Blueberry Protein Oatmeal Recipe
Here’s a recipe that will be sure to please those who love the taste of blueberries as well as include a healthy serving of protein. This recipe makes a fairly large bowl of oatmeal, making it a great recipe for breakfast. You can reduce the ingredients if you want less overall calories.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup steel-cut oats
1/3 cup oat bran
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 scoop chocolate or vanilla whey protein powder
Water, as directed
ΒΌ teaspoon salt
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of Splenda/Stevia
Instructions:
Add steel cut oats into 3 to 4 cups of water at night before you go to bed. Bring to a boil, simmer a couple of minutes, then remove from heat and cover the pot. The longer you simmer and/or the more water you use, the larger the bowl of oatmeal as the oats will expand with more water.
In the morning, bring the oats to a simmer once again on medium-low heat, adding the salt, cinnamon, and raw oat bran. Continue stirring and simmering for 5 minutes, or until you get the desired thickness. Turn off the heat, then add the frozen blueberries and either Splenda or Stevia.
Stir until the blueberries are melted, thus cooling the oatmeal and allowing the protein powder to be added. The consistency should be fairly thick, especially after the oat bran has been added and cooked a bit. You might need to add some water in the morning, depending on how much was boiled-off the night before.
Oatmeal Cookie Recipe
Here’s a tasty and yet healthy way to make oatmeal cookies.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Splenda
3 Egg Whites
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Cinnamon
3 cups Old Fashion Oats
1 1/2 cups Unsweetened Applesauce
Blend the ingredients and drop rounded teaspoons onto greased cookie pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350. Depending on how soft you want the cookies, you may need to add additional applesauce. So there you have it, a quick and healthy treat.
Steel Cut Oatmeal Raisin Muffins Recipe
Here’s one to add to your steel cut oats recipe list. These steel cut oatmeal raisin muffins are especially tasty.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 1 cup flower (unbleached)
- 1/2 cup raisins (or cranberries or whatever)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (splenda cut be substituted here)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Directions:
Put in muffin paper and cook for about 15 - 25 min @ 350 degrees. Let sit until cool and then enjoy.
Spice up those Steel Cut Oats
Here are just a couple of ways to spice up your steel cut oats:
- Add some chopped apples and sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top of your steel cut oats for an apple cinnamon flavor.
- Add some sugar-free maple syrup, my favorite being Smucker’s sugar free, with a little brown sugar added.
- Most fruit is really good, especially blueberries, peaches, or even strawberries.
- For a cinnamon raisin flavor for your steel cut oatmeal, add a teaspoon of raisins with a dash of ground cinnamon.
- The combo that I normally go with is either chocolate or vanilla protein powder mixed in with my steel cut oats, with a little splenda thrown on top.
These are just a few tips to liven up your normal dose of steel cut oatmeal.
Steel Cut Oats and the Glycemic Index
Steel cut oats not only provide many nutrients beneficial to one’s body, there’s also another reason that they can aid in fat loss and general improvement in body composition. Enter the glycemic index.
Anyone serious about nutrition and looking their best should be aware of the glycemic index. The glycemic index is basically a ranking of carbs based on their effect on blood sugar levels. Carbs that break down quickly will have a higher GI, causing blood sugar to spike. On the flip-side, carbohydrates that break down slowly will have a lower GI, gradually entering the blood stream and avoiding that dreaded blood sugar spike.
These quick spikes in blood sugar levels lead to fat storage, obviously an unwanted byproduct. Eating steel cut oatmeal and other low GI foods will help keep blood sugar levels stable, decreasing fat storage and increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
There are many other benefits to maintaining a low GI diet. Diets consisting of mostly high GI foods have been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, diabetes and even cancer. In addition, low GI foods will help with satiety and can even improve physical endurance, especially important for athletes.
Foods under 60 on the glycemic index would be considered low GI. Steel cut oats rate 42 on the glycemic index, old fashioned rolled oats ranking in at 50. In addition to steel cut oats, whole grain breads, veggies and most fruits are relatively low on the glycemic Index.
Steel Cut Oats
Steel Cut Oats are one of the most nutritious carb sources available. They’re also known as coarse-cut oats, pinhead oats, Scotch oats, or Irish oats. Steel cut oats are whole grain oats that are comprised of the inner portion of the oat kernel which are generally cut into two or three pieces. Golden in color, steel cut oats have a coarse, nutty texture.
With instant oatmeal, it is first cooked and then rolled thin. Adversely, steel cut oats begin as the whole grain, maintaining the nutritional value. The next step is to cut the gains into small pieces with steel blades, hence the name steel cut oats. As opposed to instant oats, steel cut oats are not rolled which leaves them with their unique texture.
Steel cut oats are generally grown in cooler climates. Many companies offer steel cut oatmeal, including Quaker and the McCann’s company. You can also buy steel cut oats in bulk at various health food stores and groceries.
In addition to the nutrients and unique taste, steel cut oats have the advantage of having a lower glycemic index than instant or rolled oats. The only disadvantage when discussing steel cut oats is that they do take longer to prepare. One serving of steel cut oats will generally take between 10 to 15 minutes to cook. There are various ways to cook them, the most common being in a pot on the stove. Steel cut oats can be cooked in either milk or water. No matter how you cook them, steel cut oats are worth the wait.