Oats, berries, breakfast............

Do you or don't you?  Eat breakfast that is.  

Recently I scared myself. I suddenly thought I was becoming one of those old people - you know the ones who meander through each day doing the exact same thing at the exact same time......they follow a regimen of reading the obituaries, attending doctor appointments, taking their pills, stopping at Aldi's to pick up a bunch of broccoli or a tin of soup.

All this is of course somewhat tongue in cheek.........and I'm definitely not putting down the older generation - hey I'm part of it! However, I seem to have started a breakfast regimen, and yes, always around 9 AM even though I'm up much earlier. I never used to eat much breakfast when I worked. I dashed into the city, sometimes with a banana or a granola bar in hand, or made a quick stop for a little Styrofoam takeout bowl of really good southern grits, otherwise I'd wait until lunch and, if time allowed, sit down to eat something healthy such as soup or salad, or if no time, a giant freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookie from the bakery - yes very naughty I know, but oatmeal was the main ingredient!

Ahhhhh, oatmeal, I do love it. It was porridge when I was growing up in England, and I loved it even then. It is healthy, isn't it? I now always eat breakfast because sadly I have to swallow pills. My daily wake up meal is always the same when I'm home.......a bowl of instant oatmeal to which I add fresh berries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. I microwave the oatmeal for 45 seconds then add my washed berries. Another 40-50 seconds and they are heated through and softened perfectly. (In these pics I threw on a few unzapped berries to look pretty!). I then top with a dash of cream or a tablespoon of yogurt - favorite is Trader Joe's Greek Honey or Greek Strawberry Vanilla, the real stuff not that watered down fat free kind - and some mornings a scattering of unsalted sunflower seeds for crunch. Other mornings Bob shares his banana with me and I toss that into the blend - his preference is a bowl of cold cereal which doesn't do it for me.

I did say that oatmeal is healthy, didn't I?  That is what the medical profession has always told us. It's a terrific source of heart-healthy whole grains, it lowers cholesterol, helps with blood sugar levels, warms you, fills you up and satiates you until lunch time rolls around. Although whole steel-cut oats cooked from scratch are probably the best, apparently instant oatmeal contains the exact same nutritional profile. The glycemic index is higher because the oatmeal has been processed to cook quickly, however with the addition of a little yogurt, milk or protein powder you can easily lower that index which will improve your cholesterol numbers even more. Always check the sugar and sodium numbers too - you don't want them too high.

Here's something new I tried this morning..........it was a nice change, it was good.

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Quick Breakfast Apple Crisp

1 apple, washed, peeled if you prefer, and chopped (I used Gala)
1 package instant oatmeal, brown sugar flavor, or whatever you have on hand
1 teaspoon of butter (or your choice of a substitute if really watching your cholesterol!)
1 tablespoon of water

Put apple pieces in a microwave-safe bowl
Sprinkle oatmeal over apples, dot with butter, add water

Micro on high for 1 minute - stir and cook another minute or so depending on how soft you like your apples

Add tablespoon of yogurt or heavy cream - enjoy!

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So, do you eat breakfast?

Any good breakfast oatmeal recipes to share
would be much appreciated?