Of the numerous things I am terrible at with respect to living a healthy lifestyle, eating a proper breakfast is probably top of the list. I’ve just always been bad at breakfast. From the moment I was given the freedom to decide when I could wake up, I’ve invariably timed my mornings so that I snooze until the very last possible moment before I can shower, get dressed and be out the door. At 16, I’d usually grab a Diet Coke on my way out of the house. By the time university rolled around, breakfast was something you might be eating because you managed to stay awake long enough for the cafeteria to re-open the following day. Fast forward to my mid-thirties and I am kind of embarrassed at my abysmal record of eating the most important meal of the day. I mean, why would any food-loving person squander the opportunity to fit in a whole extra meal?
I’m not going to yammer on about the nutritional importance of breakfast, but I will say that recent efforts to eat something within an hour or so of waking up have made a huge difference in my workday. I have more energy, I don’t eat complete junk for lunch because I’m starving by the time noon rolls around and I can get stuff done like a complete boss before 11 a.m. Up until this week, I was relying on the generosity of my partner, who graciously decided to include me in his morning protein smoothie routine. But this week, I discovered steel-cut oats, and you guys, they are so good. They make regular-ass oatmeal seem so bush league. And there’s a way to make a whole batch that will last you throughout the week, so if you’re like me, you can finally stop sucking at breakfast.
The oats most of us are familiar with are rolled oats, which are in fact oat kernels that have been steamed, rolled, steamed again, then toasted. The kind of oats you find in instant oatmeal are even more processed and broken down so the oats cook quickly and usually contain pretty high levels of sugar and artificial flavourings. Steel-cut oats, on the other hand, are really just oat kernels (called groats! Who knew?), which have simply been chopped up into a couple pieces with a steel blade. While there’s apparently not actually a huge difference in nutritional value between the rolled and steel cut variety, the best part of the steel-cut oats is the nutty flavour and slightly chewy texture they will impart to your oatmeal. The rub? They take longer to cook (anywhere from 15–25 minutes on the stovetop, depending on how cooked down you like your oats).
I’ve read about all manner of “how to make steel-cut oats overnight” for people who don’t have time to put these together in the morning: making them in a slow cooker, cooking for one minute and leaving covered overnight, soaking in hot milk and shaking every few minutes for an hour. While you’re welcome to try any of these, you can really just take the 20 minutes to make a big batch for the week, then portion it out and heat it up with a bit of water each day to thin it out and you’re good to go. And for the die-hard snooze buttoners out there — I’ve taken to bringing individual-sized portions with me to work and nuking it there — just adding milk, fruit and nuts that I store at work. Now you’ve got no excuse.
Steel-Cut Oatmeal
Makes enough for 4 breakfast-sized servings
1 cup steel-cut oats
2 cups water
1 cup milk
Pinch of salt
Optional:
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
1. In a medium saucepan, bring water and milk to a boil, then stir in oats and salt. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 18–25 minutes, until oats reach desired consistency (I like mine on the chewier side). Add vanilla, sugar/syrup and cinnamon.
2. Portion into bowls and top with your favourite toppings, adding extra milk to suit your taste. See here for topping inspiration — I’m partial to berries and almonds, or toasted coconut or macadamia nuts and peaches. If reheating, add a bit of water or milk to thin out and heat on the stovetop, or for about a minute in the microwave.
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork.