oatmeal add ins

[mlgbug]

okay i gotta loose this 10 pounds i somehow gained, and i gotta eat breakfast, so i have quaker oatmeal old fashioned.

 

i like it sweet, i tried it with a bit of maple syrum but i didnt like it.

 

id love to add sugar but i have to loose the weight and i put sugar in my coffee already.....

 

it would be nice if i could get the kids to like oatmeal too,....they never even at baby cereaal

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

What if you added fruit? I like peaches or strawberries in mine along with nuts.

[mlgbug]

i thought about cinamon or pupkin pie spice, but its just not sweet enough for me :)

[lynn]

I like adding plain yogert, berries and walnuts and just a bit of cinnamon.

[Blueridge]

We have oatmeal every Sunday morning, and set up a lot of toppings on the table so we can all choose. I use a small amount of chopped dates to sweeten oatmeal...just wonderful. Chopped bananas sweeten it well, too. You can also chop a few gala apples and cook them with the oatmeal. As far as toppings, I usually rotate between coconut, pecans, and dried cherries. I like a sprinkle of ground flax seed, too.

[stripe]

Blueberries are also nice and very healthy.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I would suggest you try to learn to eat it without sweetener. *ducking*

 

I've been eating oatmeal at breakfast for over a year now. No sugar. It took some getting used to but I knew I needed to do it. I usually have it with just cinnamon, raisins, and 2% milk. Sometimes I'll add a little bit of chopped nuts or substitute a chopped apple for the raisins. The raisins or apple add a touch of sweetness, especially if you chew well before you swallow. ;-) If you add just a teeny bit of salt, that helps to bring out the flavor.

 

When I was adding sweetener, I would just dip my teaspoon in molasses and whatever was coating the spoon would get stirred into the oatmeal. But even that much sugar would make me crash later.

 

As for the kids, whenever my kids see me eating something they aren't, they always want some. Maybe it will work at your house too. :-)

[Rebecca VA]

Dried blueberries or dried cherries cooked with the oatmeal.

[chickenpatty]

My favorite way is with [ducking] splenda and peanut butter. Just enough peanut butter to give it that flavor.

 

My kids like baked oatmeal with milk and pancake syrup. You can find a good recipe on allrecipes.com.

[LibraryLover]

try adding a little salt in the cooking water, then the maple syrup or whatever. salt acts as another level of sweetener.

[mlgbug]

okay im gonna go make some with apples. be back!

[mlgbug]

okay so i struggled to get through that!lol, i made it with chopped chopped apples , water a bit of skim milk toward the end, pumplin pie spice and a dash of salt. it cooled i tasted and yuck.lol. wasnt sweet and very bland. soooo

 

i had to add about a teaspoon brown sugar and it was much more bearable. i feel like i had a healthy breakfast. before that i had a slice of toast with hummus...

 

i usually skip breakfast all together....so this is progress.

[stripe]

Make it with 1/2 milk and 1/2 water, not all water. It will taste much better.

[Ferdie]

I sweeten oatmeal with Stevia - 0 calories.

 

I love to add cinnamon and ground flax seed in my oatmeal. My other favorite is to cook the oatmeal and then add chopped apple after cooking and let it sit a few minutes for the apple to soften. Yum!

 

My kids like their oatmeal with either raisins/cinnamon or 1 tsp peanut butter, (tastes like a peanut butter cookie). Frozen blueberries or fresh strawberries are great too.

 

Another great diet breakfast is egg whites. I stir fry green onion, bell pepper and spinach. Then add 1/2 cup egg whites. About 70 calories. On splurge morning I love to add turkey bacon, a slice of 2% swiss cheese or put the scrambled eggs in a sandwich thin, (the round bread in the deli section). Any of the above add-ins will add about 100 calories.

 

Enjoy!

[Jeannie in NJ]

I make mine with 1/2 cup frozen blueberris and quite a bit of cinnamon. Testerday I added vanilla soy milik, it was yummy. I would think almond milk would be tasty too.

[kewb]

Mine like it with applesauce and cinnamon mixed in.

Dh likes it with peanut butter and bananas. But if there are no bananas then he will use applesauce.

