Fat 2 Fit Radio

How to Cook Oatmeal in Advance

Oatmeal is probably one of the best things that you can eat for breakfast. It is low in calories and full of complex carbohydrates. Those are the types of carbs that keep you fuller longer. If you eat things such as donuts or pastries, those are made up of simple carbohydrates, and you will be hungry very soon.

When you are trying to lose weight, the goal is to eat food that is low in calorie and keeps you full for a long time. Of course you should always have some lean protein with every meal as well.

There are three problems with oatmeal. The first, is that the pure, healthy oats take time to cook. The second, is that if you choose to eat the instant oatmeal, it is generally full of sugar and you lose most of the benefit of eating oatmeal. The third problem, is that when you cook oatmeal in advance, it can be very unappetizing to eat the next day!

On an earlier show of Fat2Fit Radio, Jeff discussed his method of preparing oatmeal ahead of time. He cooks his oatmeal in a large batch and then divides the servings into containers. He then adds in scrambled eggs full of vegetables on top of the oatmeal and then keeps it in the fridge. His breakfasts will last for two weeks without spoiling. In the morning, they are microwaved together and then mixed together. With a little ketchup on top, it is a very filling breakfast. It will not win any awards for presentation, but it actually tastes better than it sounds.

We recently received two other suggestions from listeners to the show:

#1 - Fried Slices of Oatmeal! - from Ellen

“I listened with interest about your experience of cooking oatmeal for later & here’s how I do it. I cook a large batch of steel-cut oatmeal & put the leftovers in a cake pan. Then, I cover & refrigerate it, so it solidifies into a loaf. When I’m ready for breakfast again, I slice off a piece & sauté it in a little bit of butter or olive oil. You can also pour some maple syrup or honey on it. It tastes so much better this way than trying to re-create the porridge texture for the leftovers.“

#2 - Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal! - from Gail

“Here’s a recipe for instant oatmeal packets, so you can control the sugar and salt.
Makes 8 packets
3 cups quick oats, salt, sugar (or sweetener)
8 zip sandwich bags

Process 1 cup of oats in a blender, 1/2 cup at a time, until it is as fine as flour.
In each sandwich bag measure 1/4 cup oats, 2 tablespoons oat flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 T sugar or equivalent sweetener

To prepare:
Mix a packet with 3/4 cup boiling water, stir, and let set 2 minutes.

Variations:
Apple Cinnamon: add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons chopped dried apples to each packet.
Cinnamon Spice: ad 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and a scant 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg to each packet
Raisin Brown Sugar: replace white sugar or sweetener with brown sugar or sweetener and add 1 tablespoon raisins to each packet.
Wheat germ: add 2 tablespoons wheat germ to each packet”

Enjoy Everybody!

Tags: Cooking Oatmeal in advance, instant oatmeal, Oatmeal