Breakfast-The most important meal of the day! Sometimes it can be hard to eat a healthy breakfast when your morning starts early, and you do not. The easiest way to ensure a healthy breakfast on these jam packed days is to plan ahead! This breakfast you can make the night before, when you’re actually functioning. The only tricky part is not forgetting it in the fridge! This recipe was inspired by Julie at PBFingers! Her original recipe can be found here. Thank you Julie! I didn’t change too much about this recipe, it’s delicious just the way she makes it. I just wanted something I could top with the honey roasted peanuts I made the other day! 🙂
Yum, soo delicious. Don’t leave out the chia seeds or the oatmeal wont set up overnight, and will be too runny.
I made these for my boyfriend in a covered container. Then he just added a little milk in the morning and brought the container to heat up when he got hungry at work. Easy peasy.
Now let’s talk about oatmeal. There are soo many versions of oatmeal lining the cereal aisles. I think the best option is to choose plain old fashioned or steel cut oats, where the only ingredient is oats. Real oatmeal shouldn’t contain a list of ingredients, it is an ingredient! Watch out for added sugar and preservatives, even in the packets that are not flavored. There are even different types of plain oats.
Rolled Oats- these are the most processed, they have but cut, rolled, and pressed thin so they cook very quick.
Quick Oats- very similar to rolled oats, still processed.
Old Fashioned Oats- this is the kind I usually buy, to eat and bake with, they are less processed. The oats are still rolled and steam pressed but not slivered, and they maintain nutrients more than the previous two versions.
Steel Cut Oats- these are the least processed, and a great option. Because these oats are not steamed, they take longer to cook, but are a better option if you have the time.
The flavored versions can have a whole slew of unwanted ingredients. I recommend buying plain oats and flavoring them yourself. For instance, you can create fruit flavored versions with fresh or dried fruits. Sweeten your oats with honey or maple syrup. Homemade mixes and these overnight oats are a much better alternative than premixed, store bought oatmeal packets.
For example: This is the ingredients list for Quaker Oatmeal Instant Oatmeal-Blueberries and Cream
WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, BLUEBERRY FLAVORED AND COLORED FRUIT PIECES (DRIED FIGS, DRIED CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, GLYCERIN, BLUEBERRY JUICE CONCENTRATE, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL [SOY AND/OR COTTONSEED]**, ARTIFICIAL BLUEBERRY FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, BLUE 2 LAKE, RED 40 LAKE), CREAMING AGENT (MALTODEXTRIN, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL**, WHEY, SODIUM CASEINATE), SALT, CALCIUM CARBONATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, GUAR GUM, OAT FLOUR, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, SOY LECITHIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*
I have a bunch of problems with these.
1. The second ingredient (meaning the second most abundant ingredient) is sugar
2. The blueberries are actually figs. Come on guys!
3. There are trans fats present in the form of hydrogenated oils
4. There are artificial flavors
5. It contains artificial colors, Blue 2 Lake, and Red 40 Lake
The other fruit and cream flavors are not any better. And SPOILER ALERT: the “strawberries” are actually dehydrated apple pieces.
It’s just annoying that these oatmeals, breakfast food that is praised as being a healthy option, and marketed that way is, in fact, quite the opposite. So stick to making your own oatmeal concoctions. They taste so much better anyway!
What is your favorite flavor oatmeal!?
yakkaFIT 