BachelorontheCheap.com
I love a hot breakfast. Cold cereal, a pastry, a muffin, or a smoothie just doesn’t do it for me.
Over the years I’ve typically enjoyed a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant, biscuit, or wrap to start my day. As a change in pace, I would swap out the sausage for ham or bacon. In my book, meat, egg, cheese, and some kind of bread + coffee with hazelnut creamer = the ideal breakfast.
But with a need for being a little more heart-healthy and reducing my intake of sodium in mind, I recently made the switch to having oatmeal for breakfast.
As a breakfast sandwich replacement, oatmeal is easy to prepare and still satisfies my hot breakfast requirement. Bonus: Oatmeal is a Bachelor on the Cheap wallet-friendly food. A 42-ounce container of Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oat Meal (if you’re into name brands) will run you around $6 at the mainstream grocery store. That’s about 30 servings, breakfast for under $1 after you add some flavors, i.e., fruit, nuts, maple and brown sugar, or peanut butter and jelly. If you don’t mind store or discount brands, that 42-ounce canister will cost you around $4 – $5, driving that cost per meal down even further.
I love the classic oatmeal flavors of maple and brown sugar, or apples and cinnamon, with a watchful eye on keeping it light to keep the sugar intake reasonable. Another bonus of oatmeal is it will take on whatever flavor you want to throw at it, even savory ones. Below are some oatmeal flavor ideas, some you may not have considered before. Enjoy these ‘recipe’ ideas with milk, but as I play with flavor options, the less I like the addition of milk or a milk substitute to the bowl when serving. I prefer to keep it simple and robust, with the upfront texture of oatmeal and whatever flavor I’m adding. An option here is to replace some of the water with milk or milk substitute for the boil before adding the oatmeal. The result is a creamier texture. Tip: If going with sweet flavors for that bowl of oatmeal, I always put three dashes of cinnamon and one dash of cardamom into the boiling water, along with the salt per the instructions.
Fruit Bowl – Oatmeal prepared as directed, with the addition of whatever fresh fruit you may have on hand to the bowl. While no fruit is a bad choice, berries are the healthiest nutritionally, and in my opinion the tastiest. Dried fruits such as raisins, dates, and cranberries are OK, but watch the sugar content with those. Tip: If using dried fruits, soak them in the water you’ll use to cook the oatmeal, soaking at least one hour is good, but overnight is best. Dried fruits are a nice addition to overnight slow cooker oatmeal, no soaking required.
Go Nuts – Adding nuts to your bowl helps kick the protein up a notch and elevates the savory profile. Oatmeal by itself has 5 grams of protein per serving. Depending on the type of nut, just about any kind will do, adds another 4 – 9 grams of protein per serving. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts all pair really well with oatmeal. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds can join the party too. And while not packing as much protein as nuts, flax seeds and chia seeds will also add some protein, flavor, and texture to the dish. Tip: Flax meal is more readily absorbed by the body, I like to add a tablespoon to the boiling water when adding the oatmeal. Serving option: Use nut-based milk to compliment the nutty topping.
Fruit & Nut Bowl – Get the best of both worlds in one bowl, combining sweet and savory. It’s a texture and flavor dance in your mouth. You get the crunch from the nuts, the heartiness of the oatmeal, and the natural sweetness from the fruit. It’s a spoonful of tasty and complete nutritional balance.
Peanut Butter & Jelly – It’s a classic combination on toast for breakfast, and it’s a classic sandwich for lunch, so why not ‘classic’ up some oatmeal? When bringing the water up to a boil for the oatmeal, add a tablespoon of your favorite jelly and a tablespoon of peanut butter and stir to fully incorporate before adding the oatmeal. The previously mentioned tip of added cinnamon plays really well here. Serving option: Whole peanuts and a smidgen more jam or jelly. Use whole grapes (yes, really) if watching processed sugar intake.
Elvis, Hold the Bacon – Presley’s fondness for peanut butter and banana sandwiches is well established, but some accounts include bacon as one of the ingredients. Hold the bacon with this oatmeal. Like the PB&J oatmeal, add the peanut butter when bringing the water up to a boil. Slice up some banana to top the oatmeal when serving. Bacon crumbles are optional.
“Reeces” Bowl – Staying with the peanut butter theme, a totally under-used source of protein, add the peanut butter to the boil, along with two ounces of your favorite chocolate bar. I like to use dark chocolate to get the benefit of the flavanols and antioxidant properties that you can’t get from milk chocolate.
Maple & Brown Sugar – This flavor combination, along with Apples & Cinnamon, brings back childhood memories of Quaker Oats instant oatmeal in single-serve packets. That was a go-to breakfast on Saturday mornings and those flavor pairings are time-tested delicious. When making your own, some folks like to top their bowl of oatmeal with maple syrup and brown sugar. Too sweet for me! I like to use pure maple extract, adding a splash to the water along with a tablespoon of light brown sugar. Stirring to incorporate, let the water come to a boil then add the oatmeal. You get the maple flavor from the extract and all the sweetness you need from the brown sugar. Flavor options: Play with extracts, vanilla, almond, butterscotch, amaretto, marshmallow, strawberry, and more. Not only are pure extracts a great flavor add, using them reduces your sugar intake.
