Easy Gluten Free Oatmeal

This breakfast staple of mine has now taken on many different variations. It started with Lauren Conrad’s Overnight Oats, cold oatmeal with berries, oats, and almond milk (among other things). But it is winter, I live in Minnesota, and let’s be honest – the last thing you want in the morning is a COLD breakfast. One morning I brought my overnight cold oats to work, and sat with my scarf on until about noon. I thought, can you microwave oatmeal that isn’t “instant” oatmeal? It turns out… you CAN! I make this for my boyfriend all the time – he is terrible at planning food for work, so this is a frequent request by him (add protein powder, the guy will eat anything).

This little breakfast is filling, PACKED with protein, fiber, and will definitely keep you high energy until lunch time. I will alter the amount of oats that I use depending on how my carbohydrate and/or workout situation is looking for the day. If I work out in the morning, I know I’ll be starving and use a full ½ C of oats in the recipe. Days like today, where I think I ate all weekend, I only needed ¼ C. Total prep time: 1 minute. Total cook time, 2 minutes.

Ingredients:
¼- ½ C Gluten Free Oats from Trader Joes
1 C unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk (Silk or Almond Breeze are my favorites), if you are AIP use coconut
1 scoop of protein powder (Isolate Protein is my favorite, any flavor you’d like)
1 T Flaxseed (Bob’s Redmill is great)
1 t cinnamon
½ C Blueberries, apple slices, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin (frozen or fresh) **Optional**

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together in your microwaveable Tupperware or a bowl getting the protein powder clumps out. If you prep this the night before, place in the refrigerator covered overnight. In the morning, it will be the right consistency to eat cold.
If you want the warm oatmeal, place in microwave (uncovered) for 1 minute on high. Stir, and place back in for another minute. You want it to start bubbling up, so be sure to watch it, and stir when it looks like it’s going to boil over the edge. Check the consistency. You want it thick, but take out when the consistency is right for you. If you are putting fruit in this, I like heating the fruit with it, because cooked fruit is great. But you can top at the end with fruit if you prefer cold.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Facts (1/4 C oats)Calories: 248
Carbs: 20g
Fat: 9g
Protein: 23g
Sugar: 3g
Fiber 4g