Banana Bread Oatmeal

I love oatmeal. Sometimes I go through periods when I think I could have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and…dessert. No joke, I have had oatmeal for dessert!

But how can you make such a bland-tasting grain into a dessert-worthy food? Im glad you asked!

You need to think of oats as a blank canvas for your imagination and cravings to spill out on.

There are so many directions you can go with this incredible grain, but today I’m going to give you the basics; my breakfast staple.

You will need…

1 cup milk of choice
1/4 tsp vanilla (opt)
1 banana (preferably very ripe)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Toppings! (Opt)

First step,

Measure out your milk into a small pot or saucepan. I normally use almond milk or oat milk for this version. Place on high to bring to a boil. (If you are using vanilla, now is the time to put it in.)
As a rule of thumb, the ratio for oats to milk 1:2.

Next, mash up a nice ripe banana! Remember the more ripe the banana is the sweeter it will be.
Also, a little local’s side note, if you’re in search for overly ripe bananas, check the Bio Market. Often they have disgustingly perfect over ripe bananas for half price, at least in Tallinn. 🙂

Whisk the banana into the hot milk and wait for it to come to a boil.

While you’re waiting for the milk and banana mix to come to a boil, measure out your oats and cinnamon.

Next, dump the oats and cinnamon into the milk, and turn the heat off. Mix frequently so the oats don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. How long you let it cook is actually up to you and what kind of oats you have. I get quick-oats that technically only need to be cooked for four minutes, but I tend to prefer thicker oatmeal, so I let it cook for a little longer.

Ta-da! Your perfect bowl of oatmeal! But why stop there when you can have toppings!?!

There we go, that’s better! Feel free to be creative with it! Nuts, berries, seeds, butters. Here I have flax seeds, chia seeds and a big tablespoon of my home-made Peanut Butter.

And of course the last step is always the best, EAT!

Banana Bread Oatmeal

Serves: 1 bowl

Ingredients:
1 c milk
1/4 tsp vanilla (opt)
1 banana (any will work, but the riper the better)
1/2 c oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
Toppings (opt): seeds, nuts, berries, dried fruit, peanut butter, almond butter, chocolate chips, jam... 

Directions:
1. Bring milk to boil. Set temperature on high. (Check notes)
2. Mash banana then add to milk and whisk.
3. While waiting for the milk to come to a boil measure out your oats and cinnamon.
4. Once the milk is boiling, stir in oats and cinnamon and turn off heat.
5. Keep cooking until oats are soft and it has reached your desired consistency. Stir frequently to keep oats from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
6. Add toppings and enjoy!

Note: The temperature of the stove will vary depending on what stove you have. I have an old electric stove. So the plates take awhile to heat up, and then they stay warm for awhile after I turn them off, which is why I can turn off the heat but keep cooking the oats. If you have a gas stove you may want to set it on medium-high, then turn the flame to low after adding the oats.

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