Living in a Cereal World

Have you ever woken up and said to yourself, I want to try oatmeal pancakes? I hadn't either, until a few weeks ago. I don't know why but I dove into some 'net research and settled on this one:  Oaty Pear 'n Pecan Pancakes . I had the oats, of course, some Aunt Jemima pancake mix that needed to be eaten, and a pear. I omitted the pecans but I can see how they would complement the oats. The texture of these oatmeal pancakes is a little...textured, I guess. They're not gritty; the oats have softened somewhat. But you can tell the difference from a regular pancake. And the chopped pear cooked up just enough for me to be able to tolerate it. I'd actually forgotten to consider that when choosing this recipe.

So a few weeks back I made a  sugar-free banana bread . Why sugar-free? I thought for the occasion there'd be plenty of other sweets/baked goods, so I was just trying to be courteous. Also I needed a simple recipe due to time constraints. Since there's no sugar, the flavor really hinges on the bananas. They have to be just the right amount of ripe, and I think I could've used a whole cup. But it tastes exactly how you how might imagine, like a banana bread with no sugar. I should've brought along a flavored cream cheese or butter; I ate it as is, but you might prefer a topper. Maybe next time I'll do healthy and sweet. It's possible!

I used to eat Nature Valley granola bars all the time in college; in fact, it was one of my four food groups--granola bars, Lunchables, Pop Tarts, and Hot Pockets. Little did I know that the College Student Diet was going to screw with my gums. You know those long slivers of oat that you sometimes find in granola bars? I had one of those get stuck deep in my gums one too many times, which made them (already sensitive no thanks to yours truly) puffy and red, and I decided, that's it, no more Nature Valley. So I've gone *coughcough* years since trying any  new Nature Valley products but the granola finally piqued my curiosity. Also the coupon helped. I went with the basic Oats 'n Honey so the flavor wouldn't mask any shortcomings. And, actually, there aren't any. The texture is nothing like the granola bars. It has a nice toasted crunch which also rounds out the honey's sweetness. It's not so flimsy that it immediately gets soggy or full of hard chunks that ...

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but I'll admit it again: I've never had Grape Nuts. Ever in my life. Never. I'm still not entirely sure what they are--some kind of nugget-y thing. I know there's no grapes or nuts involved. So I thought I'd try Grape Nuts Fit because there's a little more to it. Then my mind was made up for sure two weeks ago for two reasons: there was a coupon attached, and the flavor was Cranberry Vanilla. I didn't realize it had a flavor. The cereal consists of the original Grape Nuts, granola, puffed barley (which reminds me of Golden Crisp), and nicely-sized dried cranberries. I didn't really pick up on a vanilla flavor but that might've been overpowered by the other cereal I mixed with this. I can't see myself eating a bowl of this straight, so I'll continue mixing.

Even though I haven't blogged all the side dishes yet, I still thought I'd wrap this up today. The most important thing I learned is that with a little planning, you don't have to rely so much on boxed sides. This plays to my strengths of plans and lists. Lots of lists. It's a great opportunity to try more grains and eat more vegetables. I hadn't anticipated that part. And since it ended up being not that hard, I don't see a reason to give it up. There's still so many recipes out there--I couldn't possibly get to them all.

You may recall an entry from a few weeks back: I tried mmm...muffins Blueberry Muffins oatmeal and  I screwed it up.  I also said I'd try it again with a few adjustments. Okay, one adjustment, really. I used the same small pot as before, adding water and oats together (which is not  what the package directs). Then I brought it all to a boil, turned it down and simmered for 90 seconds. Finally I took it off the burner and put a lid on it for two minutes. Ta-da! Real oatmeal. It seems these rolled oats just take a little bit longer to cook--that's the difference between barely softened, runny oat water and actual  oatmeal. It still has a more chewy texture than the instant oatmeal you're used to but the flax seeds provide a crunchy contrast. Also, your desired thickness may vary so definitely lift the lid and check after the first minute. I could've splashed some milk on there to loosen it up a little but it wasn't a huge deal.

Seriously, I think I've made three recently and there's others that I haven't gotten to yet. This one is a Vegetable Rice Pilaf , another simple side dish where I just had to throw in some frozen vegetables. I was worried it wouldn't be enough but the ratio of vegetables to rice actually worked out fine. I think my bag was supposed to have lima beans in it but I swear I didn't see any. There's really not much more to add. Mild flavor, simple side.