How do you make oatmeal healthy and good?

[seaglass]

I'm really trying to like oatmeal vs Cheerios with whole milk or bagel with cream cheese. So far oatmeal is losing.

Day 1 - Oatmeal with salt and small box of raisins - no
Day 2 - Oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, blueberries and bananas - a little more tolerable but generally no
Day 3 - Oatmeal with small box of raisins, tsp or less of honey - not really

Seems like oatmeal should go with more savory flavor like salsa or I'm not sure what else but right now it's like eating warm, wet, shredded paper in a bowl

I am trying to cut down on dairy and sugar/carbs and obvi fiber is good - any suggestions for making oatmeal more pleasant?

[raging moderate]

1. I like to add wheat germ to it.

Maybe try a quarter of a cup. Or maybe a little more.

[seaglass]

4. Is there flavor in wheat germ? That's what I think might be missing. Thanks for the suggestion. n/t

[Walleye]

2. I put chopped apples and cinnamon in a bowl

Nuke them for a minute or so. Then a packet of instant oatmeal and a handful of blueberries.Hot water and another minute in the microwave. Eat that almost every day.

[seaglass]

9. That sounds good. I'm making steel cut oats on the stove top because I read it was

better (healthwise) than instant oatmeal. My husband loves instant with maple syrup but I am trying to avoid the sugar.

[Walleye]

11. Just a touch of maple syrup works well, doesn't take much

😋

[Marthe48]

32. I use Monk's Fruit sweetener

Thanks to a fellow DUer who suggested it.

0 carbs, and doesn't have an after tatse like Stevia does. I like Stevia on cold stuff, but not in baking, probably not in oatmeal.

I put oatmeal in meatloaf, which is a savory use I have ground oatmeal to add to baking, reducing the white flour.

Have you tried adding some nuts to your oatmeal? Toasted would be good.

[Blues Heron]

3. salt and honey

cheerios are loaded with salt - it brings out the oatey flavor, so likewise a little is needed on plain oats, along with something sweet.

[imaginary girl]

5. You could try adding applesauce nt

[aeromanKC]

6. Oatmeal with Sativa and Cinnamon

and some milk to finish it off (like cereal). Though I agree without the milk it isn't as good.

[Totally Tunsie]

37. Hmmmm...Sativa or Stevia?

One of these things is not like the other!

[aeromanKC]

39. You got me there.

I know where my mind was this morning.

[Totally Tunsie]

40. HA!

Puff, puff...

Hope you're having a great day!

[Duncanpup]

7. I add granola and touch maple syrup

[seaglass]

15. Oh I do like granola, that's a good idea. I was also just thinking that I could reconstitute dried

mango by cooking it with the oatmeal (or at least soften it up) and that would be very sweet.

[gab13by13]

8. I have found a brand of organic oatmeal

that tastes great without adding anything.

[unweird]

10. Rolled Oats

Overnight with some oat milk roughly equal to oats in volume and a big pinch of salt. Add honey in the morning and have at it

[FeelingBlue]

12. Try...

-Ripple Pea Protein Milk, unsweetened and dairy milk, 2:1 ratio.
- If you need sweetener, use maple syrup.
-Start with thick cut rolled oats- NOT INSTANT, put in boiling water; cook on low for 5 mins covered and then turn off heat and let it sit.
-I wait as long as I have time for.

If you need something more, add berries.

[padfun]

13. oatmeal, Cheerios, whole milk, bagel... None are Keto freindly

Three are grains and one is high lactose.

None of those are for a low carb diet.

[seaglass]

14. Well I'm not really looking for a diet, just trying to cut back on unhealthy stuff I already eat.

So I am trading off continuing to put light cream in my coffee but eliminating milk (and cheese .

[CottonBear]

16. Grenadian recipe: oatmeal cooked w/ cinnamon, nutmeg, salt + a bay leaf. Delicious!

My Grenadian friend James used to make this for me for breakfast. You can add a little honey too.

[Lars39]

17. I used to add cut up

cooked sausage or bacon to oatmeal, that already had some salt, sugar, and milk in it.

