This is the beginning of several "cleaner" recipes you will find on my blog. I have decided that once we return to UT later this month, I plan to purge our kitchen. There will be a few things like condiments that I will keep on hand though. Most everything else will be either less processed or not at all. Along with this, I have come up with some healthier recipes for you all. Some recipes inspired from various sources. I will also provide some cleaner or healthier alternative recipes for common things like, Eggplant Parmesan or enchiladas (keep an eye out for these in the near future!)
But first I will start out with the most important meal of the day. Breakfast! The right way to start out your day is a nice big glass of water within 20 minutes of waking and a nice hearty breakfast to give you the energy your body needs. (tips from http://mikfit.blogspot.com/2011/06/quick-tips-primarily-for-breakfast.html)
I'm not sure how popular oatmeal is for breakfast. I assume a lot of people like the convenience of those flavored instant oatmeal packs. Don't get me wrong, I have used those plenty in the past. And my way of making oatmeal back then was a generous amount of brown sugar and some milk or soy milk. But now it's time to move forward and onto better things. Let's take the time to fuel our bodies properly. You only get one body so you ought to treat it as a temple!
I'm going to give you some delicious, healthier ideas on how to prepare your oatmeal (and I'm not talking about the instant stuff). First off, start with either rolled oats ( I prefer Quaker's Old Fashioned oats. I would also recommend Bob's Red Mill.) or steel cut oats. I know a lot of people are partial to the rolled oats, but give the steel cut a shot. It may take some getting used to or you may find that you prefer them over the rolled.
Follow the directions for cooking with water but omit the salt or use a little less than it calls for and use ground sea salt instead.
Here are some suggestions on how to sweeten your oatmeal:
- Real fruit nectar- I prefer Kern's Peach or Pear.
- 100 % apple juice- Something like Simply Apple, Santa Cruz Organics or anything you find similar. Skip juice brands like Mott's or Tree Top.
- Stevia
- Banana
If you are using juice, you may either use half water and half juice/nectar during cooking or you may just add in a bit to your bowl.
Yummy additions: Combine any of these to liven up your oatmeal.
- Dried cranberries or raisins (add these in during the last couple minutes of cooking so they plump up)
- Dried fruit of your choice
- Diced apple (cut these about the size of a raisin and add in during the last few minutes of cooking)
- Fresh berries
- Berry sauce- I take frozen berries (any mix you like), put them in a pot with about enough water to come up the berries half way and let them simmer away until them become soft and there is a bit of a syrup with them. Perfect on the steel oats!
- Ground flax
- Walnuts, almonds, pecans, or any nut of your choice (unsalted! raw or roasted)
- Cocoa powder (not the kind you use for choco milk or hot coco)
- Cinnamon
- Mapleine (Maple flavoring)- If you're like me and love adding brown sugar, and loads of it, to your oatmeal this is a good alternative. This way you still get the mapley flavor, just add juice to sweeten. Also, you will want to use just a drop at a time until you reach the desired flavor. This stuff is strong! You can find this on the spice isle of your grocery store.)
I also love to add some kind of creaminess to my oatmeal so I like to add soy milk. You can use milk or an alternative of your choice. Anything from soy, almond, hemp, rice or coconut milk is great. Maybe even opt for unsweetened if you can.
Here are some of my suggested combinations:
- Cocoa powder, walnuts, banana and soy or coconut milk
- Banana, cranberry, cinnamon, almond milk
- Peach nectar, cinnamon, golden raisins, ground flax, soy milk
- Apple juice, apples, cinnamon, Mapleiene, rice or almond milk
- Cocoa powder, raspberry sauce, apple juice, soy or coconut milk
*Just a side note, I use about 1/4 cup as a serving size for myself. Often I will pair my oatmeal with a small green smoothie or a piece of toast with PB and Chia seeds*
There are so many possibilities to make that bowl of oatmeal more nutritious and keep it just as tastey.
Remember, oatmeal is full of fiber and anti oxidants. It is suggested to pair your oatmeal with a glass of juice loaded with vitamin C (if you know me, I HATE orange juice, so this is why I did not say "a glass of OJ") to help aid in keeping your arteries unclogged.
As always, let me know how my recipes or suggestions work for you. And if you've decided to jump onto the train of cleaner/healthier eating lifestyle, let me know.
Also, If you need meal ideas before I am able to post some, feel free to contact me. I have recipes written down that I am yet to prepare and take pictures of for you all.
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