Breakfast Oats Can Float Your Boat...on a Weekday

Oatmeal is not the stuff of glamour and glitz. Its creamy beige colour and speckled, smooth texture are things few people get excited about. However, I’m an oatmeal advocate – I eat the stuff every day. Over the past few weeks, I’ve talked to people about it.

Almond steel-cut oats

Here's what I've learned. If you're a typical person, you:

1. Are reluctant to admit you eat oatmeal. Like it’s out of fashion, or something.
2. Don’t believe oatmeal can taste good. You've been scarred by a childhood full of overcooked mush with not enough brown sugar to offset the blandness.
3. Don't realize oatmeal can be a weekday food and actually taste good.  

To be clear, I’m not talking about the pre-packaged stuff that’s loaded with sugar and artificial flavours. I’m talking about whole-grain oatmeal. Porridge. The kind you used to make on the stove.

But I cook my porridge on weekday mornings in just over a minute, in the microwave.

You might think oatmeal is old-fashioned. It’s not cool. It's not advertised during prime-time TV. Its price tag isn't a status symbol. (In fact, a $5 bag lasts me a month.) However, it is healthy, delicious, and fast to cook in the morning.

The basics of cooking oatmeal on a weekday

If you’re someone who has time to spare in the a.m., by all means, use the stove. The texture of your oatmeal will be slightly better, and you’ll get your Zen therapy by stirring for a few minutes.

But for those of us who run from bed to the kitchen to the office, use the microwave method instead.

For one serving: 

Measure 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats (oatmeal) into a large microwaveable bowl. Add 2/3 cup water.

If you have smaller dishes that hold only as much as the uncooked oatmeal, I would suggest switching to a small Corningware or baking dish. As the oatmeal heats up, it climbs up the side of the bowl – and, if you’re not careful – spills right out over the edge.

This bowl floweth over...with oatmeal

This bowl keeps oatmeal contained

Whatever size bowl, it’s essential to soak your oatmeal. I like to do this before I get dressed and do my hair. That gives me at least 10 to 20 minutes of soak time. If you’re using a big bowl, you don’t need to soak the oats as long – just 5 or 10 minutes.

After soaking, microwave on HIGH power for about 1 minute, 10 seconds. My microwave is pretty powerful. Yours might need a bit more time – but start here and work your way up.

Top your oatmeal with any variety of delicious, preferably seasonal, toppings. You can even add a touch of sweetener – brown sugar, honey, maple syrup...controlling the amount you eat. And making sure it’s fresh.

Basic Weekday Oatmeal Recipe

Weekday oatmeal with peanut butter, raisins & flaxseed

Here is my basic oatmeal topping recipe, although I’ve been known to skip the raisins and indulge in straight-up PB & J, too. 

• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp. raisins
• 1 tsp. ground flaxseeds
• Splash of milk or soy milk

If PB doesn’t float your boat, try one of my other oatmeal recipes, both of which can be vegan: apple cider oatmeal and banana bread oatmeal.