But Oatmeal Is Boring Paully!

The truth is that hot cereal is only as boring as you are unimaginative so lets get some ideas flowing.

One of the hot cereal inventions I like is bananas and pecans. It is simple and very tasty. You cook your hot cereal as you normally would and for 2 servings you need to mash 1 banana until it is getting smooth. Chop 1/3 cup pecans - either raw or pan toasted.

When the cereal is done with it's boiling mix the banana and pecans in and stir well. I do this prior to the rest period for oatmeal and just before serving for cereals like buckwheat that don't require a rest. If you are still working on repairing your palate you might add a little vanilla or a touch of honey or agave. There is plenty of flavor otherwise.

Another idea is to add dried fruit like raisins, Craisins, dried cherries or blueberries. Here is how to make it work to get the most out of them. If your cereal requires 2 cups of water for 2 servings like most do add an extra 1/4 cup of water so 2 1/4 cups total. This will allow the fruit to rehydrate some and release the sweetness of the fruit into the cereal. I use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the dried fruits to the water and bring it to a boil and then add the cereal and cook per instructions.

I like to do the above with dried figs but Pam doesn't like the crunchy seeds in the figs too much.

When you can get fruit in season like blueberries and raspberries add them like the bananas and pecans at the end of the boil. Frozen fruit is a little tricky, but you can thaw them and stir them in at the end. You get a little extra juice from them, but the flavors are good.

What else would work? Why not some grated coconut? I would use unsweetened, but I likely won't be eating at your house so use what you want. How about some good quality cocoa powder? If you added the cocoa powder at the end - say 1 - 2 tbsp for 2 servings with maybe 1/2 tsp cinnamon you would have dessert for breakfast.

Try some better cereals as well. Bob's Red Mill has a bunch of great, Organic products. I LOVE their Organic Thick Rolled Oats and Organic Creamy Buckwheat. I have also liked their Organic Whole Wheat Farina, High Fiber, and 6 Whole Grain cereals.

I'm sure there are other great brands, but Bob's is reasonably local to us, employee owned and they have tons of great choices.

Be very well and more soon....