Oatmeal Sucks
...when you are eating it right.
I have managed to wean myself off of those flavored instant oatmeal packets that were once my mainstay. I thought I was taking the healthier option than day, the three egg omelet or the three donut breakfast - and maybe I was. But I have found a more excellent way. It isn't sexy or glamorous, but it gets the job done.
Plain, steel cut oats. Someone commented on my work blog about a method of cooking oatmeal in the slow cooker, so that you aren't letting yourself be maneuvered into bad trade-offs when you find yourself starving and absolutely cannot wait 30 for oatmeal to cook. I've tried it, and it is now a part of my routine. It will actually last about 3 or four days, and the idea of reheating oatmeal, while once unthinkable, is now de rigeur. Here is the recipe. Take one cup of oatmeal, two cups of water, and one sup of unsweetened almond milk and stir into a small crop pot. Cover. Turn it on low. Go to bed. Easy breezy.
The problem is that it is just very bland. But what are our objectives here? To become a gourmand? Or is it to avoid at all costs losing your feet, going blind, or dying before 55? Level set with me here, sir!
So I've made peace with the fact that every meal is not going to be an experience. Some of these meals -MOST of these meals- should be enough to satiate the hunger just enough to last until the next mealtime and provide the nutrients my body needs to heal itself. Nutrients I have either crowded out with tons of sugar, salt and fat, or subverted by making the the redheaded step children of my diet. That's it. I have finally disabused myself of the notion that at least for now, flavor is not a top concern. And that is okay. It's not nasty, it is just plain. And I can chop and apple or a peach or a few strawberries and throw that into the mix, and the meal improves considerably. I am adding sugar, but it is sugar with lots of fiber as well. This is the path for me now.
I think of oatmeal the same way I think of grits now. I don't want to eat it on its own, but with some other ingredients, it can be pretty filling. With grits, I expect them not to be be sweet, and so I cook them with no butter or cheese, and usually add green peppers, onions and tomatoes. With oatmeal, I expect it to be sweet, so I supplement with fruits. But why must it be so? I'm going to see if I can find or create some oatmeal based recipes that are outside my experience. Thinking outside the bowl, if you will. Just thoughts.
Will revisit later.
I have managed to wean myself off of those flavored instant oatmeal packets that were once my mainstay. I thought I was taking the healthier option than day, the three egg omelet or the three donut breakfast - and maybe I was. But I have found a more excellent way. It isn't sexy or glamorous, but it gets the job done.
Plain, steel cut oats. Someone commented on my work blog about a method of cooking oatmeal in the slow cooker, so that you aren't letting yourself be maneuvered into bad trade-offs when you find yourself starving and absolutely cannot wait 30 for oatmeal to cook. I've tried it, and it is now a part of my routine. It will actually last about 3 or four days, and the idea of reheating oatmeal, while once unthinkable, is now de rigeur. Here is the recipe. Take one cup of oatmeal, two cups of water, and one sup of unsweetened almond milk and stir into a small crop pot. Cover. Turn it on low. Go to bed. Easy breezy.
The problem is that it is just very bland. But what are our objectives here? To become a gourmand? Or is it to avoid at all costs losing your feet, going blind, or dying before 55? Level set with me here, sir!
So I've made peace with the fact that every meal is not going to be an experience. Some of these meals -MOST of these meals- should be enough to satiate the hunger just enough to last until the next mealtime and provide the nutrients my body needs to heal itself. Nutrients I have either crowded out with tons of sugar, salt and fat, or subverted by making the the redheaded step children of my diet. That's it. I have finally disabused myself of the notion that at least for now, flavor is not a top concern. And that is okay. It's not nasty, it is just plain. And I can chop and apple or a peach or a few strawberries and throw that into the mix, and the meal improves considerably. I am adding sugar, but it is sugar with lots of fiber as well. This is the path for me now.
I think of oatmeal the same way I think of grits now. I don't want to eat it on its own, but with some other ingredients, it can be pretty filling. With grits, I expect them not to be be sweet, and so I cook them with no butter or cheese, and usually add green peppers, onions and tomatoes. With oatmeal, I expect it to be sweet, so I supplement with fruits. But why must it be so? I'm going to see if I can find or create some oatmeal based recipes that are outside my experience. Thinking outside the bowl, if you will. Just thoughts.
Will revisit later.
posted by Jahan at 7:00 AM
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