Kickstarting my healthy recipe series with the all-time-classic breakfast option:

(you've guessed it!) Oatmeal!

I'm not kidding when I say that I eat this almost every morning and have tried oatmeals from so many different brands, you won't believe it (maybe I should do a blog post on my take on the different brands)!

The health benefits of eating oatmeal (or oats in general) are endless but I'll list a couple of these benefits:

1. Oats are one of the healthiest grains you can find

It is a great source of carbohydrates to kick start your morning and fuel your day. Also, they offer more protein than most other grains.

2. Oats can help to lower the risk of some diseases

3. Whole oats contain loads of antioxidants

4. Oats can keep you fuller for longer

Oats contain fiber that will keep you full for a long period of time. This then prevents you from reaching out for unhealthy snacks/snacking too much before the next meal!

A tip for you is to purchase steel cut or rolled oatmeal rather than instant oatmeal because they're significantly less processed. As with all foods, the more processed they are, the more they lose their nutritional value!

Now, let's move on to the recipe for one of my favourite way of cooking my oatmeal:

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

1. 1/3 cup of rolled oats

2. 1/3 cup of almond milk (or you can use soy milk/normal milk)

3. 1/3 cup of water

4. 1 tablespoon of raw cacao powder (mine's from Big Tree Farms)

5. A dash of pure maple syrup (a good alternative will be coconut syrup or honey)

6. Optional: 1 tablespoon of protein powder ( I add this if I'm going for a workout afterwards - I use the Tropeaka Lean Protein Powder in Vanilla)

Toppings (Optional):

1. Spinkle of coconut flakes

2. Spinkle of cacao nibs (I got mine from Big Tree Farms too)

Steps:

1. Pour the rolled oats, soy milk and water into the saucepan

2. Set the heat on medium and let it slowly come to a boil

3. Once the mixture starts bubbling, set the heat to low

4. Add in the cacao powder and stir it in well (if you're adding any other powder(s), this will be the time to add those in too)

5. Pour in the maple syrup and stire

6. Let it simmer for 8-10 minutes (depending on how fast your oatmeal cooks - Steel cut oats take the longest to cook while instant oats will be the fastest with rolled oats being in between)

* Keep stirring the mixture otherwise it WILL stick to your saucepan and it'll burn easily

7. Add your toppings (if any) and you're done!

I hope you give this a try and let me know what you think! :)

Till Next Time,

Rachelle