Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. I’m not a morning person, so it’s not easy to squeeze in breakfast most days. I get up with enough time to get ready, get everyone to school on time, and get out the door myself. There’s no time to make breakfast.
We always have boxed cereal on hand, and a box or two of granola bars to grab and go. If I plan ahead, there may also be fresh berries, yogurt and granola for a quick parfait. The kids get something for breakfast, but it’s not warm, delicious comfort food.
Then I discovered steel cut oats.
Steel cut oats isn’t the normal, mushy oat meal I grew up with. Don’t get me wrong, I like rolled oats…but I love steel cut oats! The warmth, creamy nutty flavor and texture had me hooked the first time I tried it! It’s a “stick to your ribs” type of breakfast that keeps you happy and full for a long time!
I’ve experimented with quite a few ways to prepare them (I’ll blog about that another day), but my favorite is making them on the stove top.
On the stove top
I start with almond milk. I bring it to a boil and then stir in the oats. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Getting up 20 minutes early is worth it! (…or just save this meal for weekends) I follow the instructions on the box for proportions of milk/water to oats.
A small amount of oats goes a long way.
I use 1/4 cup oats for each cup of milk.
Then it’s time to get creative with toppings!
Sometimes I toss in apples and cinnamon, and other times fresh raspberries and blueberries. The great thing about oatmeal – It goes great with anything! I add whatever I have on hand.
This morning I went to the pantry looking for canned peaches – I found pineapple slices. I knew I had maraschino cherries on hand…add a sprinkle of brown sugar and voila – pineapple upside down surprise oatmeal!
If you haven’t tried steel-cut oatmeal, you should!
Do you make steel cut oatmeal?
How do you prepare yours?
What do you like to top it with?
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