January is Oatmeal Month, as it is neatly over we should not forget that oats are more than a nutritious breakfast cereal , they are also a convenient, versatile and "good for you" cooking and baking ingredient.

Remember , oats are the only major grain proven to reduce blood cholesterol. They are also a source of soluble and insoluble fiber , witch respectively benefit heart health and the digestiv system.

As I suffer of Crohns disease , an inflammatory bowel disease I have to take great care of my diet. Oatmeal works great for me , I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast but sometimes also use it for preparing any meal of the day.

TOP 10 ways to eat more oats

Are you looking for more ways to add whole grains to your diet? Here are 10 easy ways to eat more oats.

1. Add oats whenever you bake. Substitute quick or old fashioned oats for up to one-third of the flour called for in recipes for pancakes, muffins, biscuits, quick bread loaves, yeast breads, cookies, bars and coffeecakes.

2. Make your own granola. Bake 3 cups oats in large shallow pan at 350 F until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Stir in favorite dried fruits (chop large pieces) nuts and sunflower seeds.

3. Use oats in place of bread or cracker crumbs in meatloaf and meatball recipes. Add 3/4 cup oats per pound of lean ground beef or turkey.

4. Add a flavor and nutrition "boost" to commercial refrigerated cookie dough. Gently knead 1 cup oats into one (18 oz.) tube of refrigerated sugar, chocolate chip or peanut butter cookie dough. Follow package directions for baking.

5. Add oats to toppings for fruit crisps.

6. Make a crunchy salad topping with toasted oat. Bake 1 cup oats in 13 x 9-inch pan at 350 F until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool. Sprinkle over tossed salads, fruit salads, tuna or salmon salad, and egg salad.

7. Substitute toasted oats for the nuts in favorite cookie recipes to trim fat, not flavor.

8. Spread it on! Add 2/3 cup toasted oats to 1-1/4 cups peanut butter and 1/2 cup honey. Spread on apple and pear slices or whole grain crackers.

9. Substitute ground oat flour for bread or cracker crumbs when coating chicken and fish. Process oats in blender or food processor until finely ground. Dip chicken pieces or fish fillets in egg white and water beaten until frothy in shallow dish, then dip in oat flour to coat completely. Repeat. Transfer to baking sheet and spray lightly with no-stick cooking spray. Bake as usual.

10. Power up your favorite fruit smoothie. Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup quick or old fashioned oats to blender container with fruit, low-fat yogurt and fruit juice. Blend until smooth. (For a thicker smoothie, use frozen fruit.)

31 TASTY OATMEAL TOPPERS

Nothing warms up more a cold January morning like a hot bowl of oatmeal. I consider that variety truly is the "spice" of life, here are 31 delicious topping ideas , you have one for every day of the month! Have oatmeal with :

 1. Rasins, brown sugar and cinnamon

 2. Honey and honey crunch flavor wheat germ

 3. Cinnamon-flavored applesauce

 4. Low-fat granola and fat-free milk

 5. Raspberry nonfat yogurt and dried cranberries

 6. Apricot fruit spread and sliced almonds

 7. Sliced strawberries, plain nonfat yogurt and brown sugar

 8. Pancake syrup and chopped toasted pecans

 9. Canned crushed pineapple, sliced bananas and chopped macadamia nuts

10. Strawberry nonfat yogurt and slice kiwi

11. Sliced bananas and vanilla nonfat yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon

12. Reduced fat peanut butter and strawberry fruit spread

13. Chopped dates, walnuts and cinnamon

14. Pear slices, pancake syrup and cinnamon

15. Coarsely chopped canned peaches and ground ginger

16. Diced dried apricots or diced dried mixed fruit and honey

17. Pumpkin or apple butter and walnuts

18. Blueberry fruit spread, vanilla or plain nonfat yogurt and nutmeg

19. Orange marmalade and dried cranberries

20. Coarsely chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and dates

21. Plain nonfat yogurt, orange marmalade and orange segments

22. Chopped dried apricots and honey

23. Cherry preserves and wheat germ

24. Reduced-fat caramel topping and chopped pecans

25. Whole-berry cranberry sauce

26. Applesauce and pancake syrup

27. Berries sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar

28. Sliced bananas and mini semisweet chocolate morsels

29. Warm apple pie filling and fat-free milk

30. Brown sugar and apple pie spice

31. Chopped dried figs and mashed ripe banana

Fiber by gender and age :

Children 1-3 years 

19 grams/day

Children 4-8 years

25 grams/day 

Children 9-13

31 grams/day for boys

26 grams/day for girls 

Teens 14-18 years

38 grams/day for boys

26 grams/day for girls 

Adults 50 and younger :

38 grams/day for men

25 grams/day for women

Adults over 50

30 grams/day for men

21 grams/day for women

DIETARY FIBER - A PRIMER

Fiber is a substance found only in plants, such as fruits, vegetables and grains. Dietary fiber is made up of two main types - insoluble and soluble. Both types of fiber are important and provide benefits to the digestive system by helping to maintain regularity. Soluble fiber has been proven to have some additional benefits.

Soluble fiber has also been scientifically proven to reduce blood cholesterol levels which may help reduce the risk of heart disease. While all plant containing foods contain insoluble and soluble fiber, good sources of soluble fiber include oats, dried peas and beans, certain fruits and psyllium (found in some ready-to-eat breakfast cereals).

Eating three grams a day of soluble fiber from oats, as part of a daily diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. Other studies have shown a positive relationship between the fiber in oats and both blood pressure regulation and weight control. Research in both areas continues.

