Rise and shine!
What did you eat for breakfast today?
I ate Steel cut oats with hemp seeds, fresh blueberries + raspberries, coconut oil, cinnamon and milk/ yogurt (optional). The type of milk is a controversial subject….that is for another post.
I must share this recipe for 3 reasons:
- It is simple to make.
- It is nutritious.
- It is satiating.
Get the directions below….
Let me confess, I used to have a hard time eating breakfast so, many times I skipped it. I would sip on coffee all morning until it was time to eat lunch. One morning I had oatmeal before I even took one sip of coffee. Wow, that day was totally different from all the rest. I felt amazing; I had a noticeable amount of energy that was lacking when I didn’t eat breakfast. I began my own experiment….many years later; I won’t go another day without nourishing my body first thing in the morning. I still drink my coffee, but I eat first as coffee is said to be an appetite suppressant.
Why is it important to eat breakfast? The long and the short of it is… you have gone many hours without nourishing your body while sleeping overnight. (It’s a mini fast). Your body, brain, and cells are hungry; they need fuel to operate, just like a car needs fuel to drive.
This recipe is so simple but it requires a little planning ahead!
What you will need:
- 1 medium glass bowl (no substitute) with lid or a clean dish towel to cover
- 1 cup of organic steel-cut oats (no substitute)
- 2.5 cups of water + 2 Tbsp. of an acid medium (apple cider vinegar or lemon juice or liquid whey)
- A pinch of sea salt
Place the above ingredients together; cover the bowl. This keeps fruit flies and little critters out.
Place on the countertop overnight (7-8 hours) up to 24 hrs.
In the morning drain the water from oats using a colander (store leftover oatmeal in the fridge for up to 1 week.)
Voila…you now have instant oatmeal. No cooking required! Heat and eat!
Soaking the oats has technically cooked them. This means no more waiting around the stove for 30-40 min to cook these oats in the morning.
I simply add enough boiling water to slightly submerge the soaked oats. I add my toppings and eat.
Why are you soaking the oats?
This is the traditional method of preparing grains. Our ancestors did this. Modern day instant oat production has eliminated the soaking step; which is the most important one. There is an anti-nutrient in the grain that keeps the grain dormant (this makes it shelf stable) until the conditions are right for the seed to turn into a plant. When you put a seed into the soil, add water and sunlight it begins to grow and become alive, releasing the anti-nutrient. This soaking method I speak of eliminates the anti-nutrient which is called phytic acid, this process makes the oats very nutritious. All of the nutrients are unlocked for your body to absorb. This Phytic acid wreaks havoc in our bodies. Rumor has it these unprocessed grains steal calcium from our bones during the digestion process. It also does more damaging things but that one alone is enough!
Instant (factory made) oats are not a nutritious! It’s not providing anything for your body in the nutrient department and yet taking nutrients from your body during the digestion process. This is a double whammy. It’s no wonder eating instant oatmeal you are starving 30 minutes later. (At least I was.)
Try traditionally soaked oatmeal with toppings like fresh or dried fruit, protein (hemp seeds), saturated fat (coconut oil/butter) and seriously you will be full for hours!
You can take these instant oats to go.
Fill a mason jar with oats, fresh fruit, coconut oil, cinnamon, and hemp seeds.
When on the go… I add plain full-fat yogurt (from grass fed cows) instead of adding milk. I then add enough boiling water to cover the oats.
You can also add sweetener of choice, maple syrup or honey or coconut sugar.
It’s super easy and nutritious. It’s faster than sitting in a drive thru line up!
NOTE: Organic oats are a must! Did you know it is part of the conventional farming practice to spray a chemical (glyphosate) on the plant several days before harvesting? If you don’t know, this provides a higher yield of the crop. The purpose is to rapidly kill the plant (chemically) so more seeds drop out during the harvest. Those seeds are then sent for animal and people food! *No thanks! Educate yourselves and make a fully informed choice!
Google search: Glyphosate aka “Round-up” manufactured by Monsanto! It’s scary stuff!
Tara Tellier is the owner of Roots of Nutrition. In search of a better way to improve her own health, Tara studied and became a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (R.H.N.). She enjoys developing healthy choice recipes for herself and her clients.
Roots of Nutrition | www.rootsofnutrition.com
