When it comes to breakfast, I tend to have a hard time mixing things up Monday through Friday. I am a creature of habit by nature and it can take some encouragement to try something new in the morning. I usually stick to a quick and easy bowl of cereal, a protein smoothie, or an easy egg sandwich on an English muffin. These meals always taste delicious, never let me down, and are hard to mess up when I am in a hurry to get out the door. After my first experience with protein pancakes on a Wednesday, I have some anxiety about trying new recipes during the work week. However, on the weekends I am much more open to change.
I have been eyeing Courtney and Ashley’s ‘Custard Oats’ recipes lately, and decided to give it a try. Custard Oats is basically stovetop oats with an egg or egg whites whisked in at the end of the cook time. It’s an ingenious way to enjoy a hot bowl of oats while getting in a hefty dose of protein that will keep you full for the morning ahead. After apple picking on my anniversary and eating an apple a day for a week now, I still have at least 10-15 apples left in the bag. In order to eat all of the fruit before it goes bad, I know I will have to get creative in the kitchen. This weekend I whipped up my own version of Custard Oats, and added a finely diced apple into the mix.
Apple-Cinnamon Harvest Oatmeal
(Serves 2)
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats
- 2 1/2 cups water
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 apple, finely diced
- 1/4 cup egg whites
Toppings:
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons walnuts
- sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, add oats, water, salt, flax and cinnamon.
Whisk together and bring mixture to a boil. Continue stirring to keep oats from burning on the bottom of the pan, and to keep clumps from forming.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn heat to low and add in apple and whisk in egg whites.
Continue whisking for about 1 minute and let the apple heat heat through, simmering for another 2 minutes. (Cook an additional 3 minutes if you prefer apples to be less crunchy).
Place oatmeal in bowls and top with 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 tablespoon walnuts on top of each serving. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.
The oatmeal turned out tasting as good as it smelled, and it warmed our stomachs and kept us full for hours. Serve this on a cool autumn morning to start the day in a healthy, filling and delicious way!
Questions:
- What are your favorite apple recipes? Feel free to link-up to the best recipes you love!
- Have you tried custard oats before? What are your thoughts?
- What are your favorite add-ins, or toppings, for your bowl of oatmeal?
Your oats look so yummy! Custard oats are seriously my favorite…eating some right now, actually
Thanks Courtney! Your eats always look delicious and make me want to get in the kitchen and cook!
So perfect for a chilly fall morning! Perfect!
Yes definitely! Warmed my belly, and my soul!
I still have a ton of apples left from apple picking and this looks great! (: Thanks for the awesome new recipe!
Ha ha I think that I will be eating apples every day for the rest of the month! Not that I am complaining though, they are are delicious!
I definitely like nuts and sometimes dried fruit. I like adding raisins because they soak up moisture and get all plump.
Walnuts and Pecans are a favorite topping of mine! So is peanut butter!
I love the sounds of your version! I’ll have to give the apple addition a try! I’d also add some maple almond butter or peanut butter to top it off. I’d highly recommend trying a whole egg too… The consistency is even more “custard-y” and delicious!
Great plan! To be honest, I didn’t even think about putting in a whole egg, but I can definitely see how the yolk would give it that rich, custard taste. Definitely making a note for next time!
Mmm, these oats have “fall” written all over them! Great job working them apples
A long long time ago I was OBSESSED with egg white custard oats. I would literally add something like 6 egg whites to the mix and NO yolk at all because I thought that was the “fat part”. Pshhh
Well, it turned out that between my gross version of custard oats and my only other egg white omelette breakfast, my body started becoming intolerant to egg whites! It was nuts, I got an allergy panel done and everything! I had to lay off of eggs completely for about 2 years, but lately I’ve been tolerating them well! However, no more gross egg white custard oats for me.. haha.
Okay, I officially wrote another blog post in your comment section
Oh my gosh! I have never heard of something like that happening before! I am glad your body is starting to adjust back to tolerating the egg whites again. Ashley’s comment above yours mentioned adding a whole egg to make the oats more rich and ‘custard-like’ and next time I am definitely giving that a try!
Thank you for your comment! You always have something meaningful and helpful to share!
Yum! This looks so good! I’ve only tried custard oats once before; I have to make them again!
Yes definitely! They were very good, and a lot easier to make than I thought they were going to be!
That looks delicious and sounds pretty easy! I’ve never tried custard oats but they sound pretty awesome!! Thanks for sharing
You are welcome!
I am glad they have caught your eye! The custard oats were so easy.. if you can stir, then you can make them! lol
I have never tried custard oats either but I love trying new toppings for oatmeal. This weekend I had oatmeal with sliced banana, walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Then I made pumpkin steel cut oats. My favorite all time breakfast is steel cut oats with cinnamon apples (search for cinnamon apples on my blog for the recipe).
I am a huge fan of oatmeal toppings too! I love the banana/ walnut/ chocolate recipe you recommended! I will definitely have to check out the cinnamon apple recipe!
Yum! Your oatmeal looks so good! Apples have been such a fresh fall treat lately (even in Moscow).
Thank you! I am glad to see that apples are growing everywhere! Nothing screams fall more..