One of my 2010 resolutions was to make an effort to eat more breakfast foods that do not pair well with Diet Coke. The trick is to achieve this goal while still eating breakfast foods that are satisfying and stick-with-you-ing. Eggs are satisfying, but I drink pop with eggs. Golden Grahams do not pair well with Diet Coke but leave me feeling hungry eighteen minutes later. I usually end up with more savory breakfast fare like ham/turkey sandwiches or Lean Cuisine pizzas, both of which require Diet Coke (for me).
One breakfast food I return to from time to time is good old oatmeal. When I am on an oatmeal kick, I am on an oatmeal kick. I'll eat it almost every morning for weeks or even months, usually paired with orange juice.
Sometime around 1999-2000, I ate oatmeal for months (coincided with a period of weight loss, NTB) and topped it with sliced strawberries and fat-free white chocolate jello pudding. I think I'm only sharing that fact so I can think about pudding for a couple minutes.
My obsession now is oatmeal topped with brown sugar (love how the sugar looks as it melts) and either raisins or frozen sliced peaches (they defrost as you cook the oatmeal).
I don't do stovetop oatmeal, just quick oats from the tall can (packets are okay too, but the oats seem bigger from the tall can) in the microwave. I used to always make oatmeal with milk but have determined that it still tastes good made with water.
A recent issue of Cooking Light included a spread on oats and a recipe for Overnight Honey-Almond Multigrain Cereal. The recipe suggests that you combine steel cut oats, pearled barley, and water in a large (these oats expand, baby!) bowl overnight. Then, you microwave it in the morning. I've always wanted to explore the world of steel-cut oats but knew I didn't have the time or patience to spend 30 or so minutes on the stovetop every morning. No way. Anyway, I was intrigued by the recipe and sort of gave it a try. By "sort of" I mean that I combined the 1/3 cup of steel-cut oats, 2 tablespoons of multi-grain cereal mix from Trader Joe's (which I already had but was not using and which included barley in it), salt, and the 1 1/4 cups water recommended by Cooking Light and put them in the fridge overnight. I microwaved the oats in the morning, added my own toppers, and enjoyed a very delicious and filling breakfast. I'm sure the Overnight Honey-Almond Multigrain Cereal made exactly according to Cooking Light is divine, but the recipe involves too many ingredients for me for the morning. I don't see myself toasting almonds for my breakfast . . . not that I don't deserve toasted almonds.
Anyway, I'm loving my oatmeal again and wanted to pass on the soaking overnight tip in case other readers are interested in steel-cut oats that are less time intensive.
What are you eating for breakfast? And drinking?
