Power Packed Healthy Oatmeal

Healthy oatmeal is a nutritious start to your day, packed with water-soluble fiber and B vitamins. The soluble fiber and complex carbohydrates are easy, but slow, to digest which stabilizes blood sugar. Healthy oatmeal retains the oat bran which reduces cholesterol.

Oats are most nutritious in their whole form. Use rolled oats, steel-cut oats or oat groats rather than quick or instant oats. Especially avoid instant oatmeal packages that have added sugar and preservatives – they are not healthy oatmeal. Oat groats are the most nutritious as they are the whole grain with their bran and germ intact - but they take the longest to cook (about 90 minutes or 30 minutes in a pressure cooker). Steel cut oats are the groats cut into small pieces – they are quicker cooking (30 minutes or 10 minutes in a pressure cooker) and make a nice, chewy porridge. Regular rolled oats are the quickest cooking of the three (15 minutes or 3 minutes in a pressure cooker) but lose some of their nutrition and flavor as they are rolled and flaked.

When you mix this healthy oatmeal with the nutrient dense fats and protein found in flax seeds and nuts, it makes a complete energizing breakfast that will keep you going throughout your morning!

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats, steel-cut oats or oat groats (not quick or instant oats)

3 cups of water

pinch of sea salt - optional

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup raisins or fresh diced apples

¼ cup ground flax seed

½ cup ground nuts (almonds, walnuts, or pecans)

natural sweetener to taste, such as honey, grade B maple syrup, stevia or agave nectar

top with rice, almond or oat milk – optional

1. Boil water and sea salt in a saucepan, then turn down heat and add the oats.
2. Stir regularly and cook for allotted time (rolled – 15 minutes, steel-cut – 30 minutes, oat groats – 90 minutes).
3. Add the raisins or apples, cinnamon and vanilla when 5 minutes left to cook.
4. Turn off heat and stir in the flax seeds and nuts. Cover and let sit for several minutes.
5. Add sweetener, top with fresh fruit, and serve with rice, almond or oat milk.

• If using a pressure cooker, add the water, oats, fruit, cinnamon and vanilla to cook for the allotted time (rolled – 5 minutes, steel-cut – 10 minutes, oat groats – 30 minutes), then add the flax seeds, nuts and sweetener.
• Try other dried or fresh fruit as long as they have no added sugar. Dried coconut flakes are a favorite, just make sure they are not sweetened.
• Oats often contain residual gluten from processing. If you are sensitive to gluten you may find that oatmeal in the morning can make you feel sluggish through the day. As always, listen to your body and pay attention to what works for YOU.