It’s true that I eat oatmeal almost every day. I don’t think it’s boring, but that’s me.
I get questions rather frequently about how I make them…and while I never measure things as I go, I figured I should respond to the inquiries. So last night, as I prepped for the work day, I got out the measuring cups and noted each and every step for you guys.
Ready?
This is the basic framework.
- 3/4 cup dry whole rolled oats
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 cup raisins (no more or I risk overloading the meal’s FODMAPS)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Next up, the liquids.
- 1 1/4 cup hot (not boiling) water
- 3-5 drops NuNaturals liquid vanilla stevia (more/less to taste)
I don’t always add the stevia because it depends on the extra add-ins. With sweetened nut butters or fresh/dried fruit I usually nix the stevia.
Here’s (part of) my toppings shelf.
Ideas?
- fresh fruit (banana, apple, pear, strawberry)
- nuts (almond, cashew, walnut, etc.)
- nut butters (soy, peanut, almond, coconut cashew, etc.)
- coconut
- granola
- trail mix
- seeds (pumpkin, sesame, flax, etc.)
- dried fruit (apricots, dates, apple rings, etc.)
- carob chips, cocoa, dark chocolate
- milks (coconut, almond, soy)
- pumpkin puree
- silken tofu
- protein powder
- and so much more!!!
As you can see, the options are limitless…which is how I can have oats for breakfast day in and day out and it never gets old.
Some of my all time faves include chai chia oats, strawberry cheesecake oats, and coconut oat bake.
Anyway. Once the wet and dry ingredients have united, I stir the oats up well (to mix the chia seeds throughout the oats). It may look too liquidy, but the chia seeds will take a bit of time to gel.
The next morning, the oats will have thickened up. See?
The raisins get plump, the chia seeds create a thick and pudding-like texture, and the oats remain chewy and slightly uncooked.
If you like fully cooked oats, you will need to heat these more (and increase the liquids).
I typically eat (raw) overnight oats on work days and enjoy (cooked) stove top oats on days I’m off.
The rest of the days work food included a banana (half eaten on the way to work, half added to my oats), a salad (details below), a quinoa bar (from Starbucks in Buenos Aires), carrots, a mini Blueberry Muffin Larabar and candied ginger.
The salad was pulled together on the late night with random scraps I had in the fridge.
I didn’t have time to go grocery shopping, but I did hit up Whole Foods for dinner, so I had tempeh salad leftovers.
Combined with old, wilty kale, baked butternut squash, and slice of sourdough bread.
Randomly yummy.
When I got home from work I was hungry, but all I craved was chocolate.
I forced myself to eat something substantial (rice pasta spirals with seitan, kale, & squash), but in the end I turned to Uncle Eddie’s peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I ate WAY too many. I don’t even want to think about it anymore.
I have tomorrow off and I plan on spending it in the kitchen and browsing cookbooks for recipes to make in the near future.
***I’m still waiting to hear from one of the Earthbound Farms giveaway winners, so check and see if you are the lucky one so I can send you your goodies***
I don’t find oats boring because you an eat them so many different ways! There are a billion ways to make or top oatmeal, and it doesn’t even stop there. You can use oats in so many recipes, like pancakes, granola bars…the list is endless. Yummy oats!
I don’t really find oats that interesting… I don’t know why. I try to enjoy them, but I have to go through a phase where I want them, which isn’t often enough!
All those chia seeds in there excite me. And I really need to locate that kale salad in a bag that you have…so easy. I’m keeping my eyes out for it.
Love oats and need to have them more! Great ideas for them, I usually have them on weekends and smoothies on weekdays which would probably be boring to many too. 🙂
I have no self-control around sugar. Seriously, none.
Thanks for the oats tips. I need to get into an oats groove. Everytime I eat them I realise how much I love them yet I rarely remember to have them. New breakfasts will have to be oats and/or chia seeds for sure. x
It’s funny you blog about this because I eat oatmeal almost every morning and I was thinking I needed to spice it up. I have Skinny Bitch in the Kitch and got some great ideas about adding nuts, seeds and fruit. And I really like your ideas. So this morning I made my oats with soy milk (instead of water) and added flaxseeds and pecans…so yummy and healthy! I say rock on oats!
Thanks for your recipe! I think the “boring” oats are the best!
Elise,
Your oats recipes are amazing. I need to start preparing my oats a day before as well. Can you tell me how did you do oats wit PB flour? I know you have tried it before and I am not sure what to do with it. Should I cook it?Thanks!!!!
i am a little scared about the idea of eating raw flour, so when i use peanut flour i do make sure to cook it. i usually stir the flour into the oats so its totally mixed up and then add the hot water (same method as listed above). where my routine differs for peanut flour is the re-heating that occurs when i eat it. at work i add more water (otherwise it is way too thick and dry) and microwave it (a minute or so) before i eat it. i never add more than 1/4 cup peanut flour to the oats. also, i have found that it needs to be mixed well with liquids before it gets cooked otherwise it turns out weird.
Thanks Elise for the scoop on your morning oats. I’m happy to see that you too eat more than the serving size of 1/2 cup of oats. Who can be satisfied with just 1/2 a cup? I’d eat more if it didn’t cause me stomach cramps and a bit of tummy bloat. TMI?
What’s the sugary-coated stuff in the tupperware container? Candied ginger? I can’t find that stuff anywhere around here and I’m dying to try it.
“Topping shelves”. Ha! I would say that’s such a food blogger thing, but I’m not a blogger really and I have several shelves for such things too 🙂
Aren’t you so happy oats and chia are FODMAPs-friendly? I am! A lifesaver for sure.
I could live off raw oats. Seriously, So good. I have even got my 1 year old on the ‘oat train.’
Your oat creations always look so delicious and filling…and I love that you have a toppings shelf!
yes! thank goodness chia and flax are fodmaps free. id have died if i couldnt have quinoa and oats too, so thats a relief as well. ive also really fallen in love with cashews lately…i make them into all kinds of sauces. they are my chickpea replacement. mmm.
I dont think oatmeal is boring either! There are so many ways to can make it!
candied ginger. its the best! you can get it online if you cant find it in stores.
I just picked uo some chia seeds tonight and am excited to try some of you oatmeal recipes! Just have a few questions… Once you mix your oatmeal, do you leave it out on the counter or refigerate it overnight? Do you warm it up again before you eat it?
I do refrigerate it overnight. I sometimes reheated it before eating it, but I also eat it cold sometimes too. Depends on the weather, how warm/cold I am, and what the ingredients are. Like if I add bananas, I usually dont reheat it. But if I add peanut flour I usually do reheat it (bc I am semi-weirded out by what raw flour would do to my gut).
Hope that helps?
I don’t know why, but I also have a love for oatmeal and I eat it every morning! I think it’s a texture thing…I love pudding, oatmeal, ice cream, polenta..stuff you can squish in your mouth (not that I sit there squishing my food in my mouth). I’ve been a loyal cinnamon and raisin topping girl, but your ode to oats has inspired me to venture into new topping territory 🙂 I have never been big on eating oatmeal in the heat of the summer, but I’m going to try soaking mine in the fridge overnight so I can be a year-round oatie. By the way, my husband thinks my love for oatmeal is a bit nuts. What does yours think?
You should add this post to your recipes page! Every time I make outmeal for the next morning, I go hunting for this post of yours to make sure my ratio’s are right 🙂
oatmeal **
will do!
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Would this recipe work without chia seeds? Do you think the oats would still absorb the water/plump up enough??
itll “work” but itll be different.