Steel cut oats: a FILLING breakfast!

5/22/2012 *Sara-Marie* 1 Comments

If you're looking for a hearty breakfast to keep you full all morning, then you should definitely consider some steel cut oats. They do take a lot longer to cook than those instant packets I'm used to, but I've been trying to eat less processed, less sugar filled foods these days and these definitely do the trick. The brand I purchased (Bob's Red Mill) also had more fiber and protein than even traditional, old fashioned oats. Probably why this kept me full ALL MORNING!

Just like any oatmeal from scratch, its going to taste pretty bland unless you spruce it up. I cooked my oats according to the package, using water and a bit of salt. Once prepared, I added a dash of vanilla extract, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of unsalted sunflower seeds, a banana and a drizzle of honey. YUMMY. All of this for 5 Points. I also had a full glass of skim milk, which added 2 points.

The batch I made yesterday was enough for 4 servings, so I put the rest in a pyrex so that I could enjoy the rest of the week. This morning, I portioned out my 3/4 cup (6oz) serving and added about an ounce of skim milk before reheating in the microwave. It came out creamy, just like yesterday.

So even though it took about 30 minutes of cooking time yesterday, I was able to enjoy this satisfying breakfast again today in less than 3 minutes.  It's worth the effort to help me stay on track the rest of the week.

Give it a try and let me know if you have any other ideas for enjoying steel cut oats!

In other news, the month of April was pretty bad for my weight loss goals. I wasn't really tracking and didn't workout at all. It was gross. The last couple of weeks have been much better and I'm kicking myself back into gear. In the last couple of weeks, I've earned more activity points than I have in A WHILE. We went hiking for a few hours, I've taken BodyPump and Cycling classes, and I've run a few times. Yesterday, was a huge accomplishment for me because I was able to run a complete mile, without stopping to walk!!!! It took me 14:21, but I was so proud of myself. I seriously used to struggle with just running for 30 seconds at a time, and yesterday (in the rain!), I did a full mile! And I know I had more in me -- I was just so excited when I saw that I had completed the mile, that I stopped and then my leg caught a huge cramp haha! Tomorrow, I'm not going to stop and try to do 1.5 miles. I have a 5K in less than a month, and I REALLLY want to run the whole thing.

Okay, time to get back to work!

XOXO,
SMP