the perfect bowl

I’m hoping you will accept my public apology.

It has been twenty three days since oatmeal has made an appearance on this blog.

If you’ve secretly been in a fight with me about it for the last twenty three days, I’m sorry.

Can we be friends again?

I promise it won’t ever happen again – I mean it this time.

Perhaps the cold weather is slowly but surely destroying my brain cells.

It could be the fact that my God forsaken early arising is sucking the creativity out of me.

I might just be lazy at breakfast time too.

Let’s pretend it’s not that though.

Maybe I think it’s not too exciting to stare at a bowl of oats every day. However, then I remember how excited I get when I see bowls of oats on everyone else’s blogs each day. Of course you’d be excited to see my breakfast. Even if you weren’t, you’d still pretend for me.

I’ll never deprive you of the oats ever again.

Because you don’t see my breakfast every day, I thought I would show you the steps to success if you will.

That’s right – how to make the perfect bowl of oatmeal.

The Base:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 1 tbsp. flax seed meal
• 1/2 banana, sliced thinly

A few weeks ago Swanson Health Products sent me a few gluten free baking products, including Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats (only $5.39 – I usually pay $7.00!) and Flax Seed Meal ($3.09 – I usually pay $4.00!). These are already staples for me, but I couldn’t believe how much I had been paying for them until I went to their website.

Then I add:

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

I always add more liquid than you’re directed to – I’m a rebel without a cause. Or, I just like really voluminous oats. If you know me, you’d know it has to be that latter because I’m a rule follower with every fiber of my being.

I cook my oats a la Kath style – heated over the stovetop and gently whisked until all the banana is whipped into the oats. I then let the liquid absorb (this usually takes 2-3 more minutes).

The Stir-In’s:

Some days when I’m feeling adventurous, I will stir in 1 tbsp. or peanut flour or cocoa powder to liven the bowl up a bit. And let’s not forget the pumpkin – It never disappoints.

The Toppings:

My bowl of oatmeal is never the same. When I first started eating oatmeal four years ago (woah!), I always microwaved my oats (never again). I mashed up a banana and a tablespoon of peanut butter and cooked my oats that way. Boooooring. What good is oatmeal without a bunch of toppings? The possibilities are endless!

• fresh fruit
• dried fruit
• coconut flakes
• cinnamon (always)
• granola
• crumbled muffins/breakfast cookies (my favorite!)
• nut butter
• jam

If you’re feeling really adventurous, you should try all of those at once.

I’m joking – that would be one hefty bowl of oatmeal.

Today I went for banana oatmeal with peanut flour stirred in. I topped it with cinnamon, coconut, a crumbled chocolate banana oatmeal cookie, and peanut butter.

You’re right – it does look good.

And it tasted even better.

I hope you’re not sick of looking at my oatmeal yet.

You’re going to be seeing a lot more of it from now on.

Mainly because it takes a lot for me to choke out an apology.

Question: What’s the best oatmeal combination you’ve ever had?

Disclaimer: Swanson Health Product sent me these complimentary products to review. All opinions shared are purely my own – I was not reimbursed for this review.

Tagged as: banana oatmeal, bob's red mill, gluten free oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal toppings, product review, Swanson Health Products