Apples & Cinnamon – This is close to having a slice of apple pie for breakfast but without all the sugar! Slice up an apple, mincing half of those slices to use with prepping the oatmeal. When bringing the water to a boil, add some cinnamon along with that minced apple, and stir to incorporate. Add the salt per the instructions, then add the oatmeal. Serve with the remaining apple slices. Serving option: Mix some monk fruit sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the oatmeal and apple slices for a little extra ‘apple pie’ flavor.
Honey, Cinnamon & Vanilla – This is an excellent change of pace flavor profile, taking advantage of honey as a healthier alternative to granulated sugar. Add the trio to the boil before adding the oatmeal. Real vanilla bean is awesome in this, as is a tab of butter melting on top when serving.
Oatmeal Patties – This is a savory preparation, creating oatmeal ‘burger patties’ if you will, which oatmeal once thickened kind of lends itself to. All you have to do is replace half the water with evaporated milk. This helps to bind the oatmeal. Add whatever savory flavors you want to the boil, garlic powder, black pepper, minced onion and/or onion powder, chili powder, Montreal Steak Seasoning, etc., I’ve used chicken stock and beef stock instead of water to boost the savory element for these which came out quite nicely. Once the oatmeal is cooked, allow it to sit and cool, then press the oatmeal into 1/4 pound ‘burger’ patties. Refrigerate for 24 hours. To prepare, heat up some olive oil in medium saute pan over medium heat. Heat the patties until heated through, about 3 minutes per side or until they start to caramelize. Served with a sunny-side-up egg topper, this is a great alternative to a traditional bowl of oatmeal (plain oatmeal is also quite good with an egg topper by the way, with the goodness of that perfectly cooked yolk running everywhere…).
The health benefits of oatmeal are so numerous and it doesn’t have to be loaded up with sugar to taste good. It’s also versatile, besides having a great bowl for breakfast, it’s great in baking, it’s a gluten-free option, you can’t have granola without it and there are non-food uses too! Did you know oatmeal is great for your skin?
Enjoy the Oatmeal ideas and,
$pend Wisely My Friends…
~ Mike
$pend Wisely My Friends…
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike
Oatmeal, it's what's for breakfast – Bachelor on the Cheap
BachelorontheCheap.com
Over the years I’ve typically enjoyed a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant, biscuit, or wrap to start my day. As a change in pace, I would swap out the sausage for ham or bacon. In my book, meat, egg, cheese, and some kind of bread + coffee with hazelnut creamer = the ideal breakfast.
But with a need for being a little more heart-healthy and reducing my intake of sodium in mind, I recently made the switch to having oatmeal for breakfast.
As a breakfast sandwich replacement, oatmeal is easy to prepare and still satisfies my hot breakfast requirement. Bonus: Oatmeal is a Bachelor on the Cheap wallet-friendly food. A 42-ounce container of Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oat Meal (if you’re into name brands) will run you around $6 at the mainstream grocery store. That’s about 30 servings, breakfast for under $1 after you add some flavors, i.e., fruit, nuts, maple and brown sugar, or peanut butter and jelly. If you don’t mind store or discount brands, that 42-ounce canister will cost you around $4 – $5, driving that cost per meal down even further.
I love the classic oatmeal flavors of maple and brown sugar, or apples and cinnamon, with a watchful eye on keeping it light to keep the sugar intake reasonable. Another bonus of oatmeal is it will take on whatever flavor you want to throw at it, even savory ones. Below are some oatmeal flavor ideas, some you may not have considered before. Enjoy these ‘recipe’ ideas with milk, but as I play with flavor options, the less I like the addition of milk or a milk substitute to the bowl when serving. I prefer to keep it simple and robust, with the upfront texture of oatmeal and whatever flavor I’m adding. An option here is to replace some of the water with milk or milk substitute for the boil before adding the oatmeal. The result is a creamier texture. Tip: If going with sweet flavors for that bowl of oatmeal, I always put three dashes of cinnamon and one dash of cardamom into the boiling water, along with the salt per the instructions.
Fruit Bowl – Oatmeal prepared as directed, with the addition of whatever fresh fruit you may have on hand to the bowl. While no fruit is a bad choice, berries are the healthiest nutritionally, and in my opinion the tastiest. Dried fruits such as raisins, dates, and cranberries are OK, but watch the sugar content with those. Tip: If using dried fruits, soak them in the water you’ll use to cook the oatmeal, soaking at least one hour is good, but overnight is best. Dried fruits are a nice addition to overnight slow cooker oatmeal, no soaking required.
