The day we’ve all been waiting for. No, not Halloween or GA/FL. Not Thanksgiving, and not Christmas.
National. Oatmeal. Day.
I grew up having oatmeal for breakfast…that is, on the days that I wasn’t diving into a bowl of Count Chocula, Fruity Pebbles, or Cookie Crisps. I was the picture of childhood health, huh?? I remember my mom melting one ice cube into my oatmeal because it was always just a little too hot for my sensitive tongue.
Fast forward to my teenage years, and I don’t think I touched oatmeal for the longest time. I finally picked it back up freshman year of college, and would have banana bread oatmeal with blueberries almost every morning in my dorm room while my sweet little roomie slept away (If you’re reading this, hi Holley!). Fast forward a little more to junior year, and I got a little more creative with the addition of peanut butter. A couple months later I braved the “egg white oatmeal” technique, and the rest was history.
Plain oatmeal is to me what a blank canvas is to an artist. It gives me the opportunity to not only exercise my creative juices in topping arrangement (wish I was kidding), but it also allows me to experiment with a range of flavor combinations depending on what mood I’m in. Need some ideas on toppings to include? It would be my honor to throw some at you…
- fresh fruit: berries, banana slices, diced apple/pear, peaches, and cherries are some of my top choice, however dried or frozen fruit are other great options!
- nut butter: whether it be plain peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, or a crazy flavored butter like those over at Wild Friends have to offer, adding a nut butter is a great way to add a little extra protein and fat to help with satiety, and boost flavor! Betcha can’t stop at just one tablespoon…..
- granola: well, I think we ALL know my favorite granola, Purely Elizabeth. I love added a little sprinkle to the top of my oatmeal to give a little extra crunch and change in texture.
- nuts and seeds: pistachios, sliced almonds, chia seed, hemp seed, pumpkin seeds all lend good amounts of healthy fats to help with satiety. If oatmeal has you feeling like you’re eating mush, nuts and seeds can also offer that “crunch” of real food đ
- jams, preserves and butters: especially fun to use in the winter months, I love adding fig butter or preserve, or an apple butter to give a sweet taste
I recently made a couple tweaks to my normal oatmeal routine to see if it was actually possible to perfect perfection. Turns out, it is! Instead of throwing my oats with water in a bowl and cooking them up in the morning, I tried soaking them with the addition of a teaspoon of chia seed the night before, and it has truly made SUCH a difference in how long they keep me full. I typically finish breakfast by 7:45 in the morning and don’t have a chance to really stop for a break until noon on most days, so I’ve been experimenting with breakfasts that can sustain me for those 4-5 hours. Since adding in some chia seeds and soaking my oats overnight, I have found myself easily making it to noon without being interrupted by obnoxious stomach growling. Now, ideally I try to eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism revved up (and because I typically do get hungry by then), but I can’t always operate on my own schedule, so this simple breakfast switch has really been a life saver.
So, in honor of National Oatmeal Day, I’m not only sharing some major photOATgraphy (laugh, please), but I’m also sharing with y’all this easy, basic recipe for egg white oatmeal with chia seed in hopes that it too will hold you over all morning long.
[yumprint-recipe id=’17’]
So, anyone else tOATally craving a bowl of warm oats right about now, or is that just me??? Happy celebrating!
