For years, the only oatmeal I've eaten (outside of cookies!) is those little Quaker packets and only the Maple and Brown Sugar flavor. I'd like to try some variety and I'm looking to be more frugal so I don't want to buy those little packets any more. How do you folks serve up your oatmeal?

I usually make plain oatmeal, sweeten it with splenda and toss a few raisins in it. You can sprinkle some cinnamin on it too.

I get plain, instant oatmeal, cook it with water and stir in a bunch of ground up berries and sweeten it a bit with some splenda. I'll also sometimes just stir in vanilla & cinnamon, etc...

A friend of mine introduced me to putting frozen peaches (or other frozen fruit, but peaches are my favorite) in oatmeal, and I'm totally addicted. I put them in before sticking it in the microwave, and put a little less water in it so it doesn't get too soupy. It's delish. Of course in the summer fresh fruit is great too.

I eat the Quaker Weight Control oatmeal. It helps me with portion control, so for me it is worth the extra moolah, especially right now.

I was raised on long-cooked steel cut oatmeal that was heavily doctored with butter, cream, brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon. Sometimes fresh fruit was added. Delicious, yes. Great for the waistline? Not so much.

Unfortunately, I still have a taste for those flavours. I get something similar by adding I can't Believe It's Not Butter spray, cinnamon and a serving of fruit to my oatmeal. It is filling, tastes good and is much healthier. My morning bowl of oats comes in at 260 calories or less, depending on the count for fruit.

I cook my large-flake 15-minutes oatmeal with water. I don't add any salt.

I don't like it plain, so for toppings I add:

- apples cut into squares (I like keeping the skin on)
- some rainsins (I measure this)
- cinnamon *I really like saigon/vienamese cinnamon, yumm it's got a stronger flavour that doesn't bite.

- grapes, including frozen grapes
- berries, including frozen berries
- fresh fruit like berries, grapes, banana (cut into small pieces), peach, whatever you like

- I also like adding flax seed. I've only added whole flax-seed but since grinding it, I've found it has a nutty flavour, so perhaps that flavour would come across in the oatmeal! Yum!

For something like apples, because I like my apples to release some flavour and become soft before I eat my oatmeal, I usually throw them in before I throw in the oatmeal. So once I put the water on the stove, I start cutting up an apple, throw the apple in, throw some raisins in (I prefer soft/cooked raisins), and then the oatmeal when the water is ready. Add cinnamon at the end, and voilà!

Also, if you like hot cereals, have you tried cream of wheat? It's delicious! and an alternative to oatmeal if you feel like something different

My favorite is with a little brown sugar, walnuts and dried cranberries. Second favorite is a little brown sugar with almonds and dried cherries. Sometimes, I'll toss in a little Splenda instead of the brown sugar, but I prefer the brown sugar.

I like oatmeal (the real stuff, not the instant) best with raisins and walnuts. It cooks in the microwave just as fast at the instant, and tastes - to me - much better. I just use 1/3 or 1/2 cup, a shake of salt, and double the amount of water (2/3 water for 1/3 oatmeal) and microwave for 2 - 2.5 minutes. I let it sit a bit then stir in the raisins and walnuts, add a little skim milk and I'm good to go. I also like dried cranberries and pecans, and I've put other fruits in too.

If you prefer instant cereals - which IMHO are way too expensive for the amount you get - have you tried Quaker Simple Harvest. It's a multi-grain and really good. We use it when we go camping, and I have some at work for a quick snack.

As water rat said, just make the oatmeal in the microwave using the real old fashioned oatmeal - not the quick cooking stuff. Make sure you make it in a REALLY BIG bowl as it boils up and over a small bowl. You can also make it with milk instead of water (or part milk) but you will need an even bigger bowl and it boils up even higher.

At first I added the artificial brown sugar.

Now I eat it plain (no sweetener) and stir in either fresh or frozen/defrosted blueberries or fresh raspberries - let them get hot and stir them around.

It took a little getting used to to eat it without sweetener, but I like it that way now.

Another favorite of mine (can't believe I forgot it!!) Pumpkin with a touch of brown sugar or Splenda and cinnamon (or pumpkin pie seasoning) is delish and a great way to use that extra canned pumpkin after Thanksgiving.

I'm an oatmeal alien- I add one teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and sugar-free Splenda Vanilla Syrup to 1/3 cup oatmeal. But- I'm a choco-fiend who misses fudgie doughnuts and muffins in the AM!

I slice up half a banana and add 1 tbsp sliced almonds. As Circebee mentioned, when I'm craving chocolate, I'll add some cocoa powder as well. If I close my eyes and concentrate really, really, really hard...it almost tastes like banana bread...almost.
I also like to add sliced apples. I'll cut up an apple into small pieces, add some cinnamon, and pop it into the microwave for about a minute to release the juices. Then when my oatmeal is ready, I'll just mix the two together, add a tbsp of sliced almonds and voila...a healthy "apple crisp!"
Do you get a sense that I like pastries?!?!

Nawww...

banana or peaches or dried fruit maybe strawberries or blueberries...
a bit of milk
cinnamon
splenda sweetened caramel syrup...