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10 Ways to Jazz Up
Your Oatmeal
Copyright 2006 by Evamarie Pilipuf
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As some of
you know, my work in fitness includes hosting yoga DVD’s, competing in national
fitness competitions, and participating in running races. OK, so those last
two would probably be better described as “play” rather than “work,” but
nonetheless, the fact that I still ask my no-longer-20-year-old body to turn
no-handed cartwheels and one-arm push-ups means that my nutrition is a constant
priority. Though I eschew extreme dietary measures (life is too short and my
appetite too great for the “All Plain Baked Chicken, All the Time” diet), I
can’t deny an intimate familiarity with the tricks of the athletic trade, such
as protein powders, salt-free cottage cheese and egg white (in my case Egg
Beaters) omelets. And while some of my food experimentation over the years has
definitely missed the boat (canned pumpkin with Sweet ‘n Low and cinnamon,
anyone?), the one shining success in my fitness-friendly food preparation
repertoire is my oatmeal. Fast, filling, healthful and most of all, tasty,
next to apples (one of my favorite foods of all time), this is probably the
single most consistent player in my weekly menu. And with so many bowls of hot
oats consumed, you can bet at least some winning concoctions have found their
way into my permanent recipe collection. Here, I present to you the top 10.
I should
mention before I begin that I use quick oats – not the instant kind, and not
the old-fashioned (20 minute) variety. The quick-cooking oats microwave well,
retain a chewy yet creamy texture, and expand enough to feel satisfying. There
is no comparison from that of the instant kind, which renders a serving so
small, you may as well not bother.
To prepare
your basic bowl, use a wide, shallow dish as opposed to a smaller, deeper
bowl. Trust me on this one; after countless “volcanic eruptions” in my
microwave, I discovered that most oatmeal disasters can be avoided through a
change of dish dimensions. That, and keeping a close watch on the oatmeal.
For the dishes that entail added dry ingredients, I typically cook my oats in
slightly more water than normal. For those items that get cooked a second
time, cook your oats for about 2 or 2-1/2 minutes to begin with, then another
20-60 seconds after adding your extra ingredients. Experiment, though, and see
what timing brings the desired heat and texture for you.
So here
they are, in no particular order:
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Guilt-free Chocolate Oatmeal:
After the oatmeal has cooked, add a packet of sugar-free hot cocoa mix to the
oatmeal, and stir well. Put back in the microwave for another 10-15 seconds,
to help the chocolate “fuse” into the oats.
-
Peanut Butter and Cherry Oatmeal:
Add a spoonful of crunchy natural peanut butter to cooked oatmeal, then a
handful of dried cherries. Add Splenda or other non-nutritive sweetener if
desired, then put back in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. Let stand for a
couple of minutes to let the cherries plump. Also works well with dried
cranberries and/or dried chopped apricots, as well as with other nut butters,
such as almond.
-
High-protein Oatmeal:
Cook your oatmeal with a couple of tablespoons of extra water. After oatmeal
cooks, add a scoop of vanilla protein powder (I recommend Designer Whey,
which ironically is readily available at the grocery store – and I’ve tried
them all, to the point that BodyBuilding.com sends me free t-shirts for being
such an ….. “enthusiastic” customer) and mix very well to get rid of any
grainyness. Add a little non-nutritive sweetener (such as Splenda) and a
splash of cinnamon. Put back into the microwave and heat for another 45
seconds, watching it closely so that it doesn’t boil over. The texture
should end up similar to a rice pudding.
-
“Butter” and Syrup Oatmeal:
Cook the oatmeal as normal. Spray generously with no-calorie butter spray,
and drizzle with low-calorie maple syrup.
-
Sugar-free “Pudding” Meal:
Cook the oatmeal with about ¼ cup additional water. Cooked oatmeal should be
runny. To the cooked oats, stir in (I’m not kidding!) sugar-free Jello
pudding mix, any flavor of your choice (I like pistachio, believe it or not),
to taste (i.e. start with a half a packet and see how that works for you).
Stir very well, to make the mixture creamy. Put back into the microwave for
another 30 seconds. Careful, it will be hot. Also, be aware: because
sugar-free pudding mix has aspartame (which is heat-sensitive) for a
sweetener, you may want to add a small amount of additional non-nutritive,
heat-resistant sweetener, such as Splenda, to your oatmeal, to counter the
loss of sweetening caused by the cooking.
-
Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal:
To cooked oatmeal, stir in a quarter cup of cinnamon glazed walnuts. Yeah
yeah, there’s sugar in those, but hey, it’s a quarter cup, and it’s also a
nice dose of Omega 3 fatty acids.
-
Oatmeal-Whole Grain Hot Cereal Combo: While oats are cooking in the
microwave, cook an equal amount of whole-grain hot cereal on the stove (I use
5- or 7- or 9-grain, for the different textures and tastes). Combine the two
and serve.
-
Apple Oatmeal:
Chop an apple (Golden Delicious cook well) and place in a small saucepan with
a teaspoon or so of water and cinnamon to taste. Cook down over medium heat,
stirring frequently so that it doesn’t burn, for at least 10 minutes to
soften the apple. Meanwhile, while the apple is cooking, prepare the
oatmeal. Combine the chopped cooked apple and cooked oatmeal, adding a
drizzle of honey if desired.
-
Banana Yogurt Oatmeal:
Sweeten cooked oatmeal with Splenda to taste. Drop sliced banana into the
oatmeal, and add a dollop of yogurt. I like plain Greek yogurt (the Fage
brand), but you can also use, i.e. vanilla-flavored “light” yogurt as well.
-
Happy Just to Be Me Oatmeal:
Included because sometimes there really is comfort in simplicity! The key to
tasty plain oatmeal is in the texture: make sure you use enough water, get
it good and hot (stir halfway through cooking to avoid a boil-over), and let
it sit for at least a minute before eating. If salt is an option for you,
adding a teensy dash to the water before cooking can also amplify the flavor.
-ep
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