I’ve posted these oats in a “Foodie Friday” post before but I love this blank-canvas style recipe so much that I wanted to give it its own post.

After countless trials, I have finally perfected my ProOats and now have yet to deviate from this recipe. The weeks I am on an oatmeal kick (as opposed to a protein pancake kick), I make these every single morning and they never get old. The only thing I change is the toppings. A few of my favorites are pictured below.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tsp flaxseed
• 1 tsp chia seeds (may omit)
• 1 tbsp vanilla protein powder (I use and highly recommend Sunwarrior)
• 1 egg white (or 1/3 cup liquid egg whites)
• 1-2 tsp nut butter of choice
• Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Heat oats, almond milk, water and flaxseed in medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Once mixture is bubbling and oats are almost cooked (~5 minutes), add one egg white (or 1/3 cup liquid egg whites), turn heat to low, and stir continuously for 30 seconds-1 minute until egg white is completely blended in mixture.
3. Turn off heat, add 1 tbsp protein powder, another splash of almond milk (~2 tbsp) to help blend in the protein powder, nut butter of choice and cinnamon. Transfer to bowl and top with fruit and/or nuts of choice.

Adding the egg white makes the oatmeal so creamy, similar in consistently to porridge. Between the addition of protein powder and the protein in the egg white, these oats will keep you full and satisfied well into the morning.

As far as sweetness, the sweetener in the protein powder combined with the addition of a fruit topping usually makes the oats just sweet enough for my liking. They don’t taste nearly as sweet as the pre-packaged apple cinnamon or brown sugar varieties of oats, so if you prefer that level of sweetness, you may want to add a tbsp of your sweetener of choice.

Favorite Topping Combos:

Pear, Cinnamon and Walnut ProOats with Hazelnut Agave

I diced 1/2 of a pear and cooked it stove-top in ~2 tsp of coconut oil and 1 tsp of cinnamon for 5 minutes, until softened. I added a few chopped walnuts and a small drizzle of hazelnut agave nectar that I actually found at Home Goods. It is incredible!! You can also purchase the agave online through VitaCost.

Banana, Walnut and Cinnamon ProOats

Simply slice 1/2 of a banana and add a few chopped walnuts and a dash of cinnamon.

Nutrition facts for oats alone (no additional toppings)

Calories: 280; Total Fat: 9.5 gm; Saturated Fat: <1 gm; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 250 mg; Carbohydrates: 27 gm; Fiber: 5 gm; Sugar: 2 gm; Protein: 27 gm