What I Eat: Attack of the Growing Oatmeal

After I wrote about losing weight, I got a few questions about what I eat, so I'll share a few of my favorites from time to time. For the most part, I eat the same things over and over because: (a) I love them, and (b) I feel "safer" eating something familiar within my crazy Weight Watchers/gluten-free/plant-based parameters.

I make this stove-top oatmeal (adapting the Hungry Girl growing oatmeal recipe) a few times a week, especially if I'm STARVING after my morning workout or if I know I'll have several busy hours between the morning and afternoon. I'd even call it a natural "appetite suppressant" because I've timed my hunger after eating it, and generally I don't even start thinking about food again for 3 or 4 hours! Considering how much I like to snack, this is a miracle food. Because the recipe calls for DOUBLE the liquid and DOUBLE the cooking time, the oats "grow" to a humongous size - and even though it's a small portion of oats, you end up with a really big bowl of cereal.

Years ago, when I was seeing a nutritionist, she indicated that oatmeal wasn't the best breakfast choice for me - I can't remember the reasons, but I gave it up immediately, thinking it would make me fat. Of course, there are many ways to sugar up oatmeal and make it more like a dessert - with maple syrup or brown sugar, for example - and I also used to make crazy portions of heavy, sticky oats, so it would sit in my stomach all day like a lump.

But this... this is an oatmeal revolution in a bowl!  It gives me energy all day and has incredible staying power. 

GROWING OATMEAL BOWL 
*adapted from www.hungry-girl.com
(5 points - Weight Watchers PPV)

  1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
  1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  1 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook and stir until thick and creamy, approx. 12 - 15 minutes. 

Because it's a lot of liquid, it takes a long time; just hang in there, check your emails on your phone, repin a few pix on Pinterest, and stir from time to time to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

After it's done cooking, you can add fruit, cinnamon and/or vanilla as desired. I like to put a few frozen berries (or other frozen fruit) at the bottom of the bowl and add a layer of thin-sliced bananas (to make it sweet without sugar), then a layer of oatmeal; then I repeat the layers, like a yummy breakfast cereal and fruit lasagna!

bottom layer of peaches, blueberries & banana 

adding the first "layer" of oatmeal

My "mug" is actually a huge 16-ounce vessel and the oatmeal and fruit fills it right up. Sometimes, I can't finish the whole thing, so I stick it in the fridge for an afternoon snack and it's DELICIOUS. 

Enjoy!