Naturally Sweetened Low Calorie Breakfast Oatmeal

I have a delicious breakfast recipe to share with you. It’s a naturally sweetened cooked oatmeal cereal made with a rice cooker. You may be wondering why I would share a hot cereal in the summer months? Simply put, I had promised a while ago that I would post this recipe for one of my low calorie breakfast suggestions on my Women and Weight Website. (300 calorie mini-meals) I’m finally getting around to doing just that. Besides, cooked oatmeal is a nutritious low calorie choice at any time of the year.

Using a rice cooker to prepare this recipe is a blessing. I can quickly measure out the ingredients, add them to the cooker, and then walk away and let it go to work while I am busy elsewhere. The recipe makes enough for a number of servings. I just refrigerate the cereal till I am ready to scoop out a half a cup or so and warm it up in the microwave oven for breakfast.

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This recipe gets its natural sweetness from pure maple syrup and the addition of a little dried fruit such as cranberries or raisins. In addition, when the prepared oatmeal is ready and served, you could top it with a little low fat milk and some fresh fruit.

I own an Aroma rice cooker that works great. So far I have only experimented with making white rice, brown rice, and cooked oatmeal. I have a number of other healthy recipes I will be testing in the coming months. It’s fun to use a rice cooker and it can be a time saver but it’s not essential.

Naturally Sweetened Oatmeal

1 1/2 cups 100% Natural Whole Grain Rolled Oats (such as Quaker “Old-fashioned” oats not the quick oats)

2 1/2 cups skim milk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. (pinch) salt

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

1/4 cup raisins or craisins (dried cranberries)

1. Place all the ingredients in the rice cooker. Stir gently and then spread out and smooth for even cooking.

2. Close the cover. I use the white rice heating button with my Aroma Rice Cooker. Some rice cookers have a porridge button but mine doesn’t. (I do have a brown rice setting that I haven’t tried yet for making the oatmeal but it would probably work just fine.)

3. By using the rice setting I have found the oatmeal cooks well and takes about 35-40 minutes. Depending on the oats you use to prepare this recipe, you may need to adjust the amount of milk to get the right consistency.  Although many rice cookers have a “warm” setting that will hold the cooked food till you are ready for it, I recommend turning the cooker off when it is finished with the cooking cycle. I have found that the oatmeal can overcook on the bottom and get dry and crunchy if it is left to sit on the low heat or warm setting.

(NOTE: Although I have not done this myself, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t prepare this recipe on the stovetop. The difference being that you would need to stir the oatmeal as it cooks to keep it from burning. I would imagine it would be finished cooking in less time than a rice cooker.)

This recipe makes about six 1/2 cup servings with about 226 calories each.

Oatmeal makes a nutritious and filling breakfast. If you watch your portion size, it can be a great choice for weight loss or maintenance. And if you should need to keep your cholesterol levels in check, the soluble fiber in oatmeal can provide an added bonus! Enjoy.