My son has had two full weeks of school since the Winter Break ended after New Years Day.  Between snow days, sick days and holidays, we have been homebound…and that means a lot of cooking for a hungry 11 year-old boy and his friends.  Since they insist on going outside first thing in the morning (I wish he was that enthusiastic about getting out of the house for school in the morning!) and staying outside until lunchtime, I insist on a hearty breakfast.  Oatmeal is warm, comforting, and filling in the A.M., but the pre-packaged kind is filled with sugar – like, 28 grams in one tiny envelope – no thanks! My son can eat three in one sitting!  I discovered a super-easy way to make oatmeal that requires little time or effort (and is much healthier than pre-packaged varieties) and wanted to share it with you.  Get creative and dress it up anyway you like by adding your favorite spices, natural sweeteners, fruit, nuts, or yogurt.

Overnight Oatmeal

Ingredients

4 cups of water

1 cup of steel cut oatmeal

Pinch of salt

How to make it

Before you go to bed, place the four cups of water, one cup of oatmeal, and salt in a large stockpot.

Stir, and bring to a boil for one minute.  

Cover and remove from heat (I just put it on a cool burner at the back of my stove).  Leave it covered and let it sit overnight.

By morning most of the liquid will have absorbed.  Stir the oatmeal until any lumps are gone and re-heat.

Now you can add your spices (I used a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of both cardamom and nutmeg).

Add sweetener if desired (I used a drizzle of pure maple syrup).  Stir and heat through.

Top with fruit (I diced an apple and sauteed it in a dab of butter) and yogurt (we prefer Greek yogurt because of its super-creamy consistency).

Here’s the result (no, I don’t normally serve oatmeal in mason jars, but it looks pretty for the photo shoot!) – it’s a slightly chewier version than the packaged variety, which we prefer.  This recipe serves about 6 people.