Oats, Glorious Oats

Someone recently told me I should write a post all about OATS. As many of you are probably aware, oats are a pretty much a staple food in the Healthy Living Blog community. But for those of you who are new to this, I decided to write a post all about one of my favorite foods…OATS!!!

Until I discovered the blog world, to me, all oatmeal was were tiny packets, that came in boxes like this:

And then I finally saw the light! There is certainly nothing wrong with pre-packaged instant oatmeal, it is still healthy, but I since discovering real oatmeal, I love it so much more! There are a couple kinds of oats I like.

The first and probably most popular kind are Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. These are the kind of oats you heat up in the microwave (or on the stove), that only take a couple of minutes to cook. Usually, I make mine with water, but you can also use any type of milk you desire.  Making them with milk makes them more creamy than if you just used water. I usually put about 1/2 cup of raw oats + water in a bowl, and then into the microwave and heat them up for about a minute and a half.

Quick Oats

Quick oats are a bit more processed than Old Fashioned oats, and they take less time to cook, and are also a bit mushier than old fashioned oats. I used to eat this type, until I discovered old fashioned oats.

Steel-Cut Oats

I first tried steel-cut oats this year at a cafe in New York City. I fell in love with them! They take longer to cook, and you have to cook them on the stove for about 20 minutes until they absorb all of the water you cook them in. They eventually become creamy and when you chew them there is a bit of a “pop” or crunchier texture than old fashioned oats. I love them, it’s just time consuming to make them. Steel-cut oats are also called Scottish Oats or Irish Oats.

Toppings Galore

Since discovering glorious oats, I love putting toppings on them. (WHO KNEW?) Before, I would eat my weight control Quaker oats and feel unsatisfied…I had no idea what I was missing out on.

Nut Butters

Dabbing on a teaspoon of peanut butter or almond butter will make your oats taste so good!! My favorite topping would be almond butter, maple peanut butter, or dark chocolate dreams peanut butter.

Fresh Fruit

Another trick the blog world has taught me…adding a mashed banana to your cooked oats will make them taste sweet and delicious. Instead of sugar, add a mashed banana. It will make your oats sweet and creamy. I also love adding blueberries and sliced strawberries.

Chopped Nuts

Chopped pecans or chopped walnuts make a great topping to oats as well. I try to only sprinkle a few on top, as nuts can be high in calories.

Fruit Butter/Jam

One of my all time favorite oat topping is Sweet Cherry Butter. When added to my oats along with almond butter, it tastes amazing! Here is my simple but tasty recipe for sweet cherry steel-cut oats.

Other Uses for Oats

The Smoothie with Raw Oats – I recently discovered that raw oats work great in smoothies! I usually add about 2 tablespoons of raw old fashioned oats to my protein smoothie in the morning, and it makes them a lot more thicker, and keeps me full for longer.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – I almost ALWAYS add oats to my chocolate chip cookie recipes. My favorite cookie recipe of all time is here. These cookies are great because they are only 80 calories per cookie!

Raw Oats in Yogurt – I LOVE adding raw old fashioned oats to my yogurt, especially greek yogurt, it gives it a nice chewy consistency instead of adding granola, which has a lot of sugar.

The Breakfast Cookie – Another favorite of mine. You simply add 2/3 cup of raw old fashioned oats, 1/2 mashed banana, 2 TBSP of almond milk, 1 TBSP of almond butter, and chocolate chips into a bowl and mix them all together, set in the fridge in a tupperware container overnight, and you have a breakfast cookie! Sometimes I add other things such as chia seeds and protein powder.

Here is a great informational website that has everything you wanted to know about oats. 🙂 Hope this post was helpful to those of you looking to learn more about oats!