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Tag Archives: weekend musings
Weekend Musings: My Hot Chocolate Recipe! + My Other Favorite Snacks
You all bombarded me with requests for my secret hot chocolate recipe. I stressed over it for days, wondering if it were good enough to share. It felt like this weird thing that I came up with, and I wasn’t sure if it were fit for public consumption (literally and figuratively).
However, I then remembered that I had made it for friends before, and they enjoyed it, so what the heck, right?
And that felt like a great opportunity to discuss my favorite snacks in general. After all, it’s not like I eat oatmeal for every meal. (But sometimes, I come pretty close haha.) (more…)
5 Ways to Meal Prep Oatmeal for Easy Breakfast Every Morning
Weekend meal prep has solidified itself as an important ritual in many people’s tight schedules in the past year. It boasts many perks: prevents you from needlessly eating out or ordering delivery, saves money by avoiding “convenience” items (e.g. precooked rice or prediced onions), saves you time during busy weekdays, and encourages you to stick with healthy choices—even after an exhausting day at work or school.
Meal prep is often discussed in regards to lunch and dinner, but preparing breakfast ahead of time is just as useful, if not more. I’m willing to bet most of us are sleepy and desperate for every minute in the mornings. Even if you insist on cooking your oats on the stove every morning, there are some tricks to save yourself a few minutes or allow you to experiment with recipes you otherwise wouldn’t have time for. (more…)
Weekend Musings: 20 Instagrammers Who Will Satisfy Your Inner Foodie
I often tell people, “My Instagram feed is entirely food and cats.” While my blog focuses on oatmeal, I think it’s inspiring to follow what other people are doing in the kitchen. Not only do I need ideas for what to make for the remaining meals of the day, but I often find inspiration for my oatmeal recipes from what flavors and ingredients other bloggers are working with. Because I am so fond of my food porn, I’m going to share with you my twenty favorite Instagram foodies this weekend.
Everything You Need to Know to Make Homemade Granola Like a Pro
On this oat-centric blog, you may have noticed a massive absence: WHERE’S THE GRANOLA?!
Yes, in a blog of all things oats, the granola recipes are conspicuously absent. The thing is, I don’t like granola that much. Well, no, that’s not entirely true, either. It’s not that simple.
I never cared much for commercial (store-bought) granola. I never enjoyed granola and yogurt parfaits in restaurants or coffee shops. I found the granola flavorless, stale, and sad. (more…)
10 Tips to Come Up with Your Own Oatmeal Recipes
Many people comment, “I cannot believe all the things you can do with oatmeal!” or “And I thought I was being inventive by putting peanut butter on my oatmeal!”
The thing is, we can all be oatmeal artists (as cliché as it sounds). I became more innovative the more I played around with oatmeal. I may have an absurd amount of recipes here, but we all have our own personal tastes, so it’s worth taking the risk and trying your own artistry, even if that means just tweaking my recipes (or another blogger’s).
So if you need help developing your inner artist, here are some tips for getting started: (more…)
Why I Gave Up Artificial Sweeteners (and What I Use Instead)
What’s my deal with artificial sweeteners???
[Brief trigger warning for the following paragraph.]
I gained weight in college. Like, more than the Freshman 15. Having been naturally thin my whole life, I was shocked by the rapid weight gain and felt like I was trapped in someone else’s body. It gave me a sort of identity crisis. I found the motivation to return to my normal weight immediately so I could feel like “myself” again. Being clueless about nutrition, my initial response was to turn to commercial “diet food.”
[Trigger warning over.]
First, let’s talk health.
There are tons of debate over the dangers of artificial sweeteners. Do they cause cancer? Do they truly assist with weight loss? Are they addictive? For the history of artificial sweeteners, check out this comprehensive Fooducate post.
This is my take on it: any food that clocks in at zero calories is suspicious to me (excluding water, of course). Have you seen those zero-calorie Walden Farms products? Ain’t nothing natural about that. No shocker: these products usually contain Splenda. And a million other chemicals.
During my sophomore year of college, as I desperately tried to shed the dozens of excess pounds I had gained the year before, I had a Coke Zero (sometimes two) every day. I ate low-calorie Yoplait yogurt (sweetened artificially). I ate Quaker “Weight Control” oatmeal packets (sweetened artificially). My mom bought Sam’s Club-sized boxes of Splenda packets and we sprinkled them on everything. Everything.
But then I learned the truth. Regardless of whether or not these products actually cause cancer is up in the air, but I read enough to convince me to quit. I wanted to go all-natural. All homemade. All unprocessed. My aspartame-filled Coke Zero was accompanied with caramel color and other artificial crap. That “Orange Crème” Yoplait Light was held together by stabilizers and chemicals (they have since redone their recipe to be aspartame-free–progress!).
