Positively Healthy Yucky Oatmeal!

Oatmeal is one of those great and wonderful for you foods. It is a 100% whole grain cereal with lots of fiber, protein and iron. Whole grains can lower your cholesterol and is great for your health. But oatmeal tastes yucky, I mean really yucky! Oatmeal has a nasty texture and no matter what you add to it you still have a glob of glue in your bowl. For me it is one of those foods that cause a gag reflex but it is so healthy for you I have vowed to try to make this my year to learn to love oatmeal.

I have tried in the past to make oatmeal my friend and have failed miserably. Now I don’t totally hate oatmeal as I love oatmeal cookies, oatmeal pancakes and other things with oatmeal in them just not that glue that people eat for breakfast. Over the years I have tried different brands and different methods of cooking oatmeal but in the end all I could ever force down was a bite or two. One of the things that occurred to me is that maybe in the past eating a whole bowl of oatmeal was just too great of a challenge. So this time I have vowed to start small and see if little by little I can learn to love oatmeal. I remind myself that it is a proven fact that children have to try a food 15-17 times before they decide that they like it.

At my work we are all healthy foodies so oatmeal is always a staple at staff breakfasts. One of my coworkers is the official oatmeal maker for these events. She makes it in a Crockpot and everyone eats it up. There are always lots of things to top it with, imagine an ice cream sundae bar but for oatmeal. The people at my work go absolutely crazy for it. I have announced my intentions at work to find this love for oatmeal and have started on the journey. At the next event I am in line and take my one tablespoon of oatmeal along with two tablespoons of berries. I even announce, “Look I have oatmeal on my plate”, and everyone laughs because they all know how I feel about oatmeal. Down it goes in to my stomach, not bad I tell myself. I have taken the first step. One time down sixteen to go.

Not long after my adventure began one of the blogs I subscribe to called “Skinnytaste” had a recipe for baked oatmeal. It looked like coffee cake. Could this oatmeal be my true love? I could hardly wait for the weekend to come so that I could make it. When it was done I loaded the pan in my car and off to my girlfriend’s house I went for breakfast. We both decided it tasted totally different than regular oatmeal and was very good. I have since tweaked the recipe and changed things around a bit but the big thing is that I love it. I have found my love of oatmeal.

Now I realize that eating oatmeal this way might be cheating just a bit so I have promised myself that I will continue on my journey one tablespoon at a time. What is the oatmeal in your life? Could you start taking baby steps to make that change happen? Permanent life changes take time and patience. Don’t give up the first time things seem overwhelming. Remember you are only one try down with sixteen more to go. I know you can do it, just start taking those first steps toward positively healthy choices everyday!

Baked Oatmeal                                                               

1 cup uncooked quick oats

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

1 cup milk

1 egg

3 tbs honey or brown sugar

Optional*

1cup of any combination of fresh or dried fruit or nuts chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray an 8”x8” or 9”x9” pan with cooking spray.

Mix together dry ingredients. Add any optional fruit or nuts* and stir gently. In separate bowl lightly beat milk, egg and honey or brown sugar. Spread oat mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Pour the milk mixture slowly over the oats as evenly as possible. (Above picture is Baked Oatmeal with chopped nuts and dried peaches.)

Bake 30 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings.

 Original recipe from Skinnytaste.com

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/01/baked-oatmeal-with-blueberries-and.html#more