How to Add Flavor to Your Oatmeal

One of my favorite breakfast foods is plain oatmeal. I love Quaker's Old Fashioned oatmeal for its nutritional value and quick and easy preparation. It's a whole lot better for you than most packaged cereals. However, eating it plain isn't a very enjoyable experience. Sometimes I want to add a little flavoring to it. But what to add?

I know, I know. I could just buy the flavored oatmeal packets instead of the plain stuff. Sure, that would solve my flavoring problem, but have you checked the nutritional facts on that stuff? It's packed with sugars and other unnecessary junk. I'd rather do things the harder way and get more nutritional value out of my breakfast.

Here are some ideas I've come up with for adding a little bit of flavor to the plain oatmeal.

Ahhh, there's nothing like fresh fruit! Pretty much anything you have available will go well with oatmeal, but some of the best are:

• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Apples

If you don't have access to fresh fruit, jams are good, too. Almost any jam or jelly will go well with the oatmeal. Just drop little dab of your favorite jam into your bowl, and mix well!

Honey is great for flavoring oatmeal! Just drizzle it in to taste, and mix. I usually add a teaspoon or two to a full bowl of oatmeal.

Tip: Honey and bananas together are one of my all-time favorite things to flavor my oatmeal with! I mash up one banana in a small mixing bowl, add about a teaspoon of honey, and a little bit of milk (to make combining the banana and honey easier). I stir everything together with a whisk and add it to my bowl of oatmeal!

Mix a few spoon fulls of your favorite applesauce into your oatmeal. If you're not too keen on plain applesauce, try buying some that is flavored. Cinnamon applesauce is a good one, and would go great in your oatmeal!

Nutella seems to be hugely popular right now. I know people who will literally sit down and eat half a jar of this stuff by the spoon full. While I'm not quite that fond of it myself, it is pretty tasty. I add just a tiny dab to my oatmeal and mix it in. Be careful, though. I've found that adding too much will cause the flavor to become a bit overwhelming. Plus, Nutella isn't really all that great for you. 100 calories in just one tablespoon, people. That pretty much defeats the purpose of eating oatmeal! So I tend to go super light on the Nutella when I use it.

If you're a fan of soy milk, try adding it to your oatmeal! Some soy milks have amazing flavor, and they will make your oatmeal taste better, too! Try using less water than you normally would when you cook the oatmeal, so it turns out really dry. Add the milk in and stir.

If you like yogurt, you might like it as a flavor booster for your oatmeal. It's healthy, and comes in tons of flavors and varieties. Try spooning some of your favorite yogurt into your oatmeal. Mix in a little fresh fruit for some added flare!

I love to add cinnamon to my oatmeal, especially in the wintertime, when cinnamon-flavored foods and goodies are in season. You could also try nutmeg and hazelnut.

Don't really care about the health value of your breakfast? Aside from the Nutella I mentioned above, here are some other less-healthy ways to flavor your oatmeal.

• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Butter

Is there something that you love to add to plain oatmeal that isn't listed here? Please let me know about it in the comments! I'm always looking for new ways to flavor my plain oatmeal, since I eat it for breakfast nearly every day!