Oats, Oats, Oats

I've always loved oats. In fact, if I had oats as a child they were a special treat. I wasn't raised eating oatmeal in the morning. My mom doesn't like oatmeal, thus we never tried oatmeal. I was probably 12 when I first tried oatmeal at my grandma's house. I really liked it there, so I went home and told my mom. She bought us a package and made it really thick and gross. I never ate oatmeal again at home.

After leaving home, I ate oatmeal occasionally. It was usually the pre-flavored oatmeal in the little packages. It was probably only 3 years ago that I first tried steel cut oats and realized I really like those also.

It amazes me that oats are so healthy and taste so good. I read an article on www.whfoods.com talking about all the health benefits below and much more.

• Good source of copper, biotin, vitamin B1, magnesium, dietary fiber, chromium, zinc, and protein.Lower Cholesterol Levels
• High Fiber
• Enhanced Immune Response to Infection
• Stabilize Blood Sugar
• Health promoting activity equal to or even higher than that of fruit and vegetables

Yes, it maybe a little boring, but I eat oats almost every day. If oats are on sale, I pick up 4lbs+ from the bulk food section.

Here's some ways I eat my oats:

• Steel Cut oats (cooked on stove or Instant Pot) with frozen fruit (usually blueberries)
• Cooked Old Fashioned oats with frozen blueberries, frozen mixed fruit or bananas (sometimes I add some vanilla)
• Homemade Granola
• Cooked Old Fashioned oats with baked apples (or applesauce), cinnamon and nutmeg
• Soaked Overnight oats with chia seeds and soymilk. In the morning, I add banana slices or frozen fruit.
• Chocolate Bird Seed P.D. Premium Recipe

Do you eat oats? How do you eat your oats?

Here's my Breakfast

Here's my breakfast today: Steel cut oats, frozen mixed berries from Walmart and a PD Latte on the side. I need something that will keep me full until noon. I believe a 1/2 cup of oats will do the trick. What did you have today to start your day?

How do I start out my day?

Most days I start out my day with oats. I eat either rolled oats or steel cut oats. I love that oats are heart healthy. I need something that will fill me up, so I can make it to lunch without my belly growling at my desk.

One easy way to cook my steel cut oats is by using my Instant Pot (which I LOVE!!!).

I find the biggest pain of cooking oats is watching it on the stove or microwave to make sure it doesn't boil over. I've solved this by using my Instant Pot. I put my oats in and leave it. I continue on with my morning tasks without having to babysit my oats.

Today, I'm trying a new method I found on Protective Diet. Julie has a Steel Cut Oats Recipe for the stove top. I invite you to give this a try also. I'm going to add in Mixed Berry Chia Seed jam with my oats. I can't wait.

How do you start your day?

Until next time. . .

Protective Diet Journey

Since my November post, I've done lots of reading and researching. I've found that I really like Protective diet recipes. So I've decided to blog about these exciting new recipes as I try them.

I've been subscribing to Protective Diet for about a month. I first started with a free login to review her recipes. I tried some and I really liked the taste of her recipes and her helpful videos. About two weeks ago, I signed up for a premium subscription. I love that she is your coach thru this journey to be healthy. She spends many hours each week making recipes for the group that are healthy and tasty. I've been getting a newsletter each week with at least one new recipe. There is a PD Interactive support group meeting online each Tuesday night and a coaching hour each Saturday morning.

Today, I made Baked Apples for breakfast. I added these warm yummy apples to rolled oats, cinnamon, and soy milk. It was a wonderful warm breakfast for this cold Michigan morning. These apples are so tasty, I'm going to make them every week.

For lunch, I had beans and brown rice with some fruit on the side.

For dinner, I was in the mood for pasta, so I tried Guiltless Baked Mac n Cheese. It sure is a wonderful recipe. The kids weren't super excited about it, but that could have been because of the parsley and onions. I love that once you follow the list of PD items to stock in your pantry. you can make lots of PD friendly meals just with only a couple fresh ingredients each week. I had greens on the side of my mac n cheese to make it a complete meal. I had leftovers, so I already have my lunch packed for tomorrow.

Until next time,


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