the easiest oatmeal recipe

I'm a breakfast girl. I love waking up to a hungry stomach because it means I can fill it with all the best foods. Eggs, pancakes, waffles, omelets, toast, eggs benedict, oatmeal, cereal, fruit, croissants, the list goes on. On the weekends, brunch is my thing - lounging in bed, getting ready for the day, and then going out to my favorite local spots like Novel Cafe, Blu Jam Cafe, or my favorite Amandine with my friends.

On the weekdays, I have about 10 minutes to gather my things and make and eat my breakfast before I'm running out the door with my hands filled. Since there usually isn't much time to spare in the mornings, coming up with quick and nutritious breakfasts are always a challenge. Last year, I found a solution to my oatmeal cravings by cooking my steel cut oats on Sunday nights in huge batches and then putting it in the fridge to last me the whole week. In the mornings, I just scooped my oatmeal into a bowl, poured some soy or almond milk over it, and it would be revived to its original glory. By Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, though, it wouldn't taste as fresh and would get pretty clumpy. That's no fun to eat!

Well, friends, I've found the ultimate solution for all you oatmeal-lovers, breakfast-lovers, and even breakfast-skippers. Drum roll please....

Overnight steel cut oats in the rice cooker. 

Okay, before you judge or give me funny glances, try it out first. It's literally the best thing and always comes out perfectly. You just prep the night before, and in the morning you've got warm, perfectly cooked oats waiting for you. I love using steel cut oats because of its nutty, chewier texture than other oats. And I mean c'mon who wants to stand over the stove in the morning for 30 minutes when you can make them overnight. My aunt likes to do half steel cut oats and half another type of oats in this recipe to mix up the texture.

Here's the recipe (if you can even call it that):

Makes 4-5 servings.

> 1 cup steel cut oats, or your favorite oats (I like these.)
> water
> rice cooker (I use this one.)
> 1 tbsp cinnamon
> your favorite toppings

1. Scoop 1 cup of your oats into the rice cooker.

2. Fill the rice cooker porridge line 1 with water. It's important you use the porridge line here, and NOT the normal white/brown rice lines.

3. Turn your rice cooker on to the porridge setting.

Seriously, that's it. In the morning when you open up your rice cooker, it should automatically be on the Keep Warm setting and you get the perfect chewy, thick oatmeal consistency. The consistency is right in the middle, so not too thick and gloopy but not too runny either.

I like to add 1 tbsp of cinnamon straight into the rice cooker, and even sprinkle in some flaxseed meal for extra boost of energy and nutrition. Usually this recipe can feed my family and I for about two days. Whatever leftover oatmeal we have on the first morning, I put into a glass container in the fridge and eat the remaining oatmeal the next morning. To revive the oatmeal, just add some milk into your bowl with the oatmeal before microwaving.

My favorite oatmeal combination is steel cut oats with some maple syrup, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and an extra sprinkle of cinnamon. The maple syrup gives my oatmeal a hint of sweetness, the fruit gives me energy for the day, and the cinnamon is just plain ol' good for you.

I love eating oatmeal in the morning because it gives me the nutrients I need to start my day and keeps me full until lunch.

What are your thoughts on oatmeal? Is it your breakfast choice in the morning too? What else do you like to put in your oatmeal?