Oatmeal raisins and dates breakfast

Oatmeal raisins and dates breakfast

To a bowl of quick oats add boiling water to make your oatmeal then add the following.

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1 rounded teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of chopped dates (note: they are high in sugar so a small amount goes a long way)

1 teaspoon of raisins (optional)

And mix well

Add a teaspoon shredded carrot on top for color
Add almond milk ( milk substitute)

Serve with a small glass of Kefir (better than yogurt) and a cranberry orange muffin with sunflower seeds or toast.

(Warning: dates may have processed in a facility that processes nuts and dairy products. If you have allergies be sure and check product labeling before consuming)

Healthy Oatmeal Breakfast Delight

Oatmeal Breakfast Delight

"There is nothing like oatmeal to get you through the day.", my father would say. Growing up we had oatmeal for breakfast every day and that can get pretty old pretty fast when your a kid. My sister would say that the reason he cooked it every day was because that was the only thing he knew how to cook. But my guess is my father growing up in the Depression considered this to be a very good meal as opposed to nothing. 

Eating plain oatmeal everyday seemed like torture, but now that I'm older I see the importance of having a nutritional meal to start the day, and oatmeal is a good way to help lower your cholesterol. But that doesn't mean you have to eat the same old oatmeal day in and day out as I did. So here's one of the ways that I jazz up my oatmeal. I start with a half cup to a cup of quick oats and add boiling water. I add just enough hot water to thicken the oatmeal and let stand for a minute.

I then stir in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (optional). Stir until coconut oil is completely melted. This makes the oatmeal more creamy. Some research indicates that coconut oil can help fight off Alzheimer's disease and improves brain function. I then add 1 tablespoon or less of brown sugar. With the addition of raisins not a lot of brown sugar is needed. I add 1/4 cup or less of raisins for additional flavor and sweetening. I then add 1/8 cup of dry roasted sunflower seeds or chopped dry roasted peanuts. This gives the oatmeal a bit of a crunch and added protein. Put in milk or almond milk to help cool it down and add flavor. Add a hot cup of black tea and maybe some toast or juice and breakfast is ready in less than 5 min. It is also healthier and cheaper than any prepackaged oatmeal breakfast.