Refrigerator Oatmeal My Way

I really like oatmeal, but when the temperature is in the 8os, hot cereal just doesn’t quite have any appeal for me. I’m always trying to find a healthy breakfast that will keep me going during the day. After reading several recipes for refrigerator oatmeal, I decided to make my own. This can easily be doubled or tripled and eaten during the week. The longer the oatmeal sits, the thicker it gets, but it is ready within 24 hours, so yes, this is something you need to prepare ahead if you want it. Once you get the hang of making it, you can vary it to suit your tastes. This is my basic recipe and when I actually am ready to eat it, I will often add fresh berries or a diced peach or apricot. It’s quite filling without weighing you down and on days when I eat it, I’m always surprised when it’s one o’clock and I’m just starting to think about lunch – especially since I usually eat breakfast before 7:00 am!

Refrigerator Oatmeal

Yield: One portion

Ingredients

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1.5 teaspoons chia seeds (I get mine from www.nuts.com)

a good pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons dried cranberries, blueberries or raisins or a combination

1 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.5 Tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, flavored with a few drops of rose water OR  sliced almonds

2 Tablespoons plain Greek or Icelandic-style yogurt

3/4 cup skim milk

fresh berries or banana or peaches, optional

Directions

1. In a glass container large enough to hold everything except for the fresh fruit, add all of the ingredients and mix well. (I like to stir it through with a chopstick)
2. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours or up to a week.

It won’t look like much, especially at first, but give it a try and then feel free to play with the seasonings. Sometimes I add nutmeg or cardamom, along with the cinnamon. I find the dried fruit gives me all of the sweetness I require, but if you wish to add a little honey or silan (date syrup) be my guest.