Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, or so they say. I do try and eat breakfast daily, but sometimes it’s not always possible, so I will grab a protein bar, a quick cup of coffee and I’m out the door. That has been happening since my days of the military and even now that I’m retired, I still do the same thing. However, there are days when I have all the time in the world and I want to eat something substantial, but I also don’t want to spend too much time doing a full on meal but I also want something simple that is still filling. At my recent yearly physical, I also got rather bad news. I may look fit and healthy, but I’m not entirely so. I found out that my bad cholesterol level is very much elevated and I might also be diabetic. What that means now is that I now have to take control of my diet and life and add in exercise. A good way to lower your cholesterol is by eating oats, and my Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats are a great way to do that. Not only does it taste amazing, it also gives me my required fibre. Oats have been dubbed one of the world’s healthiest foods and is one of the best ways to start off your day.
Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
(makes two servings, approx. one cup each)
Ingredients
1/2 cup steel cut oats
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
1 medium apple, chopped (appx. 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
Pinch of salt
Honey (or sweetener of your choice)
Instructions
Add the almond milk, water, oats, chopped apple, cinnamon and coconut oil to a small pan and bring to a simmer.
Turn down to medium-low and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the oats are tender to your liking.
Turn the heat off and add a pinch of salt, the vanilla and sweetener of your choice (we added two tablespoons of honey). Stir to combine, taste and adjust sweetness. If the mixture is too thick, add a splash or two more almond milk or water.
Serve immediately with toasted walnuts on top, if desired.
Notes:
To toast the walnuts, add them to a small pan over medium-high heat and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. As soon as you can smell them, remove them from the pan and let cool. Nuts can burn in a matter of seconds, so you want to be sure to stir them constantly and remove them from the pan to immediately stop the cooking.
