10,000 Vinyasas

I have a soft spot in my heart for oatmeal, since it was the beginning of my current odyssey of less processed food, and it is, in fact, not very processed at all, if you buy just the oats.  (Please don’t talk to me about “instant” oatmeal packets, with little bits of dried fruit and ground up nuts, and all the value added stuff the food industry thrives on…)  Oatmeal is very cheap (less than $1.00/pound, if you buy in bulk at places like Costco), and makes a filling hot breakfast.  As an added bonus, it can be bought in large quantities and stored for a long time, if you have any questions about our just in time food system being able to supply your needs in, shall we say, times of economic stress.  Even more beneficial, you can add all kinds of things to oatmeal, and not necessarily in the quantities that the food industry thinks are optimal (optimal for whom? them or you…). Specifically, you can limit your sweeteners if you’re concerned about the glycemic index and its potential for weight control.  Here’s a quick, easy  basic recipe for homemade oatmeal:

1/2 cup oats

1 cup skim milk

pinch of salt

heat milk in small pot on stove, stirring constantly.  Stir in oats gradually and add salt, turning down heat as milk heats up (don’t let the milk scorch). While stirring, add whatever else you want to the bowl you’ll be eating out of (fruit, nuts, sweetener).  When oatmeal reaches desired consistency, turn off heat and add to bowl. Makes one hearty bowl.

Variations:  add cinnamon, wheat berries, flax seeds, wheat germ, pecans, walnuts, dried or frozen berries (frozen berries work well because the oatmeal is hot). The variations are effectively limited only by your imagination.

Sweeteners:  honey, raw sugar, raw agave nectar, maple syrup.