Hearty & Healthy Breakfast: Good Old Fashioned Oatmeal

Delicious and nutritious can absolutely go hand in hand.  Whoever said that to have one is to go without the other is out of their mind.  Point in fact:

Serves 1 hungry person

1 cup of Old Fashioned Oats (not the instant stuff)
2.5 cups of water
2 Tablespoons of dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon of butter (optional)
1/4 cup whole walnuts
1/3 cup frozen berries (can use the real stuff if you have it)



In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil on high heat.  Once boiled, add the Old Fashioned Oats and reduce heat to medium, if you continue to boil on high heat it will boil over.  The most important part of this cooking process is that you constantly stir the oats.  

After 10 minutes of constant stirring, add the brown sugar and butter.  The butter adds a creamy texture to the oatmeal but is not necessary especially if you are counting calories.  It will take about 15 minutes of constant stirring until the oats are broken down and they release their starches.  It will look like this when it is ready:

Pour into your serving bowl and let cool while we add the last touches.  

First we will toast the walnuts.  I prefer to toast them on medium heat in a small cast iron skillet but use what you have.  First I break the nuts into bite size pieces then add them straight into the pan without anything else.  The walnuts will begin to release their oils and darken in color as they toast.  Toss occasionally so that any one side does not burn.  It only takes 2-3 minutes for the desired result.

Once the walnuts are done pour on top of the oatmeal, they will be very hot, so let them cool just a bit before eating.  Then, take the frozen berries and microwave in a microwave safe container for 1 minute.  

The end result will be warmed berries in a sauce.  Pour right on top of the oatmeal and toasted walnuts and voila!  By the end of the meal, if you can finish it all, you'll be satisfied and ready to start your day.

The other thing to consider is that you can make multiple batches of this at once and heat it up during the week.  Double or triple the recipe and you can ensure that you will have a heart healthy meal multiple days a week.  If its been awhile since you've given oatmeal a chance, now is the time to try it.  Plus its just so dam pretty, and who doesn't like to eat pretty food?