Oatmeal, eh?

Simple, some say boring, sold in bulk, instant-fied, fortified, hearty, oaty, oatmeal. We have been eating different forms of oats since childhood, in granola, cookies, and the bowl. Lately I have been told at least once a week by my mother to eat them, I've told the husband to eat them, and my colleague down the hall has bought them in bulk and eats them probably daily. Why? Probably because these notey-oaty gems are packed with good stuff, and they are a cheap quick way to begin YOUR DAY! (insert commercialized muzak here)

I have never been an oatmeal person until recently. Sure I'd eat the odd packet at a desk job, we have a giant container at home sporting the giant white haired man in our upper cabinet in the kitchen, but I've never been a fan until Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal. I capitalize it because it's important. And it's the best.

The difference is that while rolled oats oatmeal can be mushy and have a mouth feel of baby food, Irish steel cut versions are like more yummy version of grape nuts, because, well, they're not grape-nuts. Kind of like if grape-nuts and regular oatmeal had a baby. They have a lightly al dente texture, with all the oatmeal creaminess. A perfect warming breakfast. Trader Joe's has a version, but my favorite is McCann's. These brands are instant, and usually take around 5 minutes to make. Honestly, there's no real health benefit to eating one type over the other, the rolled oats are flattened versions of the steel cut. But for me the texture is a huge plus.

Lately I've been having them with sliced strawberries, cream and brown sugar. Decadent and healthy... except for the cream part... feel free to leave that out. The real message is if you hate eating oatmeal because of the boring texture try these. You might want to eat oatmeal over an entire pack of bacon.