Breakfast Ideas - Quick, healthy and tasty Oats - Part 1

Breakfast is easily the biggest meal of the day, and one that could do with a dose of health as much as taste. The tastiest breakfasts, not only need to be healthy, but also easy to make and quick to cook. The first breakfast food that crosses my mind as I write this is oats(Of course, that’s what I was going to write, my post title says so!).

I hope none of you are smirking up as you read this and even if you are, I am sure by the end of the post, you are going to be looking forward to eating oats.

First, a bit of background on oats. Did you know that only 5 % of the otas grown worldwide is used for human consumption? What about the rest - you ask? Its used for feeding horses! Thats right and here I am convincing you to eat more of horse food, hmm…

The health benefits of oats are innumerable and if it helps horses, no reason it shouldn’t help you. After all they say - As healthy as a horse (If you remember this from Ghost rider, you really need to get a life!). Oats are a great source of vitamin B1 and their dietary fibre, being rich in a component called beta-glucan helps reduce cholesterol. The carbohydrates in oats are absorbed slowly by the body, keeping you fuller for long, which makes it the perfect breakfast for people trying to lose weight, and it is established that oats help in long term weight loss.

If you still aren’t nodding your head in approval for oat-filled mornings, maybe the following recipes will help:

1. Oats and Muesli Super Crunch

   Necessity is truly the mother of invention. I came up with this when I was short on milk and muesli for breakfast.

   What you need:

   • Quick cooking oats (I prefer Quaker) - 1/2 cup
   • Muesli - 1/4 cup
   • Milk - 1 1/4 cup
   • Sugar - to taste

   How do you do it:

   • Cook the oats in milk adding as much sugar as you like. This should be of lesser consistency than the usual porridge oats and easy flowing.
   • Now take a serving bowl and 2-3 minutes before you are going to serve it, layer the bottom of the bowl with muesli and pour the oats on top and garnish it with some walnuts, or the healthier flaxseeds.
   • You are ready to go in 2 minutes.

   “As you dig in to the oats, finding the muesli at the bottom is a nice surprise and that makes the breakfast very interesting” said my husband and the effort (not a lot as you can see) is well worth it.

2. Good old oats with apples and cinnamon

   This is the best-ever pick me up on a lazy morning, and double the fun, if its a cold morning. I am a great fan of fragrances, and cinnamon is the right start to a great day.

   What you need:

   • Quick cooking oats (I prefer Quaker) - 1/2 cup
   • Milk - 1 1/4 cup
   • Sugar - to taste
   • 1 medium sized apple cut into fine pieces
   • Cinnamon powder (I like McCormick)

   How do you do it:

   • Cook the oats in milk adding as much sugar as you need. I have maintained the consistency of the earlier recipe as we are going to be adding a lot of apples.
   • After the oats is done, mix the finely cut apples, and some walnuts or flaxseeds if you wish.
   • Just before you dig in, generously sprinkle the cinnamon powder over and you are bang-smack at the start of a great breakfast.

Tangy tomato oatsy-soup with buttered toast and grandma’s oats upma on part 2 of Quick, healthy and tasty Oats!

More oatsy-oats recipes

• Mr. Breakfast’s American oats recipes
• Authentic oats - Hamlyns Of Scotland - Breakfast recipes
• CDKitchen’s breakfast oats recipes

Tags: apple cinnamon, beta-glucan, breakfast, breakfast recipes, dietary fibre, easy, fast, healthy, low cholesterol, Muesli, oats, quick, recipes, tasty, weight loss