HUHDS Remix: Putting the Meal Back in Oatmeal
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and when it comes to breakfast at Harvard, oatmeal is my number one pick; I love the stuff. That said, the brown sugar and craisin combo gets old day after day. If you’ve also found yourself in a “steel cut rut”, try one of these tasty twists!
Oatmeal twist #1: Peanut Butter
I have a hard time saying no to peanut butter. It may not seem like “breakfast food”, but when it’s been added to a nice hot bowl of oatmeal and banana, it’s delicious. My main tip: microwave the oatmeal and peanut butter for about 15 seconds so that the peanut butter thins out enough to mix into the oatmeal, rather than having thick blobs in some bites and none in others.
Oatmeal twist #2: Chocolate
Dessert-style breakfast is never a bad thing, particularly if you have a long day ahead of you. Try mixing some hot cocoa powder into your oatmeal to create a delicious chocolate-y treat. For an added bonus, throw in some marshmallows too. Pop the bowl in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to make the marshmallows nice and gooey and voilà!
Oatmeal twist #3: Apples
Apples and cinnamon are a natural pair when it comes to oatmeal toppings. One problem: warm oatmeal isn’t so great with cold apple chunks. The solution: heat your apple pieces in the microwave to make them warm and tender before adding them to my bowl. Then top it off with some cinnamon and sugar and dig in!
Oatmeal twist #4: Honey
Brown sugar is delicious and a staple when it comes to oatmeal, but changing the sweetener to honey is great, too! For example, I use honey in place of brown sugar when I want to add bananas to my oatmeal. I find the mild flavor of the honey to be a better complement than the intense sweetness of brown sugar.
Of course you can mix and match any of these tips to create your own oatmeal twist! Cinnamon complements any of these ingredients; honey and peanut butter go together fantastically; chocolate and banana are a familiar pair. Really, the possibilities are endless. These are just a few combinations I especially love and I hope you’ll try them! If your stomach still isn’t satisfied, check back soon for another HUHDS Remix.