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Turn Steel Cut Oats Into Quick Cook Oats

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:00:16 PST

The importance of eating a healthy breakfast everyday is pretty well known in these parts, and having a bowl of steel cut oats definitely fulfills this requirement. Steel cut oats are a great way to fuel up in the morning because they are high in fiber, protein, and calcium. They also keep you full until lunch, which is helpful when trying to avoid that mid-morning crash.

Good things don't come easy though, as steel cut oats take about 45 minutes to cook. This might be OK on a lazy Sunday, but many of us don't have extra time to spare when we're trying to get to work during the week. But if you prep your oats the night before you can enjoy a warm satisfying bowl in about 10 minutes the next day. Learn how when you

In a medium to large saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
Stir in 1 cup of steel cut oats and let cook for one minute.
Turn off heat, cover pot with lid, and forget about it until the next morning.
When you wake up turn the heat back on and bring the oatmeal up to a boil. Reduce heat, and let simmer for about 7-10 minutes, stirring often. At this point, you can also add any spices or sweeteners to your oatmeal like cinnamon, nutmeg, or brown sugar.
Spoon the oatmeal into a bowl and top it off with fresh or dried fruit and chopped nuts.

If you've never had steel cut oats, Winter is the time to try them since it's such a warm, comforting dish. I think steel cut oats are fuller in flavor than quick cook oats and have a better texture too. To save even more time in the morning, make a big batch of steel cut oats over the weekend, which you can store in the fridge for about a week. Then all you have to do is rewarm yourself a bowl before work.

Source: Flickr User sleepyneko

What's With All the Different Kinds of Oats?

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:00:31 PDT

Need a little extra fiber and protein? Then reach for some oats. You can make oatmeal, use them to make cookies, add them to smoothies to thicken them up, or grind them to make flour. There are a few different kinds of oats, so how do you know which to choose? Check out the chart below.

	Steel cut oats	Old-fashioned oats	Quick oats
Description	Also called Irish or Scotch oats, these are cut, not rolled. They look like chopped up rice, take the longest to cook, and have a slightly chewy consistency.	Sometimes called rolled oats, these look like flat little ovals. When processing these oats, the kernels are steamed first, and then rolled to flatten them. They take longer to cook than quick oats, but are quicker than steel cut oats.	Also called instant oats, these oats are pre-cooked, dried, and then rolled. They cook in a few minutes when added to hot water, and have a mushy texture.

Want to know how they compare nutritionally? Then keep reading

Back on Track: Start Cooking Your Steel Cut Oatmeal Tonight

FitSugar — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 05:00:00 PST

Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day. It fires up your metabolism and sets the tone for your day. A nice warm bowl of steel cut oats is a great way to fuel up in the morning, but the 30 minute plus cooking time is a little daunting for any morning, especially Monday. However, I have a great work around to this time consuming problem. It does require a little bit of pre-planning, but I am sure you have it in you to think ahead to tomorrow's breakfast.

Before you head to bed:

Boil water in a heavy saucepan – four cups for four servings of oatmeal and two cups for two.
Remove water from heat when the water is a full boil. Add oats – 1 cup oats for four servings and 1/2 cup for two.
Cover and forget about your pot of oats until morning. Sweet dreams.
Upon waking, with the lid on bring oatmeal to a boil (at this point I usually add a fair bit of cinnamon).
Once your oatmeal is boiling, remove the lid and stir occasionally for five to eight minutes, or until oatmeal is the desired thickness.

Try it tonight to start your week off right!

Source

Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day

FitSugar — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 04:00:00 PST

Did you skip your breakfast? Well don't. You need the meal to set the energy tone for your day. Eating first thing in the morning helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, which regulate appetite and energy. So without breakfast, people crash mid-morning and generally reach for quick energy food like sweets or drink an extra cup of coffee. In turn, these food make you crash. So by lunch you're crabby. Eating breakfast can help you keep a positive attitude throughout the day.

Plus, skipping breakfast is NOT a good dieting technique. For the reasons listed above and studies have shown the people who eat breakfast have an easier time maintaining their weight. It all seems to go back to the idea of lifestyle changes and creating healthy habits.

The study also found that whole grain cereal had the most healthful affect on participants.

Fit's Tip: Start the day with steel cut Irish Oatmeal. It'll keep you full. Try this short cut I use: The night before bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add one cup of oats, add some cinnamon, cover and turn off the heat. The next morning turn the heat on keeping the lid on for a few minutes. Take the lid off and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes. YUM.

A Doctor Dishes: Which "Superfoods" Are Worth the Cost?

LearnVest — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Most people you speak to these days are trying to stretch every dollar as far as possible - even the ones they spend buying apples and oranges.

Food prices are expected to increase yet again this year, and food manufacturers are making portions smaller without reducing prices. Not surprisingly, a recent Rasmussen poll found that 93 percent of adults report paying more for groceries now than they did a year ago.

So how can we supercharge our grocery dollars and get them to do overtime for us?

Yes, some foods are obviously a better nutritional deal than others (think apples vs. potato chips), but there’s another class of foods that blows the rest of the field away in terms of nutrients and health-protecting qualities: superfoods.

Superfoods can help prevent diabetes and heart disease, repair damage to your body’s cells, and more. But before you go piling them into your cart, know that some superfoods are better nutritional bargains than others. As a doctor and a mom, I’ve sleuthed out which ones are worth the extra cost in terms of their long-term health benefits. Below is the scoop on which ones may help you age better, ward off cancer, and more.

