An Ode To Oatmeal
By Molly Rapozo, Lifestyle Editor
What’s got seven letters, is a breakfast item and is perfect in every single way? Trick question—it isn’t only breakfast. If you’re still searching for the answer, or didn’t read the title, it’s oatmeal.
If we aren’t ready to break the social construct of what is and isn’t breakfast food, that’s fine. We can confine oatmeal to the breakfast box and have that discussion another day. That being said, oatmeal is one of the best breakfasts you can make yourself. A half-cup serving of oatmeal has right around five grams of protein in it.
On top of that, it has plenty of slow-digesting carbs that keep your energy up all morning. If you’re not fully convinced yet, let me dive into all the different ways to make this creamy, glorious food. It’s so versatile that you could never get bored.
First, let’s start with the basics. There are a few different kinds of oats: instant, steel-cut and old-fashioned oats, to name a few. All have different prep times and different nutritional values.
Steel-cut oats are most nutritious, as they are the least processed form. They also take around 20 minutes to cook, so they might not be ideal in a pinch. Instant oats cook fast in your microwave, but are heavily processed in order to be rehydrated and cooked quickly.
Plain instant oats are still arguably better than sugary cereals—so don’t fret if they’re your best option. But, if you can take the 20 minutes to boil steel-cut oats in the morning while you get ready, you’ll surely be rewarded with a tasty and nutritious breakfast.
Overnight oats are a great option for oats that are less-processed but still easy and quick to make. Take a cup of old-fashioned oats—the sweet middle ground between instant and steel-cut—and mix with a cup and a quarter of your milk of choice. Add a pinch of salt to keep your oats from looking and tasting like glue, then refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you’ll have a smooth bowl of oats, waiting to be topped.
Speaking of toppings, here’s where the fun begins. This is where the magic happens—the list of things that taste good on top of oats is truly endless. And what’s more endless than that list is the list of combinations that taste good together. As I said, you’ll never have a boring breakfast again.
For a perfectly sweet bowl, add berries and bananas. Frozen berries are perfect on a bowl of oats, and they make your wallet happy, too. Frozen berries are cheap and ensure that you have delicious fruit for the morning, even if they aren’t in season (hi, Wisconsin winters).
Apples are also a classic option. If it’s the weekend and you want to have fun, try sautéing the apples in a pan with butter, cinnamon and a tiny bit of sugar. You can also skip that last step if you’re trying to cut down on those pesky added and refined sugars. Either way, you have warm, soft apples on top of your warm, soft bowl of oats—consistency is key to the perfect bowl.
Here’s where we are going to start to get a little crazy: veggies. Yeah, you heard me, we are adding vegetables to oatmeal now. It’s a fantastic way to get a daily serving in, while also switching up your breakfast go-to’s and allowing you to get creative.
If it’s in season, shaved zucchini can be a great addition. It has a fairly neutral flavor that blends in well, so if you’re doing banana or another sweeter topping, zucchini is a fantastic option.
Carrot is also naturally fairly sweet, so go ahead and add some vanilla almond milk, ginger and cinnamon for a simple, carrot-cake-inspired breakfast.
If you’re feeling really frisky, beets are fantastic, too. They’re sweeter than most veggies and make a beautifully colored bowl. If you’re an aesthete chasing down a pretty breakfast, look no further.
Eggs? Yes, we are doing eggs now, too. If you want to have a lot of fun, try adding a soft-boiled egg on top—a solid six-minute egg is sure to do the trick. The runny yolk and creamy texture of the oats creates actual perfection. For those afraid of the plunge, mixing one or two egg whites are an easy way to add protein to your oatmeal.
And while you’re adding egg to the top—try adding maple syrup, honey or agave nectar. Similar to a great chicken and waffles brunch combination, your sweetener of choice can bring a beautifully sweet and savory bowl to the breakfast table. All with fewer calories, less unhealthy fat and less added sugar.
Take time to experiment and find what flavors suit your fancy. The beauty of this simple and versatile food is that it is just that—and it’s waiting to be dressed up in whatever way you like! Mix in chai tea for a spiced bowl and a warming sensation, or add pumpkin puree to bulk it up in the winter months. Eat it cold, eat it hot, add nut butter or lemon or maybe even tahini for a nutty and earthy flavor, without the nuts.
I am ready to type out a whole other list of toppings, but the important takeaway is this: don’t get confined in the simple “oatmeal is the most boring food ever” box. Or, the “oatmeal is the worst texture” box. Yes, it’s a weird one, but there are ways to make it better (the milk, the salt!).
Getting creative makes mornings fun, all while filling you up in a way that’s simple and nutritious. The obsession might even begin to run deep enough to convince you that it’s not really solely a breakfast food. Maybe.