Breakfast of Champions

Nope, not Wheaties. Even more basic, it's... get ready... OATMEAL! No, I'm not a 83 year old lady. Yes, I love oatmeal. A lot. I eat it every morning. Unfortunately, it's not organic, for two reasons. My husband and I both eat it in such large quantities that we have to buy in bulk and we do so at Sam's Club. You think I'm joking. I'm not. Since I've been breastfeeding the twins I eat a cup or more of oatmeal a day and hubby eats 1.5 to 2 cups a day. We may be singlehandedly supporting the entire Quaker company. I did email Sam's Club to ask them to start carrying organic oatmeal in bulk size, but so far, no response.

Are you an oatmeal hater? Are you picturing a disgusting bowl of boring gruel? Well, stop! First, get rid of that yucky pre-packaged and pre-flavored nonsense. You know, the freeze dried apple bits with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon and who knows what preservatives and chemicals to keep it all together? That stuff is not good. You need plain oatmeal to start. If you can find organic, great, if not, just get some plain oats - either quick cooking or regular.

Measure out about a cup of the oatmeal and make according to package directions.

Then add (use organic ingredients where you can):

1 tsp to 1 tbsp brown sugar (or use maple syrup or honey)
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp dried pomegranate seeds
1 to 2 tbsp raisins
A generous sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/8 to 1/4 c of your favorite fruit (banana, blueberries, raspberries, etc).
Milk to taste and desired consistency

Honestly, this oatmeal has it all - sweet, crunchy, warm, mmmm... It's also a nutritional powerhouse:

• Oats - dietary fiber and lots of other health benefits according to this website (which admittedly may be biased as it is called eatmoreoats.com). Added bonus: if you a nursing mama, oats are thought to help increase supply! Maybe that's how I keep up with nursing the twins!
• Pomegranate seeds - antioxidants, vitamin c, and more -other pomegranate health benefits
• Walnuts - omega 3s, fiber, vitamin E, the list goes on here.
• Raisins - apparently there are numerous health benefits to raisins as well, but the funniest one was "sexual wellness." Wow! Who knew? For more fabulous raisin health data go here.
• Fresh fruit - you know fresh fruit is good for you, how nice to get it in your morning meal!

My morning bowl of oatmeal is probably the single best thing I do for my heart every day. Try it out! I guarantee you'll like it! Oh, and you can always make less than quantities shown. I realize that some people are not taking in 2500 - 3000 calories a day. In that case, start with a half cup of oatmeal and add toppings to taste. Enjoy!

Be a Fan