 

Sometimes I will buy some jars of baby food fruit and the kids love to mix that in with their oatmeal.

[Brigitte]

Mashed bananas really sweeten the oatmeal and are super good for you. I do put a little brown sugar on my oatmeal. One teaspoon is ony 16 calories, afterall.

[Paintedlady]

Dh & I started using vanilla whey powder to act as both a sweetener and to add protein. It changes the texture a bit but we've gotten used to it so it doesn't bother us. We also add either raspberries, blueberries, or apples, plus ground flax seed.

 

If you want to skip the whey powder, add some crushed or diced pineapple in addition to another fruit and that will make it quite sweet. I buy all of fruit frozen with the exception of the apples b/c of both cost and convenience. Hth!

[LMA]

I would just use the sugar. (I only eat plain oatmeal with sugar.) It doesn't really pay to eat the oatmeal if it is painful to get it down with something else. Breakfast should be enjoyable. It's not like you are eating spoonfuls of sugar all day.

[Annie]

If a teaspoon of sugar is enough to make the oatmeal enjoyable, I may just go ahead and add it. We're talking 16-20 calories, and if you get some good quality protein with your breakfast, I know that amount of sugar wouldn't cause any havoc in my body. If you add the sugar, I probably wouldn't put in raisins or dried cranberries, since those are quite sweet. I like the idea of mixing in some whey protein powder or peanut butter. I've done both of them at various times.

 

Since I don't mind the few extra calories right now, my absolute favorite oatmeal is:

 

brown sugar

unsweetened cocoa powder

cherry flavored dried cranberries

sprinkle of walnuts

milk

 

It's like chocolate covered cherries for breakfast. Delicious.

[cjzimmer1]

I don't eat oatmeal because i just can't get past the texture. My kids however love the stuff and eat it at least 6 days a week. SOme flavors I have made:

 

raisins/cinnamon/vanilla extract

craisins/almond extract

blueberry

peach

strawberry

mixed berry

cherry (dried or frozen but the frozen kind need sugar)

chocolate cherry (a few chocolate chips thrown in)

pumpkin pie (canned pumpkin plus pumpkin pie spices)

peanut butter (did NOT go over well here)

fruit juice (cook in fruit juice instead of water or milk)

grape (I use unstrained homemade grape juice)

dried pineapple/coconut/almond extract

 

I'm sure there have been others over the years. I just throw in whatever bits of fruit or juice that I'm trying to use up and the kids eat it all.

[secular_mom]

Agave Nectar, with some walnuts for protein (will make the meal 'last' longer for you) and a touch of vanilla or cinnamon if you'd like.

[Rose in BC]

I joke with my kids and tell them I'm eating my blueberry pancakes when in fact every morning I eat the same concoction:

 

1/2 cup oats

1 cup water

(microwave 1 minute)

 

add 1/2 cup frozen blueberries

(microwave 30 seconds)

 

some white sugar

 

total calories just over 200 for a filling breakfast. And yummy.

 

I have tried other things in place of the sugar but I have made peace with myself that if I use a measuring spoon and measure out a portion each morning and count it as calories, I'll be okay. It's the only place I use sugar in that way (for example not in coffee, etc.). 1 tsp sugar has about 15 calories.

[Daisy]

Agreeing with the other poster who said learn to like it without sugar. Consider it a challenge. Cut it down by increments if you have to or go cold turkey.

 

My kids eat it without sugar. I just kept cutting back the brown sugar until they ate it without it. Now they don't know the difference.

 

Add-ins to oatmeal around here.

 

cream

frozen berries

fresh fruit

dried fruit

sliced almonds (this is the yummiest)

[Spy Car]

Dries fruits are really nice cooked with the oatmeal.

 

Raisins

Apricots

Prunes

Figs

 

Or fresh fruit added on serving.

 

Bill

[SonshineLearner]

You can do this thin where you stir in water the night before... with raisins. (I know some eat it like this without cooking...) You might alternate with other good for you meals. My mom eats lowfat yogurt... (usually homemade) with pineapple on top... with a few crush roasted almonds... with sliced bananas... It's called..... Yogurt Sundaes... :-)

[smrtmama]

okay i gotta loose this 10 pounds i somehow gained, and i gotta eat breakfast, so i have quaker oatmeal old fashioned.

