Oatmeal Recipe: Quick and Healthy Oatmeal for Breakfast

Oatmeal is a super satisfying breakfast; it is a nutritious and healthy balanced food which can be served as porridge or as plain with milk. This food is so perfect for a cold morning hour and after workout day and nothing satisfies like oatmeal. You can cook it slowly on a stovetop and serve, or blend into smoothie with few healthy fruits and few drops of syrups, whichever way you prefer. If you have not been eating this whole grain, you can quickly start now to do so. You can combine oats with some nutritious fruits and spices to balance the natural taste, also try overnight oats recipe.

Oats come in two forms such as the steel-cut oats which are chopped oat groats or the least processed oats and the rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) which are made fromhulledoatgrains, these are groats that have either been ground,steel-cut, orrolled, they are also refer to as white oats. However, oats are alternatives to acha pudding (fonio), custard mealand pap;even though they are called breakfast meals, oats are also great for dinnerand lunch, they prevent you from eating too much, since they keep you full for a longer time. Oats are often used as thickeners in soup like oha soup; they are good substitutes to cocoyam and yam paste.

Quick tips for making the best oatmeal

1. Soak your oat with milk or yoghurt prior to the cooking time– soaking your oatmeal with protein gives you a rich and creamy texture which you probably wouldnt get from water, but if you like the crunchy shapes, there is no need of soaking it overnight, just few minutes will do or you can just cook it at once without soaking.
2. Make overnight oatmeal– if you prefer overnight oatmeal, you can soak it with water, almond milk or yoghurt overnight, using a jar and then place in the fridge; it make it creamier the next day. Soaking oatmeal overnight also hasten its cooking time.
3. Add the oat at the proper time and stir well– I can say that many people know how to make oatmeal, but it is not every one that knows how to make a simple and perfect oat porridge. If you prefer creamy oatmeal, the right time to add your soak oatmeal is when the liquid has come to a simmering, by doing this; you wont end up with much bubbles.
4. Add a little salt– salt is an important additive in oatmeal, add just a pinch of salt during the soaking time or while stirring the oat on a stovetop, but never add at the end to avoid a salty oat. Salt adds a little nutty flavour and sweetness to the oats. So dont skip that, you may also like to add few drops of vanilla extract, honey or cinnamon, they are flavourful in oat.
5. Cook your oat little a bit longer until it’s thickened– though it is an instant meal, but you still have to cook it until it soaks up it cooking liquid for a smooth texture and softness, this should take about 4-5 minutes for the liquid to be soaked up.
6. Stir the oat porridge after few seconds– oatmeal supposed to look soft and creamy, stirring it frequently will help to release more starch, thus leaving the oat with a creamier texture.
7. Cook on a low heat– oat tends to spill over when its bubbling, you will have to use a medium and wider pot for your cooking, keep an eye on the oat while it cooks and also watch the flame, so that you dont end up messing up your stove top.
8. Add few topping like nuts, seeds, or butter to your oatmeal– topping your oatmeal with date palm, granola, resin or peanuts is a great way of enjoying a rich and balanced meal, however, fruits like strawberries, cherries and bananas are great to transform a white oat into colourful and flavourful oatmeal.

Oatmeal Benefits

• Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast, it is loaded with lots of soluble and insoluble fibres which form a viscous gel that helps to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood glucose levels. The insoluble fibre in oatmeal helps to reduceconstipationand improving intestinal health, hence, it is a great way to make your heart and colon stay healthy.
• The fibre in oatmeal helps to keep you full for long, since it is equally high in sugar and fat
• Oatmeal is a whole grain, and eating whole grains can help to lower your risk for several diseases, including high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
• Oatmeal also contains lignans, a plant chemical that has been found to help in the reduction of cardiovascular disease.
• Whole grains like oats are great sources of, calcium, potassium, iron, sodium, magnesium and vitamin B.
• Oats are good source of carbs; they are high in energy and protein than most other grains.
• Side effect of oatmeal- Oatmeal may contain traces of peanuts and shell fruits, hence it may cause allergies like intestinal gas and bloating to few individuals, to minimize theside effects, start with small quantity of oatmeal each time and then increase slowly to your desireduntil your system get used to it.
• When buying oatmeal, look for the one that is 100% natural and freed from artificial colour, flavours and preservatives.

Rolled oats/ Oatmeal Nutrition

Oatmeal is loaded with important vitamins, minerals and antioxidant plant compounds. cup (78 grams) of dry oatmeal contains-

1. Manganese,191% of the recommended daily intake
2. Phosphorus,41
3. Magnesium, 34%
4. Zinc,20%
5. Copper, 24%
6. Iron,20%
7. Folate,11%
8. Vitamin B1 (thiamin), 39%
9. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid),10%
10. It also contains smaller amounts of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B3 (niacin). This also contains 51 grams of carbs, 13 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and 8 grams of fibre, but only 303 calories, hence the cooked version of oatmeal may double the above nutrition.

Ingredients for preparing oatmeal

• cup of dried oats
• 2 ripe bananas, thinly diced
• 4 clean dates, roughly crushed
• 1 tin of evaporated milk, yoghurt or water
• 2-tablespoons sugar
• A pinch of salt
• Straw berries, blue berries peanuts, as desired(optional)

Simple Ingredients for making oatmeal

Steps on how to prepare oatmeal

1. Soak cup of oats in water or yoghurt and allow it to sit overnight in the fridge
2. Heat 1 glass of water on a stove, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil
3. Pour the soaked oatmeal into the simmering liquid and stir well
4. Once it has absorbed water and becomes soft, add sugar or any of your favourite additive
5. Bring it off from heat, top with few banana slices and yoghurt or milk
6. Enjoy while it is warm, or if you like cold oatmeal, you can chill it first before serving.

Simple steps to prepare oats

1.Soak cup of oats in cup of cold water or yoghurt, I used evaporated milk for the soaking. Ifyou prefer overnight oatmeal, you can soak it ahead of time or you can simply soak it 5 minutes prior to the cooking time just like i did with mine.

2. Heat up 1cup of water on a stove, add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.

Mixing of oatmeal

3. Add in the soaked oatmeal in the simmering water and stir to prevent from it clumping.

4. Once it has absorbed water and becomes soft, add sugar, honey or any of your favourite additive.

Once the water boils, add in the mixed oats and stir

5. Bring the oats off from heat, top with few banana slices, dates, raisin or peanuts. You can add more milk or yoghurt if like it much.

Wait for oatmeal to become thickened before bringing it off from heat, this should take about f5 minutes

6. Enjoy your oatmeal while it is warm, or if you like cold oatmeal, you can chill it first before serving.

Enriched and yummy oatmeal