If I was forced to stop at McDonalds for breakfast, had a gun to my head and had to choose something real quick without thinking, I’d probably choose oatmeal. But let’s be real here, I’ve never HAD to go to McDonalds.
Oatmeal is one of the most benign health foods in the world. It’s pretty hard to screw it up but that’s exactly what fast food has done. If you make oatmeal at home, it’s easiest thing to make ever – hot water/milk and some oats straight out of your pantry and voila – you’ve got breakfast with soluble fiber, protein, and real whole grains that will keep you full for hours.
But when you buy it on the run and or get it “to go” because pouring hot or even cold liquid over something straight out of your pantry is just too much for your busy life – you get cheap GMO oils that promote prostate and bone cancer, coloring that could be cancerous, nasty preservatives, heart disease promoting transfat, stabilizer causing intestinal distress, and oh boy – natural flavor that comes from who knows what.
The ingredients that are added to oatmeal by places like McDonalds, Panera Bread, Jamba Juice, and Quaker (which Burger King, Dunkin Donuts and other fast food places use) are dreadful. This why you must it a priority to make your own oatmeal, even when you don’t think you have time to make it.
I used to travel for work every single week for a few years and I was never forced to buy oatmeal because I had my recipe for oatmeal “on the go” down pat.
Here’s what I did and still do when time is short or when I’m on the run:
- I carry a mixture of 1/4 cup instant plain organic oatmeal, 1/4 cup rolled organic oatmeal, and a few sprinkles of organic cinnamon in a ziplock bag.
- In another ziplock bag, I have one whole date and a few walnuts.
- When I am ready to make oatmeal – I get a cup of hot water from a place like a hotel, gas station or even Starbucks. (No, this is not stealing because they will gladly give this to you for free and I’ll tip the barista for the free water)
- I break or cut up the date into pieces and add the oatmeal into the cup of hot water, do a quick stir and let it sit until it’s warmed through and the oats have soaked up all the water and the date dissolves.
- Before eating, I add the walnuts for a crunchy topping, sometimes I’ll add a packet of almond butter too for a long lasting meal.
- The cinnamon and date act as amazing (real!) natural flavor and sweetness. The date actually dissolves quite a bit in the oatmeal which leaves a great delicious consistency.
- Sometimes this recipe varies, depending what I have access to. I like to add banana, raisins, goji berries and/or other nuts. The toppings you can carry in your bag that travel well are really endless.
Thank you for reading – love you guys.
If you know someone who is still buying fast food oatmeal, please share this post with them. You’ll save their health and help them save lots of cash too.
Xo,
Food Babe
Contest is now closed. Congratulations to Doug J., Nichole , Jackie D. for winning the Country Choice Organic giveaway! Please check your email for details. If you didn’t win – Country Choice Organic is available on Amazon and most natural food stores.
Oatmeal is loved by everyone in our house. It is a great breakfast for the kids and both my husband and I love it. It would be great to win a case of quality oatmeal.
My whole family loves oatmeal (even my super picky 8-year-old). I would love to Country Choice a try!
I make oatmeal every morning in my vitamix:
Steel cut oatmeal
Dates
Organic Chia seed
Ground Golden Flax Seed Organic Milled
Honey
I subscribe to Food Babe. I love you website, thanks for all the great information.
Id love to hook my mom up with some oatmeal.She is always busy & on the go!
would love to have some organic oatmeal!!!
Thanks! Keep up the great work…. You make a difference 🙂
I would love to win a case of oatmeal! Thanks Food Babe for the great alternatives to the junk that’s offered out there! Your recipes are so yummy!
I eat it for breakfast every morning! Unless I’m craving something savory, then you can try organic cornmeal with hot sauce. If I’m craving eggs, this takes the edge off. 🙂
Ahh the am rush with school obsession! We love oatmeal!! Anyone have a good oatmeal recipe? For those ‘I’m really late & need to send kids on bus w/breakfast?’ late mornings? Thanks!
I would love to win this!
I LOVE Steel Cut Irish Style oats in the morning! I mix with cinnamon, dried fruit and sometimes when I feel naughty dark chocolate chunks 😉
Oatmeal dosas – a favorite at home….
LOVE Country Choice, that’s what I have in my house. Oatmeal is my perfect after-workout breakfast.
I would love to win this! I make oatmeal almost everyday with cinnamon, nutmeg, dried cranberries and raisins.
Yay! Love this brand would love to win:)
Thank you for all you do! I get more and more sickened everyday for my child’s future when it comes to food. I hope we can overcome the evil in this world.
I subscribe to Food Babe. I would love to win this to be able to make little individualized servings to give my nephews a healthy breakfast before school, so they don’t have an excuse to eat convenient junk!
