Fun with men and food:
Whilst flirting online, I received a blow-by-blow of how one fellow prepared his oatmeal. Not to be outdone, I replied, "I prefer my oatmeal with dates and milk"
You could hear the silence as the man tried to resist such a delectable straight line.
He had to resist but you don't:my recipe for oatmeal with dates - which would be lovely shared - follows...
Jewel philosophy of food choice:
pretty much everything is OK to eat so long as
- the ingredients are whole foods
- the portion is the correct size
I love oatmeal. It is a power food and a great breakfast or snack. It is also cheap, and actually cleans out your arteries. It even comes in smart packaging - the cool cardboard tube that is reusable (ask any Kindergarten teacher) and biodegradable.
Yet, oatmeal has a bad rap. It is something you 'make' which translates to "I don't have time to cook!" Or most folk take a package to work and nuke it.. yes - this is a better alternative to many 'to go' breakfasts or snacks but those packages have a lot of stuff you probably don't want to be eating.
I don't eat packaged oatmeal! I do eat oats, fruit, nuts, milk, sugar and spices and I manage to do so without a microwave in about the same amount of time it takes to make and eat the packaged versions.
Grocery List
- steel cut rolled oats (not quick cook)
- whole dates
- organic milk (I usually use 2% because I want some fat for my skin, and for the richer taste)
boil about a cup of h2o (which takes seconds)
throw in a handful of the oats
chop 4 or 5 dates and toss them in the pot as you go (I cut each date into about 3 pieces)
crush a few pecans (4 or 5) into the pot (
let the dates and nuts soften as the water boils off
put into small bowl, cover with cold milk
eat (slowly)
When cooking, consider the following:
You can stop cooking the oats at any time... I prefer to have them moist but not runny but that is me. The longer the dates are in hot water, the sweeter the oatmeal will be. Longer cooking time makes the food easier to eat, especially if you have to concentrate on completely chewing all the food. I cook the oats, fruit and nuts a little shorter time because I feel like my colon is a little more cleansed with the au dente texture but I chew like crazy.
You can cook oats in milk instead of water. I don't want to add the calories so I use water. Your call though. Eating small portions is so different. Often you can get away with, or even need the protein and calories of double milk, and if you are exercising, you probably will need the milk. The great thing is because this meal is so healthy, you do feel satisfied!)
If you want, you can stir in sugar (brown, honey, whatever) or spices (cinnamon, nutmeg). I seldom do, but I have been eating this way for about 3 years now. The dates sweeten the water and the pecans add a richness and depth that will probably surprise you. If you want to sharpen the flavors, add a pinch of sea salt. However, if you are transitioning to smaller portions and more whole flavors, feel happy to experiment and add flavors.
I eat the oats with milk like any cereal. It isn't as sweet as most Americans are used to but the proportions are easy and fast to cook, all of it is super healthy and it sticks to your ribs. You will not likely overeat at lunch because you really won't be very hungry, which makes portion control for the rest of the day a snap.
