Let me start off by saying that I’m not a big fan of instant oatmeal.
The made-by-scratch stuff—oat bran, steel-cut oats, rolled oats–are what I love to eat in the morning. The quickie stuff, well…. in the past I’ve found that most instant brands taste like cardboard.
However, a good friend of mine persuaded me to try Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal. It is advertised as gluten-free with quinoa, amaranth, flax seeds, and chia seeds added. The nutrition facts are impressive: 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. (Advisory to low-carb people–it also contains 26 grams of carbohydrate.)
I experimented a little with some additional ingredients, and came up with a pretty tasty dish.
INSTANT OATMEAL PLUS
- One package Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Instant Oatmeal
- One tablespoon raisins
- 1/4 cup Trader Joe’s Crunch Dried Honeycrisp Apples
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- One packet stevia
- Two teaspoons butter or margarine
- One cup milk
- One tablespoon chopped walnuts (optional)
Mix all ingredients, except walnuts, in a loosely covered microwave safe bowl. Cook in microwave on High for 90 seconds. Add the walnuts. Enjoy!
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If you want to make this at work, combine the first six ingredients together the night before work, place in a sealed container, and keep it in the frig. Pack the walnuts and milk separately. By the time you get to that workplace microwave, you’re ready to go.
You can also very easily nuke this dish at home in the morning and put in a Thermos for work. Add a little extra hot water to keep the oatmeal moist.
TheBrownBagBlogger 