Need an Easy, Oatmeal Recipe with Flavor?
Look no further. Who doesn’t love PB & J? I’ve created a healthy, oatmeal recipe that applies the yumminess and healthfulness of pb & j to breakfast. Awesome!
PB & J Oatmeal
Author: Angela Marinelli, M.S., M.Ed. – Nourishment Connection
Serves: 1
Portion for a 2,000 Calorie Diet
Ingredients
- ½ cup rolled oats (steel cut will take longer to cook)
- 1 – 1¼ cups unsweetened non dairy milk, depending how creamy you like it (you can use rice, soy, almond milk, even low fat cow’s milk)
- 2 tsp natural, unsweetened peanut butter
- 1 cup blueberries
- Dash cinnamon
- Slight pinch salt
Optional
- Add 1 TBS Ground Flaxseed or chia seeds
Instructions
Cook
- Put the soymilk in a small saucepan with the oatmeal and turn on medium to medium high heat.
- When the milk starts to a boil add the slight pinch of salt and lower the heat enough to bring the mixture to a simmer (usually medium to medium low).
- Stir the mixture as it simmers and thickens.
- After about 5 minutes on the heat, add the peanut butter, blueberries, and cinnamon.
- Stir and cook for another 1-3 minutes depending how thick you like your oatmeal and how cooked you want your fruit.
- You will need to adjust your heat to maintain a simmer. I cook mine about 8 minutes total, leaving a little liquid because the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools. The longer you cook the berries, the more of their sugar you will release, and the more of a “jam” they will be like as their pectin breaks down.
Notes
Other Sweetening Options: 2nd Best Option Add 2 tsp or less of: Unsweetened, all natural fruit preserves – Trader Joe’s sells a great one with NO ADDED SUGAR!! All fruit sweetened pear or apple butter Unsweetened applesauce 3rd Best Option As a last resort, add 1½ – 2 tsp or less of a low glycemic index sugar (quality, minimally processed agave nectar, maple syrup). Sweeter? If you are looking for more sweetness, add half of the berries closer to 3 minutes into the cooking time so that they have longer to cook, breaking down more of the sugars. Add the second half at 5 minutes. This will give you more of the sweet “jelly” component to your breakfast without having to add any sugar. You could even add them all at the 3 minute mark if you like. And if you still want it a little sweeter, adding a little unsweetened, all natural preserves or applesauce, or even a lower glycemic index sugar to your oatmeal is a much better breakfast option than a donut! Creamier? Cook with more milk for longer, increasing to a 2.5:1 milk to grain ratio. If you over-thicken it – all is not lost – you can simply add milk during the cooking process or even at the end and your oatmeal will loosen right up. Less Creamy, More Texture? Bring your milk to a boil first, add your pinch of salt, then add your oatmeal to the boiling liquid, then reduce to a simmer. Adding whole grains to the boiling liquid and then reducing to a simmer (including rice, quinoa, barley, etc.) always produces a drier, fluffier grain in the end. Bringing the grain to a boil with your liquid produces a creamier, starchier grain. I like my oatmeal creamy – you should eat it how you like it. There’s No Time!! Morning just too hectic? You can cook your oatmeal the night before, put it in the fridge, add 2-4 TBS of milk to it and reheat in the morning – or even at work – and you will be good to go. Copyright Nourishment Connection 2011
I love this oatmeal – so does my 5 year old daughter. I hope to start making it for her regularly in the morning before school! I must admit it took me a few tries to get it how I like it. I started with organic Irish Oats and they just took sooooo long to cook – like 30 minutes. Then I just bought Quaker rolled oats – now about 7 minutes. I’m sure there is a better organic brand, but at least there is nothing instant or processes about this. Have any other brand suggestions? I’ve also switched to Natural PB and my kids didn’t even notice! And Traders Joe’s frozen organic blueberries are so convenient!
I can’t wait to try the next recipe…. Mediterranean Quinoa is next on my list…
Lisa,
Thanks for the feedback!
Brands – I like Bob’s rolled Oats. Their grains are high quality, they have a gluten-free line (for those who are sensitive to gluten), and they cook quickly. I also like Shiloh Farms for grains or Whole Foods 365 brand. Seeds of Change, Back to Nature, and brands carried by Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and local natural markets are usually safe bets.
Cooking time – You are right, the Irish or steel cut oats, while healthy, take longer to cook. Many people use them to make a healthier risotto!
And yes, all natural peanut butter with no sugar added is the best! I keep TJ’s frozen organic blueberries in my freezer at all times – for this, for smoothies, for my quick high protein yogurt recipe, and so much more!
Thanks for giving this a try!
Angela