Homemade apple cinnamon oatmeal

What's not to love about apple cinnamon oatmeal? The smell alone can make your tummy smile.

Resorting to a package of apple cinnamon oatmeal may be more nutritious choice than an apple danish, but your best choice is making your own batch of apple cinnamon oatmeal from scratch (it's a lot easier than you think).

Let's look inside the ingredient list of a store-bought package of apple cinnamon oatmeal:

WHOLE GRAIN ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, DEHYDRATED APPLES (TREATED WITH SODIUM SULFITE TO PROMOTE COLOR RETENTION), NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, SALT, CINNAMON, CALCIUM CARBONATE, CITRIC ACID, GUAR GUM, MALIC ACID, NIACINAMIDE*, REDUCED IRON, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE*, RIBOFLAVIN*, THIAMIN MONONITRATE*, FOLIC ACID*, CARAMEL COLOR. 

One nutritional downfall with flavored instant oatmeal is the added sugar. But you'll also find added preservatives, coloring, artificial flavors and stabilizers - all of which shouldn't be in oatmeal. Although quick/instant oats are more processed than rolled oats, nutritionally they are similar. Instant oats are pre-cooked, dried and then rolled and pressed. Because they are thinner than rolled or steel-cut oats, they cook more quickly - which can be great for the time-starved athlete.

In our recent Trimarni newsletter, Joey dished up a delicious apple cinnamon oatmeal recipe, rich in flavor and nutritional value. A perfect comfort meal on a cold day. If you are not a subscriber to our newsletter and would like to receive a weekly recipe and healthy living article, you can subscribe HERE. 

This recipe makes 2 servings. Leftovers reheat decently (with the addition of a little extra water or milk if it gets too thick when refrigerated).

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

By Joey Mock, RD, LD, CLT

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (such as Quaker Oats Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats)
1 cup cow or soy milk
1 cup water
1/8 teaspoon Himalayan Pink salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 medium sized apple, diced (about 1 cup diced)
1-2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup (or a little of both to desired sweetness)
2 Tablespoons chopped pecans

Preparation

1. Combine oats, milk, water, salt, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. 
2. Stir in diced apples and reduce heat to low.
3. Simmer uncovered for about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and apples are tender.
4. Remove from the heat. Divide equally between two bowls. Drizzle each serving with honey and/or maple syrup. Top with pecans and serve.
5. Enjoy!