What’s Not to Love about Oatmeal?

Oatmeal is the breakfast of Champions, not Wheaties.  When I was a kid my Mother set the table for breakfast and had the cereal boxes out for us with the milk in a pitcher.  God forbid if you ever set the milk container on the table!  The choices were Life or Wheaties.  Once in a while we could splurge on Rice Krispies.  But my favorite mornings were the ones she cooked oatmeal.  Yes, cooked on the stove and stirred with a spoon, oatmeal that came in the round cardboard canister bearing the smiling face of the Quaker himself on the cover.  I am not sure if it was the warmth of the meal that I loved or the warm feeling it gave me to know my Mother spent a few more minutes preparing my breakfast.  If love poured out was warm mush in my bowl, I was down for that! 

I still love oatmeal and it has become a staple breakfast in my life over the years.  Best cooked on the stove top, not in the microwave.  Studies show that microwave oatmeal increases your appetite by 35% over the cooked method.  Here is my quick, easy method to make a delicious bowl of oatmeal: Bring a cup of water to a boil and then add ½ cup dry rolled oats.  Reduce heat to low and set your timer for 8 minutes.  This is plenty of time to pack your lunch, pack your gym bag or feed the dog.  Get your favorite bowl and fill it with the warm cooked oatmeal and top with 2 TBLS of walnuts, 1 TBLS of ground flax seed meal and some of your favorite berries.  I add 1 TBLS of pure Vermont maple syrup and a few TBLS of soy milk.  This breakfast keeps me fortified all morning with 400 calories, 10 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, Oat bran to keep my bad cholesterol low, walnuts and flax to keep my good cholesterol high and berries to help fight cancer. The low glycemic index of oatmeal helps keep my blood sugar stable, too. What's not to love about oatmeal? It is one food that will love you back!   

A few years ago my sister discovered Oatmeal from Snoqualmie Falls near Seattle, WA.  She orders it by the case now and sends our entire family bags, which we gratefully enjoy throughout the year.  This summer on a trip to Seattle I rented a car for a day and drove to see Snoqualmie Falls, and ate at the Lodge perched at the top of the falls.  Since it was lunchtime I did not order oatmeal, although I did think about it!  It was raining so I ordered hot green tea and an arugula salad.  The table was set with these beautiful smooth black stones sitting on top of my napkin.

Snoqualmie Falls - Breathtaking!

When I eat my oatmeal now each morning, I think of the power of that water coming over the falls, hitting the rocks with such force and deafening noise and see the beauty of the water spraying off the rocks, smoothing them over and over with time.  When I see the smooth little black stones (that somehow made it back to my indoor rock garden!) they remind me of where I’ve been and where I’ve come from.  That kitchen in Connecticut, with the strawberries and vines growing on the wallpaper, and the warm oatmeal in my bowl, always reminds me that I am loved.