I can understand why some people think breakfast as boring. 1) It’s the first meal of the day and some are just too lazy to whip up something especially when their body clock isn’t working as well at that time of the day. 2) Work commitments tie you up and prevent you from enjoying your bowl of cereal, toast or “local breakfast”.
For me I love breakfast. It’s the only time I get to enjoy what I really love. Toast, peanut butter, cereal, fruits, pancakes, yogurt and recently the oats craze towards eating healthy. I got to admit…my first encounter with oatmeal was an unpleasant one. It was one of those prepacked oats satchel where you add boiling water and enjoy it as a “porridge”. The texture was horrid and it was overly sweet, I had to discard the entire thing after one mouthful. And they claim to be healthy but as you get more well versed with the nutritional labels, you realize all these marketing gimmicks are bullshit.
Non fat sure… But they substitute these with a whole lot more sugar. Whole Grains sure.. How much wholegrains are there exactly? And yup they do substitute other “stuff” into it. Sugarfree sure.. and what do they replace these with? Haha Go read up and you will be amazed. Basically if you’re trying to avoid sugar and that’s the first thing that is listed under Labels. it means a majority of the content is sugar. Do you know that the order the ingredients are listed are in terms of how much of each is added. Listed first (Most).
So enough of the nasty prepacked oats. I decided to move on to making my own oats breakfast so at least I get a sense of what I’m putting into my body. For a period of time, I was so into overnight oats in a jar. The night before, I will leave a portion of rolled oats mixed with my favorite greek yogurt, milk and fresh fruits, and of course a mandatory spoonful of Peanuttbutter in the refrigerator. The next day, I was greeted with a delicious breakfast!
Later I found out that steel cut oats (SCO) are a better alternative to rolled oats because they are relatively low on the GI (Glycemic) scale which means sugar tends to get released to the body at a slower pace, thus helping to regulate sugar levels. That is why SCO are recommended for diabetics. There are also other benefits which explains the increasing trend of people moving towards incorporating them into their daily diet:
1) Rich in dietary fiber
2) Blood pressure control
3) Lower Cholesterol
4) Makes you full for a longer periods of time
5) Excellent source of protein, vitamins, iron and minerals
The difference between SCOs and Rolled oats is that SCO are not cooked. Starting from the wholegrain, they are cut to yield almost grain like texture ( Imagine rice that is cut into thirds) while rolled oats like the name suggests are steamed and, rolled flat. In terms of cooking time, SCO take longer to cook but they are better in retaining certain nutritious value that are sometimes loss due to the steaming/ rolling process for rolled oats.
I have tried both SCO and rolled oats and I personally prefer SCO because of their chewier texture. It has more bite to eat. Almost like eating quinoa haha.. Due to the longer cooking time, I have found ways to cheat this by cooking my oats for 15-20 mins and then soaking them in milk overnight to let the oats soften. My favourite brand – Bob’s steel cut oats!
Ingredients:
– ½ cup steel cup oats
– 1.5 cups water
– Pinch of salt
Steps
1) Boil 1.5 cups of water and salt in a large saucepan
2) Add oats and reduce heat to a simmer
3) Stir oats every few mins to prevent them from sticking to the pan
4) Cook for 15-20 mins depending on how you like your oats ( 15mins for chewier texture and 20mins for creamier)
5) Cool oats down
6) Distribute them into mason jars and add your favourite yogurt/ milk and fruits and leave overnight in refrigerator
7) SIMPLE AND YUMMY.
Here are some of my past SCO creations. Feel free to mix and add fruits, nuts , pb, superfoods to it. Just remember don’t go overboard with the sugar or fat if not you’re actually doing yourself more harm than good. Feel free to share your favorite recipe in the comments below. Would love to see what everyone’s eating nowadays!
Valrhona Cocoa Steel Cut oats– Almonds, Crushed linseeds, Choco flakes, blueberries, mandarin orange and Valrhona noir Abinao square 85%:
Matcha Vanilla Bean Steel Cut Oats– Blueberries, Bananas, Crushed Linseeds
Valrhona Cocoa Steel Cut oats– Crushed linseeds, Blueberries, Valrhona noir Abinao square 85%, Peanut Butter, Bananas
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