Oatmeal is good for you. Check out oatmeal’s nutritional stats. It can help lower cholesterol. It has soluble fiber – good for irritable bowel syndrome and related disorders. It’s warm. It feels nourishing while it is being nourishing.
Why don’t we eat it more often? Because we think it’s too much trouble!
I’ve experimented with instant oatmeal, both brand name and generic. As well as whole rolled oats, steel cut oats and quick oats. As far as I’ve been able to determine, they all have the same nutritional value. (If you have different information, please cite your sources below.)
Oats are not separated or degermed when processed. They are just cut or rolled, or cut and rolled. Nothing is removed except the inedible husk.
So rather than spending three-times the cost of oats for instant oatmeal, follow my recipe below.
- One time only, measure 1/2 cup quick oats and pour into a regular-sized cereal bowl.
- One time only, measure 1 cup of pure water and set aside.
- Sprinkle salt across the pile of oats in your cereal bowl (about 1/16-1/8 teaspoon)
- Sprinkle on about 12 raisins.
- Pour in 1 cup of water previously measured and set aside.
Place on paper plate in microwave oven. Heat for two minutes (four presses of the express button!). The paper plate will catch overflow as well as help you remove your cereal without being burned. (If there was overflow, use a larger bowl or less water next time.)
For creamier oatmeal, add more water.
For dryer oatmeal, add less water.
Once you’ve visualized these measurements, you can pour oats into your bowl, hold the bowl under the filtered water tap, and pop it into the microwave without measuring.
I find adding toasted, slivered almonds balances the flavors, offsetting the need for sweetener. Slice a banana onto it, add some berries, stir lightly and enjoy. Occasionally, I add almond milk to thin it out and cool it down for my ravenous appetite.
Bon appetit.
NOTE: Clean your bowl before placing it into the dishwasher. A brush may be necessary. Starches are not usually released during regular automatic dishwashing cycles. Cereals are particularly sticky.