yes, it really is a post about oatmeal

{sorry for the lack of photos in this post. blogger's photo uploader and i are at war again.}

it seems like everything has it's own day or month nowadays. national donut day. national grandparent's day. national wedgie month. national walk your cat month. ok, i doubt those last two are real months, however, january really is national oatmeal month. and that my friends is a month i can get on board with!

a lot of people complain about oatmeal being boring and the texture being terrible, but all you really need to do is get a little creative! here are some recipes to spice up your love life with oatmeal.

the "king" of oatmeal

oatmeal of your choice (about 1-1/2 cups)

2 large bananas, sliced

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

cook your oats according to directions. remove from heat. add in bananas, peanut butter, and vanilla extract.

an apple a day oatmeal

oats of your choice ( about 1 cup)

1/2 apple, peeled and finely diced

1/3 cup of apple juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

in a saucepan, combine apple, apple juice, oats, cinnamon. bring to a boil and boil according to amount of time your oats directions tell you, stirring occasionally. remove from the heat. stir in honey and vanilla. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

she's my cherry pie oatmeal

oats of choice (1/2 cup)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup halved cherries, unsweetened (fresh is best, but thawed out frozen ones will work)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

cook oatmeal according to package directions. When there is about 5-10 minutes left add cinnamon, cherries and vanilla extract.

i personally prefer steel cut oats over rolled. they take a little longer to cook, but have more health benefits. steel cut oats are less refined than other versions of oats, and the more processed a food is the less health benefits it has. steel cut oats will have a slightly nutty flavor to them, but I like it better that way.

another health tip -- add ground flax seed -- you'll never notice and the health benefits are awesome! flaxseeds are a good source of fiber, Omega -3 fatty acids, and lignans. they do need to be ground though, as whole flax seeds pass right on through ya.