[seaglass]

20. Oh this is right up my alley :-) Thanks. n/t

[Lars39]

23. A Tablespoon of almond butter

and a 1/4 cup of blueberries is pretty good, too.

[blm]

18. Tsp of brown sugar, walnuts, blueberries

[eShirl]

19. fry up something savory for a topper

like onions & green pepper, or sausage, or bacon

or try sprinkling on a little sesame oil and soy sauce

[seaglass]

22. Sounds yummy! :-)

[eShirl]

28. almost forgot, Everything Bagel Seasoning

but a little goes a long way due to the salt

[FoxNewsSucks]

21. Put some peanut butter and chocolate chips

In the bottom of your bowl, add hot cooked oatmeal, let it melt, then stir.

It's delicious.

[seaglass]

24. Thanks everyone for the suggestions, quite a few that sound like good additions to try.

I forgot that I bought instant oatmeal at TJs last week with cocoa in it and even that was blechh.

[brewens]

25. Use the whole oats. Do not stir. That makes it gluey. I like to chop up a granny smith's apple

and simmer it in a little apple juice with cinnamon and brown sugar. Add that and a little milk to the oatmeal and it's really good. The whole oats are chewier and seem more satisfying than the instant crap. You just add them to the boiling water and poke them to make sure they are all soaked. Cover and wait a few minutes.

[milestogo]

26. I always but fresh fruit on top

Blueberries, rasberries, strawberries- and mix them in.

[Shrek]

27. I like to add a can of tuna

Adds flavor and protein.

[Harker]

29. Dried fruits, nuts, seeds.

Easy on the maple syrup.

[Phentex]

30. Cookies is my method of choice...

I never want it for breakfast.

[sinkingfeeling]

31. Make it thick and creamy. Add brown sugar, a dab of maple syrup, and some toasted pecan or

walnut pieces.

[Kali]

33. no reason you can't try it savory, especially steel cut

try seasoning like you would rice or quinoa or any other "grainy" side dish. (try small amounts first, of course) - a little fat helps in that department too. butter salt and pepper, use broth to cook, season with curry, cheese, garlic and/or onion, or try with mushrooms. lots of possibilities.

I like oatmeal with blueberries, but I do use milk too.

a possible middle ground improvement from instant to steel cut is "old fashioned" rolled oats that aren't already precooked. instant oatmeal has no texture, old fashioned have some texture (if you don't cook them to death in too much water), steel cut have more and if you can find them whole oats even more.

and you know what...if you don't like them, you don't like them. you aren't going to eat something you don't like for long. try something else.

[Akoto]

34. I can't stand the normal texture, so I make baked oatmeal. Google it up, it's really easy to do. nt

[seaglass]

52. Day 4 was baked oatmeal

It's very good though it has ingredients I should have stayed away from:
Milk, egg and butter
maple syrup

unsweetened applesauce
currants
coconut
walnuts

Still think it's better for me than cheerios/milk bagel/cream cheese

Thanks for the idea

[haele]

35. There's a recipe out pediatrician recommends for granddaughter.

She calls it refrigerator oatmeal. I cup rolled oats to 1/2 cup 2% milk and 1/2 cup yogurt in a mason jar, stir well (no clumps) and let it sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge. The milk will soak into the oats. Do not use Steele cut oats. China seeds will turn it into more of a pudding if you want.

To serve - Mix with fruit (fresh, frozen or dried) and/or spices, and sweeten with a mashed banana, applesauce, or one to one and a half tablespoons honey, agave syrup, or maple syrup. Or monk's fruit sweetener if you need to watch the glucose more.
Serve either hot or cold.

The pediatrician said not to use whole milk, as it.makes the stomach feel fuller quicker and she won't want to actually eat for most of the day afterwards -just snack, which is one of her current issues.
Granddaughter needs to eat at least one cup which is what she needs to.maintain a good breakfast and get in the habit of eating actual.meals.

