Expanded Oatmeal

I learned a few tricks from Chocolate Covered Katie:

• Expanded oatmeal - for a new consistency & taste to oatmeal
• Caramelized banana -for a healthy sweetener

Pretty simple tricks, but useful & nice to change things up a bit! You simply add more water  (~1.5 cups) to the oats prior to cooking, leave in the microwave for some extra time, and then store uncovered overnight to allow the oats to soak up all the liquid. For extra taste, I used 1/4 cup of vanilla almond milk, rather than all water.  I also added some raisins, nuts, and a little sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

I was a little skeptical that this was going to be some bland weight-loss trick. I'm not into that. While it was a little bit more like porridge mush than full-on oatmeal, I did actually like it- the consistency was new and different. Usually I've found plain oats to taste really boring, but something about adding the extra liquid brings on a new texture that tastes better. Microwaving the banana and using it as a sweetener, too, IS a good trick! Very flavorful & caramel-y.

My tips: I'm going to omit the salt or use only a pinch next time- it tasted too salty for me. While I didn't mind eating the oatmeal cold, next time I think I'll warm it up after adding the banana, since I think it will taste better that way.

A nice change from the usual instant oatmeal! Katie also has some other great oatmeal ideas I'm looking forward to trying.