Elvis Oatmeal

Not gonna lie, I'm completely ripping this idea off from Cheap Healthy Good.  They mentioned it once in a cheeky way, and I was hooked with the idea.  If they read this, they'd shake their heads and wonder how, in the midst of the great recipes available, I have latched onto this as the nectar of the gods.

But I have.  It's amazing.  It's the perfect breakfast--fruit, whole grain, protein, "good" fats--in a warm, gooey, satisfying bowl that you can huddle around to warm up in the winter.

I hated oatmeal growing up.  Hated it.  I associated it with the porridge you would serve street-worn orphans.  The gummy pasty grossness that either was too fake and sweet or devoid of all flavor just did nothing for me.  Even now, the memory brings back a grimace to my face.

You too may hate oatmeal.  I clearly understand.  But I feel that you are, like I was, suffering under the delusion that what you were eating was oatmeal and that there could be no other oatmeal.  Allow me to introduce you to steel cut oats.  They have a more distinct texture and nutty flavor, and they can be endlessly combined with spices, fruits and nuts for breakfasts galore.  I even use it to thicken soups occasionally!

Similarly, I was not to keen on Elvis when I was younger.  I didn't understand the glamor or the appeal.  Then I visited Graceland.  Just walking through that hall of records is enough to make a believer out of you.  Plus, the house is amazing.  Go visit.

So in honor of mistaken first impressions and as an offering of peace to Elvis and oatmeal, I present Elvis Oatmeal.

1 c cooked steel cut oats
2 T natural peanut butter
1 T agave nectar
1 banana, sliced

Combine first three ingredients and mix until well blended.  Top with sliced bananas.  Turn on your favorite elvis tunes, put on that leisure suit, and dance around your kitchen.  Alternately, if you want to make a week's worth, cook up 1 c uncooked oats using a 4:1 ratio of water to oats.  Add in 1/2 c peanut butter, a generous squirt of agave and mix.  Top with bananas as you serve.

costs:
oatmeal: .10
banana:  .15
peanut butter:  .25
agave:  .25
Grand Total: .75