I would love to try this oatmeal! Thanks for the giveaway Food Babe!
I read this and was glad I was already making the right choice with Country Choice Multigrain oats!I love my overnight Oats every morning:
1/4 cup Country Choice Multigrain Oats
1/4 cup Plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
Agave Syrup
Cinnamon
Blueberries
Shake it all up and leave it overnight to soften. Awesome breakfast!
I would love to try this oatmeal!! Sounds delicious!
“Oaty-oats” are my 2 year old’s favorite breakfast! I sometimes add cooked quinoa for more protien. Would love to try this brand!
Make oatmeal ahead of time! For work week mornings, even the seemingly measley 20 minutes that it takes to cook steel cut oats can seem like an eternity (and make you miss your 8:30 meeting). So throw some in a slow cooker the night before; I even add dehydrated fruit and orange zest to mine! It’s ready when you wake up, easy peasy. I love this blog by the way! Just found it and am completely hooked!
We love oatmeal and would love to try this brand. I subscribed. Thanks for everything you do!
Great post… knowledge is key! Thanks for all the information on how we can individually support those who are helping in the fight for Prop 37. We have added a 1/2 cup of oatmeal into our daily diet… works wonders! Excited to try Country Choice!
Oooh, I hope I win.
My favorite take on oatmeal: In a mason jar, I add oatmeal, a spoonful of plain greek yogurt, about a tablespoon of Chia seeds, pure maple syrup and some frozen blueberries, then I pour almond milk on top and shake it up. By morning its ready to eat. I’m loving the cold version, I make 4 at a time so I alwasy have one to grab.
oatmeal is a must have!
I also love their oatmeal mix with rye and barley flakes! My son eats this for breakfast almost every morning!
I have enjoyed reading all of your post the past 3 or so months. I have tried several of the products that you suggest and can not wait to try this one!
Love oatmeal and said that we can’t get good healthy foods without all these aweful ingredients.
Here’s my entry for the oatmeal. I buy it by the 5 lb box right now. I should switch to organic though. I would love to give this a try!
I love oatmeal and I’ll admit I’ve had McDonald’s on the run. Thank you for your quick & easy recipe; I’ll definitely do this! I would love to win this oatmeal & I already subscribe to your blog! Thank you!
Your website is awesome and I would love to win this great oatmeal for our family of 5!! 🙂 Thanks so much for all your tips/recipes/investigations. It’s so nice to see so many people are living the whole foods/organic life and your help in this!!!!
Great giveaway!!! We eat oatmeal cold in the summer, warm in the winter, and add it to our homemade snackbars and other treats!!
I love oatmeal! I’d love to win a case of a great brand of oatmeal, too!
I love oats. They are the perfect food.
Oatmeal is such a great source of goodness! Thank you for calling out the posers. Brings a smile to my face every time you do =)
We love oatmeal around our house. What a great giveaway. I am subscribed to your website & love it!
what to do, I am the only one in our household of 6 that likes oatmeal. And I have tried to make it million different ways… no such luck. for some it is the texture issue, for others it is the taste, and so on. If I serve it for breakfast, I am in for a horrible day (I homeschool our four kids) because nobody will eat and they are cranky and tired afterwards… Any ideas? other than not serving anything but oatmeal for the next week until they are so hungry that they will eat it and like it! 🙂
My entire family loves oatmeal. My favorite way to fix it is to use steel cut oats, and put them on medium/medium low before I go out for my run in the morning. My hubbie’s job is to check the progress on his way to the shower a little later, then when I get home, the slow cooked oats get some raisins and maybe a bit of honey and milk to cool them down, and my children, hubbie and I are all fed before school and work. Simple! Hot! Yummy!
We love oatmeal on a cold Minnesota morning !
I subscribe to Food Babe, Oatmeal is the go to breakfast in our house. I can’t thank you enough for the great food ideas!!!
We go through so much oatmeal every week. I love it!
Sounds great! I subscribe already, thank you.
We eat oatmeal at least 5 times a week! LOOOOOVE my oatmeal with blueberries and almond milk!
I eat my overnight oats almost daily! The morning just doesn’t start off right if I don’t have them.
I went from buying Quaker Oats to Bob’s Red Mill Oatmeal. Then I went from usuing 2% milk, to now using Almond Milk. I generally slice a banana in my oatmeal, but will use any fruit in the house. I am trying to eat healthier and Food Babe is helping me change for the better. Thank you! I too, would love to try Country Choice Organic Oatmeal.
Great giveaway! I have the old fashioned. Love to try the others.
Would LOVE to win!!
It seems like Jamba Juice’s oatmeal wouldn’t be so bad if they wouldn’t make it with soy milk. I would love to try Country Choice Organic though!