THE BEST OATMEAL IN THE WORLD

Oatmeal is one of my favourite breakfasts. It took me a while to warm up to this breakfast champion as it can taste horribly bland and blah, but now I love it and see how versatile it is. Generally, I just ‘wing it’ whenever I make oatmeal as it’s one of those base foods with which you can make an endless number of combinations depending on what ingredients you have on hand. However, when I made this combination for Ryan a couple of days ago, he looked at me with a very serious face and a sparkle in his eye and said that it was “the BEST oatmeal in the world.” With a resounding endorsement like that, I thought I had better write down the recipe and share it.

This oatmeal is packed with healthy stuff, like fruit, coconut oil, and seeds. It’s one of those hearty breakfasts that keeps you going until lunchtime, so you won’t be tempted when you walk by that bowl of jelly beans in the office at 10:30am. Hurray!

To make this bowl of goodness, I suggest first prepping the fruit. Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork, thinly slice the apple into small pieces, and chop the dates.

Next, cook your oatmeal as per the package instructions (I used one-minute oatmeal). The general oatmeal to water ratio is 1:2, but I like to use a little less water as I find that the oatmeal can otherwise get a little soupy. Bring your water to a boil in a pot and add a pinch of salt. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and add the cup of oatmeal. Keeping an eye on the oatmeal and stirring occasionally, let the oatmeal cook until it has thickened and most of the water has been absorbed.

Remove the oatmeal from the heat and stir in the coconut oil until it has melted. Next, add the cinnamon, dates, banana, and apples (keep a couple of slices aside for garnish–fancy!). The heat from the oatmeal will gently soften the apples so that they keep their delicious crunch, but are a bit more tender.

Dish out your delicious and healthy brekkie into bowls and drizzle with maple syrup to taste. Top with apple slices and nuts/seeds and add a dash of milk if you wish. And there you have it–the BEST oatmeal in the world for a great start to an awesome day. Enjoy!