Steel Cut Oats: Breakfast of Champions

I have a confession to make. I haven’t eaten my granola in a few years (gasp!). I stopped eating sugar–including honey and maple syrup–and my granola is full of honey.

This left me with a cereal problem. Even if I eat Grape Nuts, I can eat a few bowls of it  and still won’t feel full. It’s a little like the Chinese food buffet–I can just keep going back for more. But heh, at least I’m no longer eating the Lucky Charms three meals a day like I did in high school, right?

Wrong. One serving of Grape Nuts is 1/2 cup, with 210 calories and 5 grams of sugar. That would be fine if I stopped at one serving. I can fill a bowl with closer to two servings and a banana…and then go back for a little more. And then, a few hours later, I’m hungry again.

My solution? Steel Cut Oats. For months I’ve been eating steel cut oats with a little nut butter, raisins and half a banana, and I’m not hungry again until lunch.* No joke.

If you’re used to sweetener in your oatmeal, this recipe will taste a little bland. It’s like when my son ate a lollipop from Trader Joes and then tried to enjoy his apricot mango yogurt. His tastebuds were so warped by the lolly that he insisted the yogurt was plain. It wasn’t and this oatmeal isn’t plain either. Give your tastebuds a few days to adjust to unsweetened oats, and you’ll be able to enjoy the natural sweetness that comes from fruit.

STEEL CUT OATS BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
1/4 cup dry steel cut oats (Don’t buy the quick oats. They’re mushy. Ew.)
A few raisins
1/2 banana
dash of cinnamon
Tablespoon nut butter (I prefer almond)

Steel cut oats take at least 10-15 minutes to cook, so I shorten the cook time by bringing them to a boil in my pot the night before. This shortens the cook time to about 5 minutes.

Add oats and raisins to a small pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes (5 if you boiled it the night before). Stir in half a banana, a dash of cinnamon and the nut butter of your choice. Enjoy!

*Full disclosure: I drink a coffee with at least 1/2 cup of whole milk in it every morning, so this also is part of what keeps me full until lunch.