 

i like it sweet, i tried it with a bit of maple syrum but i didnt like it.

 

id love to add sugar but i have to loose the weight and i put sugar in my coffee already.....

 

it would be nice if i could get the kids to like oatmeal too,....they never even at baby cereaal

 

A little honey or agave nectar for sweetness, as neither create the same "OMG MUST HAVE MORE" sensation created by table sugar, plus they sweeten a lot w/ only a small amount. Vanilla extra, a little brewer's yeast, yummy.

[kalanamak]

Diced apple, walnut bits and raisins. Put them in as you heat the water. Yum.

[HRAAB]

peaches

apricots

apples

frozen berries (unless it's summertime)

dried cranberries or cherries

raisins

sunflower seeds

pumpkin seeds

walnuts

almonds

and a drip of honey if absolutely necessary

 

Actually the fruit sweetens the oatmeal, for me, anyway. We love, love oatmeal.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I love dice, canned peaches in my oatmeal! Yum.

[Laurel]

I chop up dried apples and some nuts (pecans are usually what I have around the house, but walnuts or almonds would be good too), and add some cinnamon. A splash of maple syrup if necessary. (I can eat it without the sweetener, but I like sweet things.)

 

I don't do much dairy myself, but cooking it with milk instead of water would make it less bland, and add sweetness.

[Desert Rat]

craisins, raisins, peaches, applesauce are favs here.

[The Governess]

I don't use sugar in my oatmeal. I salt the water before I boil it and sometimes add raisins or banana. I pour a little milk or almond milk on top. When I tried out a low-carb diet a while back, I got used to eating my oatmeal plain with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of butter mixed in. It's actually really tasty that way.

 

But my favorite thing to do is to save leftover oatmeal in the fridge and fry chunks of it later in a little butter. Probably doesn't work with your diet, but YUM. :D If there are raisins in the oatmeal, it almost tastes like an oatmeal cookie, but without the sugar.

[AuntieM]

I would suggest you try to learn to eat it without sweetener. *ducking*

 

I've been eating oatmeal at breakfast for over a year now. No sugar. It took some getting used to but I knew I needed to do it. I usually have it with just cinnamon, raisins, and 2% milk. Sometimes I'll add a little bit of chopped nuts or substitute a chopped apple for the raisins. The raisins or apple add a touch of sweetness, especially if you chew well before you swallow. ;-) If you add just a teeny bit of salt, that helps to bring out the flavor.

 

When I was adding sweetener, I would just dip my teaspoon in molasses and whatever was coating the spoon would get stirred into the oatmeal. But even that much sugar would make me crash later.

 

As for the kids, whenever my kids see me eating something they aren't, they always want some. Maybe it will work at your house too. :-)

 

I had to give up sugar cold turkey when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy. It took about 2 weeks, but soon oatmeal even tasted fine.

 

To this day - 5 years down the road - I still now prefer my iced tea unsweet, and many days stick with unsweetened coffee.

 

For my oatmeal, I add cinnamon, pecans or walnuts and a bit of milk. It does take some getting used to, but it can be done!

[jamnkats]

I EAT MINE with an egg and salt. It is amazing how easy it is to eat it without sweetner if you add salt. I also only eat steel cut (Coach's) but we're quickly running out of our stash. I might seriously have to have a mule bring us some Coach's. Try steel cut and go with salt instead of sweet.

 

Also try with PB or almonds.

[Margaret in GA]

I had to give up sugar cold turkey when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy. It took about 2 weeks, but soon oatmeal even tasted fine.

 

To this day - 5 years down the road - I still now prefer my iced tea unsweet, and many days stick with unsweetened coffee.

 

For my oatmeal, I add cinnamon, pecans or walnuts and a bit of milk. It does take some getting used to, but it can be done!

 

Yes! I think the OP has a serious sugar addiction. If you are looking to lose a few pounds, cut out the sugar entirely. It is better, not just for your waistline, but also your overall health:

 

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/does-sugar-feed-cancer-24162.html

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I use a little RAW honey and some fresh fruit. :)

[Snickerdoodle]

I say skip the oatmeal and eat an egg.