Peanut Butter Banana Raisin Oatmeal

Jan 16, 2020

I've been hooked on oatmeal for about 2 years, and have been refining my recipe. I look forward to it every morning and want to share it.

You can cut it in half for a more normal sized portion (the portion I do is a lot of food especially in the morning). It's hard to believe how cheap this meal is for the taste and nutrition combo.

Ingredients

  • 1 Banana (~$0.20)
  • 1 cup of Rolled Oats (~$0.35)
  • 1.5 cups of Water (measure this - 1.5:1 Water:Oats ratio is key)
  • ~1/4 cups of Raisins (~$0.44)
  • ~2 teaspoons or so of Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (~$0.15) - Maranatha is the best
  • ~1 tablespoon or so of Flaxseed Meal (~$0.15)
  • Cinnamon to taste (about a teaspoon) (~$0.05)
  • Some kind of nuts/seeds topping (ex: pumpkin and sunflower seeds, or almonds) (~$0.50-$1.00)

Total Cost:
~$2.00 (full portion and toppings)
~$1.00 (for half, a more normal-sized portion)

Instructions

  1. Bring 1.5 cups of water to beginning boil on medium heat in small sauce pan (can cover to make this faster).
  2. Pour in 1 cup of oats.
  3. Slice in 1 banana in about 1/2in disks with spoon. Going thinner lets the banana melt more into it, especially as you stir it - like making a batter for banana bread.
  4. Add in desired amount of raisins (~1/4 cup).
  5. Add in a spoonful of peanut butter (to taste) and stir it around. We want this peanut butter to melt and get evenly distributed.
  6. Once the peanut butter is in, the water should start getting thicker so keep stirring somewhat actively to avoid it sticking to the bottom.
  7. After a minute or so, add in a tablespoon or two of flaxseed meal and stir until everything so far is evenly distributed (it will accelerate water absorption and thicken it well)
  8. Keep stirring until the end - lifting up and around the sides to avoid sticking.
  9. After a minute or so it should feel like it's getting closer to a pudding consistency. Once the water is mostly gone, and it starts producing some air pops, whistles at you, or seems like the consistency you'd want to eat it at, stir in the cinnamon and any other toppings like pumpkin/sunflower seeds. You can turn off the stove at this point.
  10. Pour into a bowl, let it cool for a couple minutes, and enjoy!

Nutrition

Packed with calories, fiber, and protein, this meal will easily leave you satisfied until lunch.

Full portion:
695 Calories
17g Fiber
120g Carbs
25g Protein
Lots of good vitamins/minerals in here too

Let me know on Twitter how you like it and what modifications you make. It's my version of oatmeal but oats in general are a canvas for many great flavors and nutrition profiles if you change up the ingredients.