amounts really small, it's not THAT calorie heavy and it's like banana's Foster-ish. Sadly short on the rum, but you know, that's really up to you.
Just finished my oatmeal...haha. I really like the maple and brown sugar which would go well with pumpkin. I usually put blackberries in mine. Yummy. It is really amazing the way I won't even think about food until lunch if I eat my oatmeal.
Love the quote about dieting making you look good in clothes and exercising making you look good naked.
I am really glad I am not the only one who seriously considers oatmeal a comfort food. I get odd glances from people when I say it. I have never tried it with the peanut butter, maybe I will give that a go this morning. I am heading into the kitchen to make my breakfast now. Cheers!
I don't care for the instant or even the quick. For me, it's the 5 minute Old Fashioned Oats. I have it with sugar free maple syrup, cinnamon and a small amount of chopped walnuts. Occasionally I will throw in a couple of raisins, currants or craisins.
The pumpkin idea sounds heavenly. I will definitely be trying that.
Singing the praises of oatmeal
