Give Bland Oatmeal a Flavor Boost

If you’re looking for a healthy, filling breakfast to kick off the day, it’s tough to do better than a bowl of oatmeal. Oatmeal is high in fiber, low in fat, and is one of the cheapest breakfast options available, per serving. So why don’t more people make this miracle food a part of their morning ritual? Answer: the flavor. As in, there isn’t much to taste.

While there’s no shortage of flavored oatmeal on the cereal aisle at your grocery store, the added flavor also adds a significant amount of sugar and costs more, thus ruining much of the benefit of one of the few foods that is both economical and healthy. Fortunately, one doesn’t simply have to choose between sugary, high-calorie oatmeal packets and the drab, old fashioned oatmeal-flavored oatmeal. You can have the best of both worlds.

Just buy the large cardboard tube of oats-which comes in either old-fashioned or quick 1-minute oats (my preference)-and try one of the following flavor ideas to give your healthy breakfast a flavor boost without sacrificing its health benefits, and without adding much cost. Taste them for yourself and see.

Bananas and Cream Flavor Oatmeal

One of the simplest and best ideas for flavor is to add one sliced banana and a cup of skim milk to your 1 to 1.5 cups of oatmeal. If you’re pressed for time, you can slice up the bananas while the oatmeal’s heating in the microwave. However, I’ve found it can be even better to mix up the sliced bananas and heat everything together, making sure the banana slices get warm and soft. Be sure they’re sliced thin enough, and they’ll easily break apart and mix into the oatmeal. This’ll also add some vitamins to the already health-conscious dish. Want a little extra sweetness to taste? Add just a little bit of honey.

Weightlifter’s Vanilla Flavor Oatmeal

One of the few legitimate shortcomings of an oatmeal breakfast is that it doesn’t naturally have much protein. That can be easily remedied: Throw a half-scoop of vanilla-flavor whey protein powder (approximately a one-fourth to one-third cup, to taste) into your morning oatmeal and stir with some milk before heating. The result is a creamy, tasty concoction that provides the full nutrition of a large meal without an abundance of calories or fat. My favorite? Take it a step further and throw in some fresh blueberries for additional flavor and anti-oxidants.

Nutty, Fruit-Flavor Oatmeal

If you’re wanting a flavor that’s a little bit fruitier, try throwing in a small handful of dates, walnuts, and dried cranberries (raisins will also work, but I think cranberries just taste better, personally). Add a touch of cinnamon and brown sugar for some added flavor. With this combination, I think water works better than milk, but you really can’t go wrong either way. Another option? Chop up some pecans and mix them in with a drizzle of low-sugar maple syrup. It’s like pecan-pie flavor oatmeal!

Cookie Flavor Oatmeal

If have to have a sweet taste at breakfast, and you’re looking for an oatmeal flavor that has more of the taste of an oatmeal cookie than actual oatmeal, try adding a small amount of cocoa powder and some peanut butter (low-sugar is good, all-natural is better) to a bowl of oatmeal with milk. It’ll add some sugar and calories, but the peanut butter adds protein, and it’s worth it to have a breakfast that tastes like a cookie and yet still is relatively healthy.