As we are getting back to the office some of our old routines are coming back easy while others seem to be completely lost. The mornings seem so cramped now! But don't let the new good habits you may have formed in quarantine slide; you still can have a healthy and nutritious breakfast each morning with a little bit of foresight. Earlier this week we gave you two great freezable breakfast preps here and now we are offering several varieties of to-go oatmeals. Personally I love oatmeal. There is something so homey and comforting about it, not to mention it is incredibly good for you. It is a good source of fiber and protein and is great at filling you up until lunch time. Soluble fiber, which oatmeal is a great provider of, is also linked to heart health and reducing cholesterol. Oatmeal also travels well making it an awesome weekly meal prep, each oatmeal can last for a month in the pantry. Yes, pantry. I am sure you have tried the overnight oats that you keep in the fridge pre mixed with yogurt and milk but if you are like me, cold oatmeal just doesn't seem to have the same ring to it and heating it up can sometimes be messy. Exploding oatmeal in the microwave is not a great way to start your day. So these recipes are actually quite similar to instant oatmeals that you buy at the store only with higher quality ingredients and more personalization.
In order to get started with these oatmeal recipes you will need some sort of to-go containers. I personally love using small mason jars with screw tops, but whatever your favorite to go container you have will also work great! Keep in mind you will want the container to also be what you eat it out of, so be sure there is enough room for ingredients and ½ a cup of liquid. Once you have your containers you are ready to start meal prepping. Below are 7 different oatmeal flavor combinations you can try to make sure your oatmeal is never boring.
How to make the Base
First you need the oatmeal base. Where in overnight oats we use steel cut oats, here we use rolled oats, or instant if you prefer. You will then have to decide how large of a serving you would like. I usually opt for ¾ of a cup or even a whole cup of oatmeal because I tend to be pretty hungry in the morning and I never know the next time I will be able to eat will be, but portion size is totally up to you. Measure out your oatmeal and place it in the cup. If you like adding protein to your oatmeal, you can also add your protein powder here and shake up with the oats to help avoid protein clumps later.
Flavors
Now comes the fun part, making the flavors. While I am going to give you a lot of ideas, the sky's the limit! You do want to try to use things that also are shelf stable. That means avoid liquid sweeteners or fresh fruits. Opt for dried fruits, nuts, powdered sweeteners and the like. Of course you can always add moist ingredients the day of, but do not add them to your shelf stable oatmeal prep.
Cranberry Orange
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
Grated rind of fresh orange
Sweetener to taste
Chocolate Strawberry
1/3 cup of chocolate chips (milk, dark, white you pick)
1/3 of a cup of dried strawberries, chopped
Sweetener to taste
Orange Ginger
1/3 of candied ginger, chopped
1 Orange peel grated
Sweetener to taste
Almond Cranberry
1/3 cup of slivered almonds
1/3 cup of dried cranberries
Sweetener to taste
Apple Walnut
1/3 cup of soft dried apples, chopped
Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and brown sugar to taste
1/3 cup of walnuts
Pineapple Coconut
1/3 cup of chopped dried pineapples
1/3 cup of shredded coconut
Sweetener to taste
PB&J
2 tb of dried peanut butter
1/3 cup of dried strawberries chopped
Sweetened to taste
Assembly
Place your oatmeal and optional protein base in the jar, add flavors and seal. When you are ready to eat simply add ½ a cup of boiling water, let sit for a few minutes and then enjoy.
I love these because they can even be kept at your office desk, to allow for a quick breakfast or even afternoon pick me up whenever you need it! They are also quick, easy and fun to assemble and hopefully make the transition back to the office a little more enjoyable. Reach out to us at info@bullionite.com with any comments or questions!