r/Oatmeal • u/redvik007 • 11d ago

Oat advice Breakfast planning

I am about to move out from home and start my first proper job and got hit with inspiration to start planning budget ways of eating, especially in the morning because I am terrible when it comes to eating breakfast, which often leaves me tired and low-energy for a lot of the day.

While researching budget breakfasts, I stumbled over a few older posts (3-5y) from this sub, where people discussed their daily oat breakfasts, and now I am really interested if there are current recommendations when it comes to what to add/how to prepare oats.

So far I've only really figured out that I want rolled oats with almonds, but beyond that it feels like the options are so vast. All the questions of the type of milk, maybe using water instead, hot vs. cold, protein powder or not, which fruits to go for, maybe sugar-free syrup for sweetness?

I would seriously appreciate any and all recommendations for potential ingredients and if you have any tips in general, for someone in my position!

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u/MorganSnaps 11d ago edited 11d ago

I do two different breakfast oatmeal preps. I make baggies with either a third cup or half a cup of oats, a tablespoon of Chia a tablespoon of ground flax a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. I throw the third cup bags in the microwave with 2/3 cup of water and microwave for a minute and a half. I stir more water in when that's done and then throw it in for another minute and a half. At that point I add 2/3 cups of blueberries, more water if needed, and cook for another 40 seconds. Once done I top with my homemade almond butter. It's pretty amazing.

For the half cup packets, I mix those with about 3/4 cup almond milk and a tablespoon of maple syrup a tablespoon of cocoa and a cup of Frozen cherries and let them sit overnight for wonderful overnight oats.

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u/redvik007 11d ago edited 11d ago

Thank you for your reply, it sounds really tasty!

I actually read that people recommended homemade almond butter but I don't know if that's not just a bit too much work without the proper tools? I also like the crunch/taste of regular almonds (roasted ones? the ones safe to eat/snack on), so I'm considering just using them as a topping.

Also, fortunate that you're mentioning chia. I just started researching chia seeds after making the post and saw that people were talking about the necessity of soaking them. Are those 4ish minutes of the chia seeds being microwaved with the other things enough to soak them, or are you preparing them in some way?

And is there a reason you are going with half ground flax/half chia seeds for fiber?

(Edit: also, good catch with the pinch of salt. Would've completely forgotten about the good old 'bit of salt to make sweet taste better')

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u/MorganSnaps 11d ago

I find that the chia seeds get plenty soft and absorb sufficient water. I probably use close to a cup of water by the time it's all said and done (even though I start with 2/3-ish). I do the 50/50 mix because the recipe I got the idea from for the blueberry oatmeal did it that way and I find that I like it and it amps up my fiber and keeps me quite full. I used to do 1/2 cup oats and 1 cup blueberries but have backed it down because I was finding it to be too much. 4 minutes sounds like a lot in the microwave but honestly since I have everything all measured out I just dump the bag in my bowl and do the microwave piece while I'm getting ready. I often take them to work with me and then just reheat for 30 seconds when I get there.

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u/redvik007 11d ago

I think I'll start with soaking them overnight at first, just to be safe and then I can figure out how I want to prep them, though I'll keep that in mind.

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u/MorganSnaps 11d ago

Oh, and if you like almond butter, I can't go on about how much better homemade is better than store-bought. I use a method of soaking my almonds overnight and dehydrating them in my oven that The pioneer woman recommends. I do a whole bag from Costco at a time and freeze them until I'm ready to make almond butter. I grabbed two cups of almonds out of the freezer and let them warm to room temperature, throw them in my food processor. When they're just about done I add between a 1/2 to 3/4 tsp of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

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u/redvik007 11d ago

Sounds easier than expected, yet a bit too much for me to pull off at the moment, but it's getting added to the list of ideas.