Haele

[Trailrider1951]

36. My favorite way to flavor oatmeal is to add crumbled pecans and/or walnuts,

raisins and/or dried cranberries, and a tablespoon or two of real maple syrup. Add these to freshly cooked oatmeal, stir and let sit for a few minutes to plump up the dried fruit. Absolutely delicious!

[Totally Tunsie]

38. TFG might agree..

"Seems like oatmeal should go with more savory flavor like salsa or I'm not sure what else but right now it's like eating warm, wet, shredded paper in a bowl."

If anyone would know this, it would be him.

[IcyPeas]

41. no cook oatmeal/flax seed/peanut butter/maple syrup bars.

Granola Bars:

Ingredients
1 ½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup raw cashews or nuts of choice
¼ cup ground flax seeds
½ cup natural peanut butter creamy or chunky
¼ cup pure maple syrup

5 tablespoons milk of choice soy and cow’s will add a little extra protein

Optional: 2 tablespoons of mini dark chocolate chips or dried cranberries

Instructions

1. Cover a 7×11 baking sheet or 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Pulse oats in a food processor until it forms a coarse flour. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
3. Place cashews in food processor and pulse into small pieces, similar to coarse sand. Add to mixing bowl with flour.
4. Pour remaining ingredients into mixing bowl and stir well to combine. The texture should resemble a sticky oatmeal cookie dough batter.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly using the back of a spoon or rubber spatula.
6. Place bars in the fridge for 20 minutes. Remove bars from pan by lifting parchment paper and then slice into 12 squares. Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

[BlackSkimmer]

42. Strawberries, bananas. Any berries.

Brown sugar. Touch of salt.

I love oatmeal.

[FrogStatue]

43. lately I've been into oatmeal with

curry powder

[frogmarch]

44. I had about a half cup of

unsweetened applesauce to my single serving of oatmeal after cooking it. I usually skip the milk.

Yum!

[Sanity Claws]

45. I add banana to the oatmeal while it is cooking.

That is one banana to 2 servings of oatmeal. That really sweetens it up. I also add a plant-based milk (I have a dairy intolerance) and some walnuts.
If you need it sweeter, try adding a little honey.

Even with honey, oatmeal sounds a lot healthier than bagel with cream cheese, IMHO.

[csziggy]

46. I cook my oatmeal with cinnamon, just a dash of salt, and milk rather than water

Then a little bit of butter, which makes the oatmeal creamier.

1/3 cup old fashioned oatmeal, 1/2 cup milk, cinnamon and salt. Microwave for one minute, stir, 30 seconds, stir, add butter, 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds.

Usually I sprinkle a little demeara coarse crystal sugar on top - it has the taste of brown sugar with some crunch because of the large crystals.

Of course, this does not cut down on dairy or sugar much. But maybe some cinnamon would make it tastier, even if you make it with water and no butter.

I like the suggestion in this thread for adding apple - I'll try that tomorrow.

[mahina]

47. I add grape nuts

And some oat milk. I wouldn’t call it dazzling. It’s fine.
A tablespoon of chia seeds has a lot more fiber than I thought. Grape nuts has more calories than I thought.

[DFW]

48. Here in Germany, we mix our own

Oat flakes, wheat germ, flax seed and dried cranberries for flavor and vitamin C. A spoonful of maple syrup is optional but not necessary, as the cranberries are sweetened, and full of flavor. It is difficult to find them here, as they are not native to Europe, but we get 2 kilo bags sent over from the States with the mail, and they last a while.

[nuxvomica]

49. Sliced banana and a tablespoon of Sugar-in-the-Raw

Sometimes I add skim milk; sometimes raisins or dried currents.

[Mr.Bill]

50. I like it with brown sugar and a little maple syrup.

How healthy that is depends on how much of those you add, I suppose.

[North Shore Chicago]

51. Easy!

A half a stick of butter and lots and lots of sugar!

[csziggy]

53. There are some good ideas for savory oatmeal in this Reddit thread

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/sszxlp/crack_an_egg_into_your_cooked_oeatmeal/

It starts with cracking an egg into oatmeal and goes from there.

[seaglass]

54. Thanks, some good ideas in there! n/t