Oatmeal

Overnight No-Cook Oatmeal (Blueberry Variation)

This is the same basic recipe as yesterday except instead of bananas and almond butter, I used frozen blueberries and whipped topping.

Again, I used 1/2 cup each of oatmeal, yogurt and skim milk, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice (I omitted the cinnamon) and then after mixing those together, I stirred in 1/2 cup frozen blueberries. If I had fresh, I would have used that, instead, but sometimes you need to adapt to the current situation.

After resting in the fridge overnight.
Stirred and warmed lightly in the microwave. 
I tried both versions cold and warm, and I prefer them warmed.
With all honesty, this variation was not as good as yesterday’s. I think the berries were much more tart than I had expected. When I make this again, I think I will probably use a blueberry yogurt in the first step instead of a plain yogurt and then add blueberries if needed. I will also taste it and add sugar/sweetener as needed.
However, this recipe is a great start to the day. It is a hearty breakfast, and one which is very easy to make. It is also very inexpensive, important for anyone who lives with both calorie and monetary budgets.

Overnight No-Cook Oatmeal

Overnight No-Cook Oatmeal
Serves 1

Basic recipe is equal amounts of:
Yogurt
Milk
Dry oatmeal (not instant)
Spices

I used 1/2 cup of each of oatmeal, skim milk and Fage 2% Greek yogurt, and a half teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon allspice.

Mix together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, add your fruit of choice, and (if desired) a source of healthy fats.

I used a small banana and 1 ounce (32g) almond butter.
Mix together. You can serve this cold, but I preferred it warm.
The texture is incredibly smooth. It looks like “normal” oatmeal, but it is silkier and softer from the overnight soak.
Nutritional data (for just the basic recipe, not adding the banana or nut butter):
Calories:         305
Fat:               5.6g
Sat fat:          2.7g
Chol:          9.6mg
Sodium:  100.4mg
Carbs:         40.3g
Fiber:            4.8g
Protein:       23.8g
You can certainly reduce those numbers by using only 1/3 cup of each ingredient and using fat free yogurt. I just used what had on hand.
The variations are limitless. You can use different yogurts, fruits, butters (optional) and spices. 
Note: Thanks for this recipe go out to a follower, Andrew Carpenter, for giving me this suggestion. This was an excellent and seriously simple breakfast. I will make and post variations as I try them.

Update on Oatmeal Muffins

A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for Oatmeal Muffins that my wife made. I want to tell you about a few modifications that we tried which were successful. (See the earlier blog post for the specific baking instructions.)

We made the most delicious pumpkin muffins, by swapping out the applesauce for an equal amount of pure canned pumpkin. (Not pumpkin pie mix, but 100% pumpkin.)  We also added about 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (more or less to your preference.) If you do not have a premixed jar of pumpkin pie spice, it is approximately 4 parts cinnamon, 2 parts ground ginger, and 1 part each of allspice and nutmeg.

For those this recipe, you would need approximately 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon each of allspice and nutmeg. Vary to your preferences.

Then we tried a variation that I didn’t list on the earlier post. Instead of applesauce, I put 1 cup whole kernel corn in my food processor and processed it until it was smooth. Then I replaced half of the whole wheat flour with corn meal, and added onion powder, chili powder and chives. Incredible!

The next variation will be a cranberry muffin, using my fresh Cranberry Relish to replace the applesauce.

This basic oatmeal recipe is so versatile! And it is delicious, especially when warm from the oven. My wife, Tammy, did a great job when she found this recipe and mastered it!

Oatmeal Muffins


Oatmeal Muffins
Serves 12

1 cup regular (not instant, not steel-cut) oatmeal
1 cup skim milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Toppings:
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar

  1. Soak oatmeal in the milk for 1 hour in a large bowl.
  2. Preheat oven to 400F
  3. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl.
  4. After the oatmeal is finished soaking, stir in applesauce and egg whites.
  5. Gently mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir only enough to combine evenly.
  6. Spray non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray.
  7. Divide batter between cups.
  8. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mix over muffins.
  9. Bake 20-25 minutes (depending on your oven). Muffins are finished baking when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Nutritional data:
Calories:       87
Fat:             0.6g
Sat fat:        0.1g
Chol:        0.4mg
Sodium:  83.8mg
Carbs:       16.5g
Fiber:          1.9g
Protein:       3.5g

This muffin is delicious as is, or can be modified as desired.

Alternatives and Options:
Replace applesauce with 1/2 cup mashed banana.
Replace applesauce with 1/2 cup pumpkin.
Add 1/2 cup chopped apples or pears.
Add 1/4 cup chopped nuts.
Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or other dried fruits.
Add 1/2 cup fresh blueberries, raspberries or blackberries.
Add additional spices to the mix (cinnamon, nutmeg and/or allspice would be good.)
If you aren’t afraid of higher calories, replace the applesauce with peanut butter.

Easy Complete Breakfasts

Easy Complete Breakfast
Serves 1

Note: This has a dumb name. I’d take any suggestions on what to call this meal. It has a texture similar to a muffin, but without the crispy top.

Take a microwave-safe soup bowl or large (10-12 ounce) coffee mug. Spray with cooking spray.

Into this, add:

1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon brown sugar (loosely packed)
1 dash cinnamon
1/4 cup regular (not instant) oatmeal
1/4 cup berries (fresh, or thawed frozen berries)

Stir together. Don’t expect it to become completely uniform, you are just trying to make sure it is mixed together.

Microwave for 1.5 – 2 minutes (depending on your microwave.)

Eat from the directly from the dish, or place a plate over the mug/bowl and invert it. I topped mine with a little whipped topping.
Nutritional data: (for the first picture, and for the version served with slices of cantaloupe)
Calories:         194
Fat:                 6.7g
Sat fat:               2g
Chol:              212mg
Sodium:            80mg
Carbs:           24.7g
Fiber:              2.9g
Protein:           9.7g

You can use almost any fruit, as long as it is about 1/4 cup. In the first picture I used 1/4 cup blueberries, and in the second picture (using a coffee mug) 1/4 of a mashed banana.

The other version in the second picture is a more robust version. I started with the basic recipe (above) and for fruit, 1/4 of a mashed banana. But then I added 2 tablespoons milled flax seed, 1 tablespoon peanut butter and 1 tablespoon semi-sweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips.

Calories:         434 (for the more robust version)
Fat:                24.9g
Sat fat:             6.5g
Chol:              212mg
Sodium:       157.6mg
Carbs:           42.6g
Fiber:              8.5g
Protein:         17.3g

My wife noted, and I agree, that using a soup bowl instead of a coffee mug creates a meal that is more visually filling. It looks like there is more food (even though it has the same amounts.) I’d recommend using the bowl just for the psychological factor of feeling more satisfied.