there’s no point in eating a healthy breakfast if it doesn’t taste incredible.
Simmer chopped fruit in apple juice, then add your oats to make oatmeal that tastes like pie.
Simmering the apples brings out the sweetness with very little added sugar. It’s important to simmer the fruit before you add the oats, so that it has enough time to really soften.
Add chia seeds for thicker oats with a little more texture.
Adding a tablespoon of chia seeds for every 1/2 cup of rolled oats, right at the start of cooking, will thicken your oatmeal.
Use frozen berries when fresh ones are out of season.
Frozen fruit is great for smoothies, but it also works in oatmeal. You might have to cook the mixture for an additional minute or two, to make sure the berries are heated through and soft.
Toast your oatmeal in a little bit of butter before adding liquid.
Toasting the oats adds a cozy, nutty flavor. It also makes for an oatmeal that’s a little less mushy and more textured, since the toasted oats don’t break down as much.
Stir in canned pumpkin to add flavor and a little extra volume.
Canned pumpkin adds volume and makes the oats almost pudding-like.
If you have overripe bananas, save them for oatmeal by peeling, slicing, and freezing them.
Thinly slice a very ripe banana (fresh or frozen), then stir it into oatmeal for sweetness and a fluffy texture.
The banana will literally ~melt~ into the oats as they cook, making them sweet and a little bit fluffier.
Cook oats in a mixture of coconut milk and water to add a subtle flavor.
Cook 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk, plus whatever add-ins you want. It’ll oatmeal taste coconutty, and add just a little bit of fat, to keep you full until lunch.
Shredded carrots are an easy way to add vegetables to breakfast.
The carrots just add a subtle texture and sweetness to this very breakfast-y spin on carrot cake.
Use leftover coffee to flavor your oatmeal.
Coffee and chocolate are better together. Use leftover coffee to make these oats, or just brew a little extra.
If you’re out of fresh fruit, stir in some jam instead.
Yes, it ACTUALLY tastes like peanut butter and jelly. Because the jam is already so sweet, there’s no need to add any extra sweetener.
Serve your oats in a near-empty peanut butter jar to get those ~PRECIOUS~ last bits.
No peanut butter deserves to go to waste. Only do this in a glass jar, since pouring hot oatmeal into a plastic jar might cause a little bit of plastic to melt into your food (ew).
Make your oatmeal savory by stirring in finely chopped vegetables and topping with a runny egg.
Using a little less liquid in savory oats makes them less like porridge and more like a savory grain. Don’t knock this ‘till you try it; the oatmeal makes the perfect vehicle for runny yolk.