OATS ARE CREATED EQUAL

All forms of oats - steel cut oats, old fashioned oats (5 minute), quick oats (1 minute) and instant oats contain both types of dietary fiber. Each of them provides the same level of fiber when eaten in the same amounts.

While steel cut and instant oats are best enjoyed as a breakfast cereal, both the quick and old fashioned oats can be used as a fiber-rich ingredient in cooking and baking. Use whole grain oats to coat chicken and fish and as an extender for meatloaf and meatballs instead of cracker or bread crumbs. Add oats to fruit smoothies and toppings for fruit crisps. You can also substitute oats for up to one-third of the flour called for in recipes for waffles and pancakes, muffins, loaf-type quick breads, yeast breads, biscuits, cookies, bars and coffee cakes.

TAKE IT SLOW AND STEADY

When adding oats and other fiber-rich food to your diet, take it slow. Up your intake by a few grams of fiber each week to allow your digestive system time to adjust to your new way of eating. At the same time, increase your intake of water and other fluids.

Spicy oat crusted with sunshine salsa

Ingredients :

Sunshine Salsa

3/4 cup prepared salsa

3/4 cup coarsely

chopped orange sections

Chicken

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon margarine, melted

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon sal

1-1/2 cups Quaker quick oats, uncooked

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon water

4 boned and skinned chicken breast halves (about 5 to 6 ounces each)

Chopped cilantro (optional)  

Directions:

1. In small bowl, combine salsa and orange sections. Refrigerate, covered, 

until serving time.

2. Heat oven to 375 F. In flat, shallow dish, stir together oil, melted 

margarine, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and salt. Add oats, stirring 

until evenly moistened.

3. In second flat, shallow dish, beat egg and water with fork until frothy. 

Dip chicken into combined egg and water, then coat completely in seasoned 

oats. Place chicken on foil-lined baking sheet. Pat any extra oat mixture 

onto top of chicken.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and oat coating is 

golden brown. Serve with Sunshine Salsa. Garnish with chopped cilantro, 

if desired. 

4 Serverings

Nutrition Information:

1/4 of recipe

Calories 440, Calories From Fat 150, Total Fat 17g, 

Saturated Fat 2.5g, Cholesterol 150mg, Sodium 870mg, 

Total Carbohydrates 30g, Sugars 5g, Dietary Fiber 5g, 

Protein 45g. 

Easy apple ginger crumble

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Quaker oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

1/3 cup crumbled gingersnap cookies

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 container (8 ounces) fat-free sugar-free vanilla yogurt 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 F. In small bowl, combine oats, cookies and walnuts

mix well. Drizzle oil over mixture; toss with fork until evenly 

moistened. Set aside.

2. In medium bowl, stir together pie filling and cinnamon. Divide evenly 

between five 6-ounce custard cups or oven-proof ramekins. Sprinkle oat 

mixture over apples, dividing evenly. Place filled cups on cookie sheet.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until apples are bubbly around edges and 

topping is crisp. Cool slightly. Serve warm topped with yogurt. 

5 Servings

Nutrition Information:

1/5 of recipe

Calories 310, Calories From Fat 105, Total Fat 11.5g, 

Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 160mg, 

Total Carbohydrates 47g, Sugars 29g, Dietary Fiber 3g, 

Protein 6g.

Oatmeal chipper skillet Cookies

Ingredients :

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups Quaker oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

Caramel Ice Cream Topping or Chocolate Syrup (optional) 

Directions :

1. Heat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars with electric 

mixer until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. In small bowl, combine 

flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture; mix well. Stir in oats 

and chocolate chips; mix well.

2. Press dough evenly into bottom of 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet.

3. Bake 20 minutes or until top is lightly browned. (Do not overbake as 

cookie will continue to bake after it is removed from oven.) Cool about 

10 minutes. Cut into 8 to 16 wedges. Serve with ice cream and caramel 

topping or chocolate syrup.

8 to 16 Servings  

Nutrition Information :

1/16 of recipe

Calories 190, Calories From Fat 80, Total Fat 9g, 

Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 25mg, Sodium 140mg, 

Total Carbohydrates 26g, Sugars 15g, 

Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 3g. 

Jungle banana cakes

Ingredients :

Topping 

1/2 cup Quaker oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Cakes 

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Quaker oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup fat-free milk

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted and cooled slighlty

1 egg

1 small firm-ripe banana, peeled and sliced (optional)

Directions :

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Spray bottoms only of 12 medium muffin pan cups

(2-3/4-inch diameter) with cooking spray.

2. For topping, combine all topping ingredients with fork in medium 

bowl; mix well. Set aside.

3. For cakes, combine flour, oats, cinnamon and baking soda in large 

bowl; mix well. In medium bowl, whisk together banana, milk, brown 

sugar, melted butter and egg. Add all at once to dry ingredients , 

mix just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened. (Do not overmix.)

4. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups. (If cakes will be eaten 

the same day, press a banana slice in center of each.) Sprinkle 

cakes with topping, dividing evenly.

5. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center, 

comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it and topping is 

golden brown. Let stand in muffin cups on cooling rack 5 mintues. 

Loosen edges with thin metal spatula. Remove cakes to rack. Serve 

warm or at room temperature. 

12 Mini Cakes 

Nutrition Information :

1/12 of recipe

Calories 240, Calories From Fat 80, Total Fat 9g, 

Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 35mg, Sodium 140mg, 

Total Carbohydrates 37g, Sugars 17g, 

Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 4g.