sprinklefingers

and he’s got good reason for it.

you can read his ny times opinionator post ripping apart mcdonald’s latest ‘wholesome’ menu addition here.

my favorite paragraph from the post:

The aspect one cannot argue is nutrition: Incredibly, the McDonald’s product (the oatmeal) contains more sugar than a Snickers bar and only 10 fewer calories than a McDonald’s cheeseburger or Egg McMuffin. (Even without the brown sugar it has more calories than a McDonald’s hamburger.)

oh, mark bittman. thanks for always looking out for us.

the thing i don’t get about buying oatmeal at a fast food restaurant (or at a coffee shop…i’m lookin’ at you, starbucks!) is that oatmeal is literally the easiest thing to make. like bittman says in his piece, it’s so easy that,  “in the time it takes to go into a McDonald’s, stand in line, order, wait, pay and leave, you could make oatmeal for four while taking your vitamins, brushing your teeth and half-unloading the dishwasher.”

i’ve posted about baked oatmeal here before. it is our go-to breakfast dish…even when company’s coming to join us. so easy. and so delicious. perfect for a crowd.

but! there are even easier ways to make oatmeal. if i’m not eating the above baked oatmeal, my favorite way to eat it is like this:

peanut butter & banana oatmeal
serves 2

you need:

• 1 heaping cup oatmeal (thick cut rolled oats or regular rolled oats, but not instant or steel cut.)
• 1 3/4 - 2 cups milk or water
• 1 banana, ripe, sliced into half-coins
• 1-2 T natural peanut butter
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• salt to taste - 1/8 t or so
• sprinkle of raisins or dried blueberries, optional
• sprinkle of toasted nuts for texture, optional

to make the oatmeal:
[you can use either milk or water to cook the oats. we prefer milk around here because it gives the finished oatmeal a richer taste, but you can absolutely use the same amount of water for a lighter version.]

1. in a small saucepan, bring the milk (or water) to a simmer.
2. stir in the oats and let cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the oats reach your desired consistency.
3. stir in the peanut butter (we like to use 2 T) and continue to stir until it is completely incorporated.
4. remove oatmeal from the heat and stir in the bananas, cinnamon & salt.
5. top with the raisins (or dried blueberries) and/or toasted nuts and serve.

again. so easy! so delicious!
you can easily double or triple this recipe and store what you don’t eat in the fridge. when you want breakfast, simply reheat the oatmeal with a splash of milk, top with dried fruit & nuts and enjoy.