I’ve never been one to eat much cereal for breakfast. And porridge or oatmeal seems more trouble than it’s worth for a non cereal eater like myself. However, I keep encouraging my clients to change things up, to not get stuck in ruts and to be adventurous so I’d better practice what I preach.
Part of my problem is that I tend toward hypoglycemia so I have to balance my macros carefully. Oats satisfy me but only for an hour or so and then I would come crashing down, feeling faint, dizzy, etc. It simply didn’t have enough protein to help stabilize my blood sugar levels nor did it have enough to help me with weight loss. I like to have between 25 – 30grams worth of protein for breakfast. Front loading protein early in the morning helps to stabilise my hunger for the rest of the day – then I don’t go reaching for quick carbohydrates in the afternoon.
I also like my oats to be creamy… it has to feel decadent in my mouth. Another problem I had to solve.
And vegetables – I like to get at least 5 serves of vegetables for the day, usually more. And if I’m only eating three or four times a day yet I don’t have veggies with breakfast then I’ve lost one whole opportunity to have vegetables! Another problem to solve.
It’s much quicker and easier for me to whip up some fried eggs and vegetables in the morning. The frypan doesn’t take as much cleaning as a pot of oatmeal. Another problem.
Problem: I want a quick, easy, very-little-cleanup meal that contains protein and vegetables while feeling decadent in my mouth.
Solution: Nourish Me Proats
By batch cooking up a few days in advance I keep it in the fridge and simply heat the next serve up in the microwave. The addition of whisked egg whites makes it very creamy and decadent plus adds protein! There are some other hidden goodies in here too!
- Golden flax and ground psyllium husk help to keep the colon healthy.
- Cinnamon helps with stabilising blood sugar levels.
- Glucomannan helps by adding some prebiotics and is filling as well as helps with blood sugar levels.
- I get a serving of vegetables in there without even realising it! Feel free to peel the zucchini if you don’t like the green skin in your oats. Or use yellow button squash.
- Two types of oats – I love the texture that combining oats gives.
If you give this recipe a go, start with my basic recipe and tweak it to your likes. Just keep in mind that the egg white and Greek yogurt are what gives this meal a decent protein profile. But as with any of my recipes I want you to take it and make it your own! Then share your thoughts on it on my socials – FB or IG. I’d love to hear what you think of it.
Nourish Me Proats
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup steel cut oats - *
- ¾ cup rolled oats, traditional
- 3/4 cup egg whites, whisked
- 3 tsp psyllium husk powder - *
- 3 tsp golden flax, ground - golden flaxmeal*
- 1 small zucchini, grated - *
- 3 doonks pure stevia extract powder - *
- sweetener, of choice
- 1 generous pinch of salt
- cinnamon - to taste*
- 1/2 tsp glucomannan - *
- 1 fruit, fresh or frozen
- 100 gram Chobani Greek yogurt - or low fat yogurt
- Sugar free maple syrup or additional sweetener - see notes*
Instructions
- Place oats into saucepan. Cover with water. Place lid on top. Leave to soak overnight.
- Whisk egg whites. Put aside. Drain oats through a sieve or colander, if desired. Put back into saucepan and add enough water to cover. Turn on to medium heat.
- Add zucchini, salt, sweeteners, flax, cinnamon and fruit. Cook gently while stirring.
- Add golden flaxmeal and psyllium. Stir. Add sweeteners to desired taste.
- Add glucomannan, if using and stir. Add whisked eggs whites. Keep stirring until oatmeal looks creamy. Turn off heat. Put lid back on. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir and adjust taste to your liking. Pour into bowl, top with fruit of your choice and Greek yogurt and syrup or sweetener.
Notes
- * denotes ingredient is optional or can be substituted. See recipe notes in post.
Notes
Notes:
The nutritional information above includes the Greek yogurt but not the addition of any fruits so please bear the carbohydrate amount in mind.
I have used fresh egg whites, carton egg whites and powdered egg whites. They all taste great! Simply whisk with a hand-held whisk or immersion blender (whatever you have) until they have a nice, creamy look. When you add them to the saucepan, stir stir stir. By stirring well, the egg white cooking thoroughly and goes creamy rather than icky looking bits of stringy egg white. No one wants that in their oats. But by whisking the oats it makes the oats take on a lighter, creamier (without the fat of adding cream or milk) and fluffier texture. The WHISKED egg whites are MAGIC!
And time saving in two ways. By soaking the oats, it reduces the cooking time in the morning. And you have two more serves for other meals! Then there is the health benefits of soaking the oats overnight. Studies seem to indicate that soaking oats outweigh other preparation methods due to the fact that the grain has a chance to ferment, which aids in digestion, increase available nutrition and incorporates beneficial gut bacteria! Win win!
Oats – of course if you only have one type of oats – use that! I’m a great believer in use what you’ve got. I just like the texture of both together.
The psyllium husk powder and golden flax are optional – I like to add them for hormonal and bowel health but you can omit them if you don’t have them. Same with the glucomannan. But you know me, I like to find any way to ‘just add one thing‘ to any meal to try and improve the health benefits.
Zucchini is also optional but do try it. That or little yellow button squash are nice. I have tried cauliflower but I do not like it. I’ll stick to zucchini and squash. Yes, I’ve even added canned pumpkin to this before – delicious!
I like to add fruit. Sometimes I’ll use frozen berries other times I’ll dice or grate an apple or a small banana. I’ve even grated carrot into the pumpkin oatmeal and it is yummy too! The options are endless but the key is the whisked egg white!
I like to eat this with low fat Greek yogurt as I get more protein compared to just having it with nut milk. And I’m partial to the sugar free maple flavoured syrup or Natvia Gold or Lakanto Golden sweetener on top – makes it feel finished.