What to Know Before Buying Superfoods

Before we dive into what to buy, there are a few important things to remember about consuming these foods:

Eating foods fresh and in their natural state, especially fruits and vegetables (rather than in pill or powder supplement form), usually allows us to absorb the greatest amount of their nutrients. The way a superfood is processed or cooked can significantly lower its antioxidant content.
If the superfood can’t be eaten fresh, look for easy and appetizing recipes containing it. No matter how “super” a superfood may be, if you don’t know how to cook it, you’ll probably let it go to waste.

Are Superfoods "Good Buys" If I’m Shopping on a Budget?

Read on to find out.

How to Get More Out of Your Breakfast

Jenny Sugar — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:29:30 PST

Your first meal of the day jump-starts your metabolism, gives your body fuel to move, and energizes your brain. That's why breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. For under 400 calories, you can choose some pretty healthy options such as yogurt with fruit, oatmeal, or an omelet. To make your meal even healthier, check out these tips.

Add milk to your yogurt and granola. Pour on half a cup of skim milk and you'll add 4.4 grams of protein, 158 mg of calcium, and 210 mg of potassium, all for just an extra 45 calories. Not only that, but it makes your bowl much creamier.
Eat whole eggs rather than egg whites. Egg whites might be lower in calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat and contain most of the protein, but the yolk contains all the vitamins like B12, vitamin D, and iron. If you eat two large eggs, it's about 142 calories, and three egg whites is 51, but remember those 90 calories are packed full of vitamins and minerals. If you're not worried about your cholesterol, enjoy whole eggs for breakfast.
Add greens to your smoothie. A banana, some berries, and a handful of almonds are ingredients for a super healthy smoothie, but you can up the nutritional ante by adding a cup of spinach or a kale leaf to the blender. Low-calorie greens add fiber, iron, calcium, and protein, and when they're ground up with fruit and yogurt, your taste buds will never even know they're there. If you don't believe me, try this Peachy Keen smoothie featuring spinach.

Continue reading for more healthy breakfast tips.

Breakfast Ideas For Healthy Skin and Fewer Wrinkles

Prevention — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:11:00 PDT

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

Reduce wrinkles and look younger with your a.m. meal
By Mara Betsch, Prevention

There's more to getting healthy, glowing skin than buying the perfect anti-aging skincare products. "You can put on all the makeup and concealer in the world, but unless you're eating a diet full of beauty foods, your skin will not look its best," says Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, the author of The Beauty Diet.

Start your morning off right by whipping up these beauty-boosting breakfasts. They're full of beauty foods that protect your skin and keep it looking young, fresh, and absolutely radiant.

Omelet Italian-Style
Tomatoes add juicy flavor to this simple omelet, but they also boost skin health. "Tomatoes are the number one skin-friendly vegetable," says Jessica Wu, MD, a Los Angeles dermatologist and the author of Feed Your Face. Studies show that eating these bright red veggies may help fight sunburn, boost collagen, and even reduce skin roughness.

Get the Full Italian-Style Omelet Recipe!

Fruit and Spice Cut Oatmeal
Besides being heart healthy, this steel-cut oats breakfast may improve your complexion. While instant oatmeals are often packed with sugar, this recipe instead relies on spices, fruit, and a touch of honey for flavor. "Sugar may contribute to wrinkles, and there's research that shows that following a diet lower in refined carbs improves adult acne," says Drayer.

Try it Yourself! Get the Fruit and Spice Oatmeal Recipe

Keep reading for more anti-aging recipes!

The Health Benefits of Eating Breakfast

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 01:57:20 PDT

Except for weekends, breakfast is often the meal that either gets ignored or rushed through - does grabbing a banana as you head out the door sound familiar? With such busy schedules nowadays, breakfast often becomes an afterthought, when it really should be a top priority in morning routines.

We always hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day - but why is this true? In a way, breakfast is "breaking the fast" because after sleeping for eight hours and being without food during the night, our brain and muscles need energy and fuel to function. And the glucose in food (as well as the vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and protein) is how we get this energy. With this rush of nutrients and glucose to our brains, we are better able to concentrate, focus, be productive, and be in better spirits - no waking up on the wrong side of the bed!

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of breakfast time.

A Reader Recipe: Pumpkin Oatmeal With Cranberry and Pecan

Fit Community — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:45:07 PDT

Check out this recipe for pumpkin oatmeal with pecans and cranberries from FitSugar reader For The Love Of Fiber. She shared it in the Healthy Recipe community group.

This oatmeal is a powerful and nutritious breakfast for any Fall morning. Combining all of the flavors of the season with heart-healthy and glycemic index-friendly steel cut oats and metabolism-boosting cinnamon, this meal will keep you going well until lunch. Use organic ingredients when possible.

See the recipe after the break!

Get Fit For 2011 Winner's Circle

FitSugar — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:02:04 PST

Please help us in congratulating the latest winners of of our Get Fit For 2011 giveaway.

Week four: lenore234 - read her recipe for steel-cut oats with banana, raisins, and almonds.
Week five: kennay2010 - here's her quick lunch workout.
Week six: debnicole - check out her fitness goals.

Each of these gals won a $100 Nike gift card! The more you participate, the more chances you have to win our weekly prizes and ultimately our grand prize - A Get Fit Boot Camp in Los Angeles, which includes a roundtrip flight to Los Angeles, a four-night stay at the W Hollywood, a personal training session with celebrity trainer Jeanette Jenkins, a nutrition consultation with C&J Nutrition, and four workout sessions with our very own FitSugar editors that will be featured on PopSugar Living TV!

Have you completed the seventh challenge? Share your favorite healthy snack in our Get Fit For 2011 group by 11:59 PST Sunday, Feb. 27. Stay tuned for your eighth challenge; we'll be posting it Monday morning.