Oatmeal for the Cooler Weather

There are lots of different oats on the market these days, but the only one you should be considering are ones that are 100% whole oats.  Instant oatmeal has take most of the nutritional value out of the oats in order to gain speed in cooking thereby rendering it more of a simple carbohydrate (simple = sugar to your body).  As an example, since I started this diet if I inadvertently order oatmeal in a restaurant and it's not 100% whole, I will have a sugar crash like you can't believe about an hour and a half later.  My body no longer wants to process such assaults of sugar on my system.

The nutritional properties of whole oats along with the slow burning power of complex carbohydrates (complex = slow burning, more energy for a longer period) makes this an excellent way to start your day.

Rolled Oats, banana, honey, almond milk

Now, what's the difference between Steel Cut vs. Rolled Oats.  Steel Cut Oats take the whole oat, and cut it into 2 or 3 pieces and the bran and germ are still with it.  Rolled Oats are processed a little bit more, toasted and rolled flat, but have the same nutritional value, bran and germ as Steel Cut.  The only real difference is how they cook up.  The Rolled will have a softer, creamier quality after cooking and requires less liquid but more oats than the Steel Cut.  The Steel Cut will have a chewier texture and nuttier flavor.

I like to make my oatmeal in my rice cooker.  My cooker has a delay timer on it so I can set it to 7 a.m. and the oatmeal will be ready when I wake up.  This is what works on my rice cooker after lots of experimenting and some disasters (don't make too much or it will overflow through the steam valve).  I have a Costco Aroma brand (the less expensive one at Costco, I think about $29).  It is a 10 cup rice cooker, but I don't recommend making any more oatmeal than 1/2 cup dry.

For the Rolled Oats:

1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cups water (or almond milk, soy milk or other liquid you choose)
Cinnamon (Optional)
Vanilla (Optional)
Throw in some Quinoa and flax seeds for added protein, antioxidants and vitamin, fiber and Omega 3s (adjust liquids accordingly)

Also, try this recipe for Pumpkin Porridge (Oatmeal)

Steel Cut Oats, Banana, Honey

Add all ingredients, stir and set the timer if you're using it.  The rolled oats work on the white rice setting

For the Steel Cut Oats:

1/4 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 Cups water (or almond milk, soy milk or other liquid you choose)
Cinnamon (Optional)
Vanilla (Optional)

Add all ingredients, stir and set the timer if you're using it.  The rolled oats work on the Brown rice setting

You might want to experiment a little with these and your specific model.

Basically I'm using a 1 part Rolled Oats to 3 parts water for the first recipe, and 1 part Steel Cut Oats to 6 parts liquid for the second recipe


If you want to add other things such as dry fruit, fresh fruit, hemp protein, flaxseed meal, experiment first.  Some fruit will absorb more water than others and the dried proteins and meal will need a little more liquid as well.  Make extra and freeze them.

The number of Steel Cut Cups made using 1 cup Oats (plus one I already ate)