From Blah to Bam!

Food tips

I’m a huge fan of oatmeal, which is no surprise considering how excited it makes me to have a week’s worth of oatmeal for breakfast in my fridge right now.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t get sick of eating the same thing over and over. While I certainly mix up my breakfasts and stray from oatmeal fairly frequently, I also make sure to make my bowl of oats different every morning. Just a little extra insurance that I won’t get sick of it.

As you can see from yesterday, there are a lot of things you can mix in to your oatmeal to make them a little different, my favorites being banana and pumpkin, and occasionally protein powder. But it’s the toppings that really make the bowl stand out, and it’s an easy way to change up the bowl in the morning based on what you feel like. Here are my favorite toppings:

The Best Oatmeal Toppings

Nut Butters

Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter- it doesn’t matter, I like them all. Not only does this make the oatmeal taste good, it provides a super important function: adding protein to keep me full longer.

We always, always have peanut butter on hand, but my favorites for special treats are almond and cashew butter from Artisana.

Granola

There’s nothing like the added crunch of granola to make a bowl of chewy oats extra satisfying. I try to keep homemade granola on hand, but to be honest, that doesn’t happen much. Instead I turn to premade granola; usually from Love Grown Foods.

When they sent me a variety box to try out I was absolutely thrilled- they’re a company that cares where their food comes from and how their customers like it, plus it tastes great! I was initially surprised that it’s not as crunchy as I was expecting, but the way the granola takes on the liquid of the oatmeal and brings the fruit and flavors to life makes up for it. The Apple Walnut Delight and Sweet Cranberry Pecan are my favorite. The chocolate one’s pretty darn good on vanilla ice cream too. But I’m getting sidetracked…

Chia Seeds

Ch-ch-ch-chia! Chia seeds aren’t just for growing funky green hair anymore. Not only do chia seeds provide a nice little crunch, they’re packed full of omega-3s- definitely a nutritional booster. If you stir them in a wait awhile, or stir them in the night before, they make the oatmeal even thicker.

Nuts

Any kind of nuts- pecans, almonds, walnuts, even sunflower seeds {I know, not nuts}- also add a boost of nutrients, crunch, and substance to a bowl of oatmeal.

Nutritional Boosters

I love to stir in flax seed, wheat germ, or barley grass powder to up the nutritional stats of my innocent bowl of oatmeal. It doesn’t change the taste, but it makes it even that much better for you. I even tend to premix my oats with flax, wheat germ, barley grass, protein powder, unsweetened coconut flakes and cinnamon to make things extra easy in the morning.

Dried Fruit

Fresh fruit works too, but I’m a texture person- I don’t particularly like mixing fresh fruit with oatmeal, unless it’s a realllllly well mashed banana. Dried fruit is a different story, and I love mixing it up with different berries and fruits. Stirring in the dried fruit before cooking makes it plumper; stirring it in at the end keeps it chewy.

Don’t like oatmeal in a bowl? Try these alternatives:

Fried Oatmeal

Oats to Go

Oatmeal Pancakes

What’s your favorite oatmeal or cereal topping? If you’re not an oatmeal fan, what’s your favorite breakfast?