Berry Oatmeal

We’ve really been on an oatmeal kick in our house lately. The problem is that, even though it only takes about 10 minutes to cook, I rarely have 10 extra minutes in the morning. Add to that the time for it to cool off so David can eat it and we are late for anywhere we’re going. So I’ve been trying to make it in the evening and let it cook while I’m cleaning up the dinner dishes. All I have to do in the morning is give it a quick microwave and it’s ready to serve!

The latest version we’ve come up with is Berry Oatmeal. I have bags of frozen berries from the summer farmer’s markets in my freezer taking up more space than I have, so we’ve started using them up. They turn the oatmeal into a beautiful bright pink color—I feel like this would be a perfect Valentine’s Day breakfast! I would hardly call this a recipe, but here’s how I make it:

Berry Oatmeal
2 ¼ c water
1 ¼ c rolled oats
dash of salt
1 cup frozen berries (I have a mix of raspberries and blackberries)
½ t cinnamon
½ t vanilla extract
1-2 T maple syrup, depending on how sweet you like it (berries tend to be a little tart!)
non-dairy milk for serving

Bring water to a boil. Add dash of salt and oats and give a good stir. Lower the heat to medium. Add berries and stir. The berries will begin to break apart. Add cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup. Mix in and allow oatmeal to cook until soft. Remove from heat, and add non-dairy milk to thin to desired consistency.

Serve right away, or place in sealed container and serve in the morning! Microwave until warm before serving. Enjoy!