Oatmeal

Hot cereals make a great breakfast and there are a lot of choices. Look for whole grains, high fiber and low added sugar. Add your own sweeteners such as brown sugar, honey or maple syrup. Don’t forget about raisins or other dried fruit such as apples, cranberries, apricots or fresh fruit. Nuts, seeds, cinnamon, butter and milk are also tasty additions.

Most cereals come with directions on the package, but here’s some help if you end up with a bag of oatmeal you bought in bulk at the natural food store because you figured out it was healthier, cheaper, and only takes 5 minutes of cooking. You’ll want to tweak this to your taste after you experiment with using milk or water, and whether you like a little more or a little less. Simply do the math to make fewer or more portions.

SERVES 4

Ingredients

4 cups milk or water

Salt to taste

2 cups rolled oats

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Instructions:

Put the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil on high heat. Stir in the salt and the oatmeal, lower the heat to medium and cook, while continuing to stir, for 5 minutes until the oats have absorbed the liquid and softened.

Remove from the heat, cover and let sit 2 or 3 minutes before serving.