Oatmeal

I know a lot of people who skip breakfast every morning. It's not a smooth move.
Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. I've found that if I eat something within the hour I wake up, I am more alert through out the day. It's like a kick push for your body to gain energy. Plus, some of the best foods are made to eat in the morning! Poptarts, waffles, pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs - my mouth is watering more and more as I make a list.
But my absolute favorite breakfast meal is hands down oatmeal. It's high in fiber, absolutely filling and is bland on its own. I love that it's bland because it gives me the opportunity to dress it up anyway I want to. Just about anything goes well with oatmeal! Here's some options I've played with to dress up your oatmeal:
- honey and raisins
- peanut butter <-- the BEST!
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- granola
- kashi cereal
- coffee creamer
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
(If you don't feel like doing anything "fancy", buy some of the already made packets of oatmeal. I've had Kashi's Raisin Spice and Apple Cinnamon and both are delicious.)

Here's a recipe by Ellie Krieger to dress up your oatmeal in a more fancy way! It's so good!
Ingredients: 3 1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, optional
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch nutmeg
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, plus more, to taste
1 cup lowfat milk, divided
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions: In a medium saucepan, bring the water and salt to a boil. Stir in the oats and raisins, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, place nuts, if using, in a dry skillet over a medium-high flame, and toast, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
When the oats are cooked remove pan from the flame and stir in the vanilla and nutmeg. Swirl in the brown sugar and place the oatmeal in serving bowls. Pour 1/4 cup of milk on top of each bowl, and top with toasted nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Note: For a quicker version using quick cooking or plain instant oatmeal: Cook the oatmeal according to the directions on the package. Stir raisins, brown sugar, and nutmeg into the cooked oatmeal. Top with milk, nuts (toasted or un-toasted) and cinnamon.

Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories: 255
Total fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g
Monounsaturated fat: 1g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1g
Cholesterol: 4mg
Sodium: 40mg
Carbohydrates: 51g
Protein: 8g
Fiber: 4.5g