Hot oatmeal on a cold morning... mmm.....

Tamara Nugteren


Other than a nice frothy cappuccino, there isn't much better on a cold morning than the perfect bowl of oatmeal.  

I know, these days, you can pick up just about any variety at the grocery store.  It's quick and it's easy.  But it's not perfect - and that is what I want in my oatmeal. Perfect. 

And oatmeal is just SO EASY to make - it's really not a big deal to get it that way.
So in our house, I make up a big batch of individual serving packets every two weeks or so and everyone gets what they want.

It's hot, it's hearty, it's healthy and it's made to order.  It's probably a little cheaper, too - but that wasn't my main goal here.  I just couldn't find perfect in the store...

Taking out the ingredients I didn't want (carmel coloring, guar gum and sometimes artificial ingredients) and adding in the ones I did (flax, fiber and real fruit).

Fiber was a top add in for me.  I really wanted to find a way to get more of it in my diet.  I wasn't have any "problems", but about two years ago - when I started making this - I had just read an article about American's fiber intake.  Here is what I had heard - the recommendation for fiber amounts for women is 25 grams a day.  Sounds fine... until I actually started checking the amounts I was getting and was shocked to find out how far from that I was! One whole apple - only 4 grams.  Slice of whole wheat bread?  Only 1-2 grams.  Yikes! So you will see below, this is a fiber rich breakfast. 

And it's good.  Really good.  I've even made a few converts.  A few relatives, who shall be left unnamed and my husband, who have always "hated" oatmeal, now eat it nearly every day.  

Here is how I do it - the beauty is, you can modify it to fit your taste.

You will need:
- A big container of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (not the quick cooking - too mushy).*
- Snack-sized baggies (reused, over and over....)
- Ground flax**
- Cinnamon
- Chia Seeds***
- Clear Soluble Fiber Supplement (such as Benefiber)****
- 1/3 cup dry measurer and 1 Tablespoon


* Regular, organic or even guaranteed Gluten Free to meet everyone's wants and needs.
** Flax is a "super food".  It is full of fiber (about 8 grams per tablespoon) and it is an excellent source of Omega-3's.
*** Chia is another "super food".  It is also full of fiber (about 5 grams per tablespoon), Omega 3's, Omega- 6's, calcium antioxidants and even protein! Read more about that here: http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/lindsey-duncan-nd-cn/chia-ancient-super-secret
**** Clear Soluble Fiber Supplements come in a powder and are absolutely undetectable when added to recipes.  

The assembly line. 

Our oatmeal container.

The top one is with brown sugar, Craisens and mini chocolate chips.
The bottom one is just cinnamon and mini chocolate chips - later
I'll add syrup for sweetness and frozen fruit.

Optional dry add ins: 
- Craisens  (my daughter's favorite)
- Mini -chocolate chips (I use the Way of Life Diary Free chips for my daughter)
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Brown sugar, if you do not use syrup

Optional wet add ins (this is my list...):
- Pears
- Peaches
- Blueberries (My husband's favorite)
- real Maple Syrup (omit brown sugar)
- Apples
Note:  Since I use one of these fruits in my oatmeal everyday, for ease - I have pre chopped and frozen individual servings of apples, peaches or pears in a mini muffin tin and then transferred to a bag.  I just grab one "puck" out and drop it in my oatmeal before cooking it. See pictures.

Mini-muffin pan, filled with diced peaches and just a 
bit of peach juice or water (to keep it frozen all together).

Frozen "pucks" of diced pears.

The exact recipe, done assembly line style:
- Open all the baggies and fold over the tops so they stay open.
- Add in to each: 
          - 1/3 cup oatmeal
          - 1 Tbs. chia seeds
          - 1 Tbs. ground flax
          - 2 Tbs. fiber
          - Sprinkle of cinnamon
          - Approx. 2 tsp. of mini chocolate chips 
- Zip up all bags, taking out as much air as possible.
- When ready to serve, add mix to small bowl or coffee mug.  Add in 1 Tbs. real maple syrup, and 2/3 cup water.  My husband and I make ours without the Craisens, preferring instead to add in a little chopped and pre-frozen fruit or blueberries.
- Store all the pre-made oatmeals in an easy to access container.
- Heat in microwave approximately 1 minute, stir and heat another 30-40 seconds (varies by appliance) OR heat on the stove per the instructions on the oatmeal container.  

All ready to heat - with my frozen diced pears, just needs water. 

Hot and ready to eat.

Enjoy.  Nevermind... you will.  It's just that good.