By indulging in articifial sweeteners–regardless of how “safe” they may or may not be–I was partaking in an industry that is anything but natural. What would help me lose weight healthily: Coke Zero, or apples? (more…)
Here’s How to Microwave Oatmeal that Still Tastes Really Damn Good
Let me be the first to openly proclaim my dislike of microwaved oats. Maybe I just don’t have the skillzzz, but my attempts at microwaved oatmeal have always resulted in a gummy or dry mess that resists all attempts of flavoring. Or worse, it results in an overflowing bowl and a mushy, messy puddle in the microwave.
Stove-top oatmeal for LIFE.
However, I’ve recently learned that a huge chunk of my readers DO make my recipes in the microwave, and another chunk of my readers are curious about how to do it. Since I clearly haven’t mastered this skill, I turned to the real masters: my readers. Special thanks to all of you that helped me out with all the great advice!
PSSST. . . you’ll notice that some readers’ tips contradict each other. That’s fine! It’s called “personal preference.” 😉 It just goes to show you that there is always more than one way to accomplish something!
Do You *Need* to Cook Oatmeal in Milk?
Yes, I’m a strictly dairy-free herbivore. However, I chose to make my blog as welcoming to all diets and lifestyles as possible. Thus, this post includes information on cow’s milk as well as plant-based milks.
Let’s talk milk.
And I promise to be as objective as possible because I’m a loving and tolerant vegan.
You see, when I first started The Oatmeal Artist, I was a vegetarian. A lactose intolerant vegetarian, but a vegetarian nevertheless. I drank almond milk (occasionally soy) at home, but wasn’t against using cow’s milk when I cooked at my parents’ home.
As a college student, I found almond milk expensive. It “appeared” similar to the cost of cow’s milk, except it comes in a 1/2 gallon size, thus making it deceptively pricier. This was in 2011 and in rural South Dakota, when (and where) the demand for nondairy milk was still low. To save money, I never made oatmeal entirely with milk. My method was always 1/2 almond milk, 1/2 water. Because of this, I had the benefit of creamy almond milk, but my 1/2 gallon carton lasted twice as long. This is why every recipe details that I mixed milk and water.
Since those days, I have learned several important points about milk vs. water. *Note: when I say “milk,” I mean any type of milk: plant-based or not.* (more…)
Weekend Musings: Back to School! Oatmeal for Kids
Consider this the “Weekend Musings: Back to School Edition.”
I reached out to various readers with children (including my own sister) for how they feed their kids with oats. I asked for anything: stories, tips, recipes. This is what I have for you. 🙂
– Creamy Oatmeal Base:
2 cups milk (I almost always use almond milk, but have used coconut milk and very rarely, I use cow milk.), 3/4 cup of quick oats. This serves 3 people. For every additional person at the table I add 1/4 cup oats and a 1/2 cup of milk. I use quick oats because I have a toddler who wakes up hungrier than a raptor and I just can’t wait more than 5 minutes to give him breakfast! I put the oats and milk into a pot, crank it to boil, and stir. When it’s boiled for 3-5 minutes, I remove from stove. This is when you can stir in any flavourings or toppings! Enjoy!
-An Oatmeal Bar. . .
. . .works really well for guests or picky eaters. Make a base oatmeal and set out “toppings” and sweetener. I make a creamy oatmeal base and then set out honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar for the sweetener. Then for toppings I put graham crumbs, peanut butter, cocoa powder, coconut, Oreo crumbles, bananas, peaches, cherries, raspberries, and blueberries (mostly whatever fruit is in season, or frozen/thawed fruit in winter).
Related post: Check out this post on how to
make 4 different oatmeals from one pot!
8 Simple Tricks to Spruce Up Pre-Flavored Oatmeal
Several pictures below originally appeared in my post 10 Tips for Eating Oatmeal While Traveling.
I think we’ve all been in that spot before: maybe you’re stuck with the limited options of a hotel continental breakfast, you’re a guest trying to make your daily porridge in a home without plain oats, a well-intentioned friend has given you a box of Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal, you’re “making it work” in a campus dining hall, or perhaps you’re simply trying to use up an old supply of oatmeal from before your transition to homemade porridge.
At one time or another, we’ve all held a packet of Apple Spice or Peaches ’N’ Cream or Maple & Brown Sugar instant oatmeal and thought, “How can I possibly enjoy this?”
Maybe I’m being too presumptuous. Some of you may still like those famous flavored packets. However, judging by the sentiments repeatedly expressed by my Oatmeal Enthusiasts, many of you share my dissatisfaction of the old packets. Once you go homemade, the pre-flavored stuff just doesn’t do it anymore.
Certainly, it may not reach the same level of enjoyment as your usual Sweet Potato Fudge Oatmeal or Peach Cherry Almond Oatmeal at home, but you can hack a flavored packet to make it more tasty!