Go Nuts – Adding nuts to your bowl helps kick the protein up a notch and elevates the savory profile. Oatmeal by itself has 5 grams of protein per serving. Depending on the type of nut, just about any kind will do, adds another 4 – 9 grams of protein per serving. Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts all pair really well with oatmeal. Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds can join the party too. And while not packing as much protein as nuts, flax seeds and chia seeds will also add some protein, flavor, and texture to the dish. Tip: Flax meal is more readily absorbed by the body, I like to add a tablespoon to the boiling water when adding the oatmeal. Serving option: Use nut-based milk to compliment the nutty topping.
Fruit & Nut Bowl – Get the best of both worlds in one bowl, combining sweet and savory. It’s a texture and flavor dance in your mouth. You get the crunch from the nuts, the heartiness of the oatmeal, and the natural sweetness from the fruit. It’s a spoonful of tasty and complete nutritional balance.
Peanut Butter & Jelly – It’s a classic combination on toast for breakfast, and it’s a classic sandwich for lunch, so why not ‘classic’ up some oatmeal? When bringing the water up to a boil for the oatmeal, add a tablespoon of your favorite jelly and a tablespoon of peanut butter and stir to fully incorporate before adding the oatmeal. The previously mentioned tip of added cinnamon plays really well here. Serving option: Whole peanuts and a smidgen more jam or jelly. Use whole grapes (yes, really) if watching processed sugar intake.
Elvis, Hold the Bacon – Presley’s fondness for peanut butter and banana sandwiches is well established, but some accounts include bacon as one of the ingredients. Hold the bacon with this oatmeal. Like the PB&J oatmeal, add the peanut butter when bringing the water up to a boil. Slice up some banana to top the oatmeal when serving. Bacon crumbles are optional.
“Reeces” Bowl – Staying with the peanut butter theme, a totally under-used source of protein, add the peanut butter to the boil, along with two ounces of your favorite chocolate bar. I like to use dark chocolate to get the benefit of the flavanols and antioxidant properties that you can’t get from milk chocolate.
Maple & Brown Sugar – This flavor combination, along with Apples & Cinnamon, brings back childhood memories of Quaker Oats instant oatmeal in single-serve packets. That was a go-to breakfast on Saturday mornings and those flavor pairings are time-tested delicious. When making your own, some folks like to top their bowl of oatmeal with maple syrup and brown sugar. Too sweet for me! I like to use pure maple extract, adding a splash to the water along with a tablespoon of light brown sugar. Stirring to incorporate, let the water come to a boil then add the oatmeal. You get the maple flavor from the extract and all the sweetness you need from the brown sugar. Flavor options: Play with extracts, vanilla, almond, butterscotch, amaretto, marshmallow, strawberry, and more. Not only are pure extracts a great flavor add, using them reduces your sugar intake.
Apples & Cinnamon – This is close to having a slice of apple pie for breakfast but without all the sugar! Slice up an apple, mincing half of those slices to use with prepping the oatmeal. When bringing the water to a boil, add some cinnamon along with that minced apple, and stir to incorporate. Add the salt per the instructions, then add the oatmeal. Serve with the remaining apple slices. Serving option: Mix some monk fruit sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle over the oatmeal and apple slices for a little extra ‘apple pie’ flavor.
Honey, Cinnamon & Vanilla – This is an excellent change of pace flavor profile, taking advantage of honey as a healthier alternative to granulated sugar. Add the trio to the boil before adding the oatmeal. Real vanilla bean is awesome in this, as is a tab of butter melting on top when serving.
Oatmeal Patties – This is a savory preparation, creating oatmeal ‘burger patties’ if you will, which oatmeal once thickened kind of lends itself to. All you have to do is replace half the water with evaporated milk. This helps to bind the oatmeal. Add whatever savory flavors you want to the boil, garlic powder, black pepper, minced onion and/or onion powder, chili powder, Montreal Steak Seasoning, etc., I’ve used chicken stock and beef stock instead of water to boost the savory element for these which came out quite nicely. Once the oatmeal is cooked, allow it to sit and cool, then press the oatmeal into 1/4 pound ‘burger’ patties. Refrigerate for 24 hours. To prepare, heat up some olive oil in medium saute pan over medium heat. Heat the patties until heated through, about 3 minutes per side or until they start to caramelize. Served with a sunny-side-up egg topper, this is a great alternative to a traditional bowl of oatmeal (plain oatmeal is also quite good with an egg topper by the way, with the goodness of that perfectly cooked yolk running everywhere…).
The health benefits of oatmeal are so numerous and it doesn’t have to be loaded up with sugar to taste good. It’s also versatile, besides having a great bowl for breakfast, it’s great in baking, it’s a gluten-free option, you can’t have granola without it and there are non-food uses too! Did you know oatmeal is great for your skin?
Enjoy the Oatmeal ideas and,
$pend Wisely My Friends…
~ Mike
$pend Wisely My Friends…
Enjoy this post?
If you appreciate the article you just read and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or monthly donation. Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike