Simple Cinnamon Oats Breakfast Recipe to Kickstart Your Day

Oats breakfast was a staple growing up, and I’m sure that is partly why I grew up healthy and strong. My grandad is also someone who has eaten oats for breakfast almost every morning, and I’m sure this has something to do with why he is 96 years old and still around!

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Jump straight to the recipe

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Why Oats for breakfast?

Oats is a whole grain.

Whole grains contain all parts of the grain – the endosperm, germ, and bran. Refined grains, on the other hand, are processed and usually only contain the endosperm.

So whole grains are whole foods and are packed with nutrients like protein, fibre, B vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. As a whole food, they can have been shown to have health benefits, In particular, they can be good for gut health, because the fibre they contain serves as food for the healthy bacteria in the gut.

Also, because oats are a whole grain, it is broken down in the gut much slower (compared to refined grains like white bread, pastries or cereal). This results in a slow release of energy, keeping you full for longer.

I’d encourage you to do a test, where you eat a bowl of oats for breakfast one morning, and monitor your hunger and energy levels. Then, have a refined grain – like white bread, a pastry or cereal – the next morning, and monitor your energy and hunger levels. Notice any differences? I know I did!

That said, there is no one way of eating, so see what works for you.

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Simple Cinnamon Oats Breakfast Ingredients

As you may know, I love keeping my recipes as simple as possible. Below you’ll find the ingredients I use for this recipe, but feel free to add any extras you like!

 

Oats

As mentioned above, oats is a whole grain. So it’s a nutritious whole food, packed with essential nutrients. It also keeps you feeling full for longer, sustaining you better than refined grains until lunchtime.

The oats I get here in Italy is called “Fiocchi di Avena” meaning “oat flakes”. It’s just simple plain-old oats. Per 100g has 12,5g protein, 9,5g fibre, 7g fat (1,3g are saturated) and 57g carbohydrates (0,7g is sugar). So it has a good amount of protein and fibre which is what I want in my breakfast. Of course, being a grain, there are lots of carbs. I find many people, women especially, are a bit scared of carbs. I was once like that but I realised later on that carbs are such an essential source of energy for the body, and I just focus on healthier sources like whole grains. That said, I do keep portions reasonable when it comes to oats – instead of a giant bowl of oats, I generally stick to about 35g of uncooked oats per serving (which is about a quarter of a cup).

Milk and Water

For oats porridge, I always add in double the amount of liquid in relation to the oats. This makes it simple to measure if you don’t like weighing ingredients. So, if I were to make half a cup of oats, I’d add 1 full cup of liquid.

For this particular recipe, I use half plain water and half goat’s milk.

Dairy works differently for everyone, so you’ll need to see what works for you.

I grew up having quite a bit of dairy, including a glass of cow’s milk in the evenings. And throughout my 20s I consumed cow dairy regularly. Then, a few years ago I did a Whole30 cleanse, and quit dairy for 60 days, At the start, I was so worried about excluding milk – “OMG, how was I going to drink BLACK coffee and tea, how revolting!?” But, after those 60 days without any dairy, I realised that cow’s milk didn’t really work well in my system. And ever since, I don’t really ever drink cow’s milk, and only really have cow’s dairy on occasion – in cheese, yoghurt or the odd tasty gelato.

That said, a bit of milk is nice in oats because it adds a creaminess. You can, of course, use any milk you like. My personal favourite is currently goat’s milk. My dad, who is allergic to cow’s dairy, has goat’s dairy instead. And he recently told me that scientists have found that goat’s milk is closer to human milk, compared to cow’s milk. And this makes it easier to digest.

Anyhow, as always, see what works for you. And, if you don’t’ like using any milk at all, just use water.

Mixed Seeds

Oh my gosh, my love for seeds knows no bounds!

I’ve always loved nuts, but when I was on a strict budget a few years ago, I opted for sunflower seeds instead of nuts, because they were cheaper. After doing some research on seeds, I realised that this under-rated ingredient was a nutrition powerhouse! So many people focus on nuts, but seeds pack just as much of a punch.

Later on, when I was studying health coaching, I discovered Dr Fuhrman. He had seeds under his top 6 healthiest cancer-fighting foods, which he calls the G-BOMBS – Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries and…. SEEDS.

For my porridge, I use unsalted mixed seeds which contain flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. You can get whatever mix or seed you prefer, or even create your own personalised blend.

Every seed is packed with nutrients and usually contains a high amount of protein, fibre and healthy fats. While seeds are super nutritious, I do also keep an eye on my portions with seeds, as I do with oats. Especially as a seed-lover like me, it’s easy to just throw in a ton of seeds. However, they do still contain quite a lot of fat (even if they’re healthy fats). So I do tend to just be aware and add in a few teaspoons, instead of just throwing in half a packet.

My portion control with seeds and oats is not about being restrictive, it is more about being mindful. I make what I feel is enough for me nutritionally.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a wonderful spice that I’ve only just recently fallen in love with.

We don’t have sugar or honey in the house, so cinnamon adds a lovely sweetness and aroma.

Growing up I thought cinnamon needed to be used very sparingly because it could go bitter. However, I’ve found that I can be quite generous with the cinnamon and it never goes bitter. I add about half a teaspoon while cooking, and then I sprinkle more over the finished bowl just before serving.

Banana

Fresh banana is great in this breakfast. Especially if you aren’t adding any extra sugar or honey, the bananas add a lovely natural sweetness, especially combined with the cinnamon.

Bananas have many health benefits, like any whole fruits that are all packed with essential nutrients. Bananas are also versatile and can be used in so many different recipes. They add a creaminess, a sweetness, and often bring different ingredients together beautifully.

I add one whole banana chopped up, for each of our bowls. You can, of course, add as much as you like.

Another alternative is to add apples. When I do add apples, I chop them up and add it to the porridge while it’s cooking. This warms and softens the apples slightly, which I personally like a lot.

Optional extras and making it your own.

This is just the base recipe, just the way I like it. And I want to encourage you to make it your own so that it can become one of your staple nutritious breakfast recipes too!

Use a milk-water ratio that you prefer – perhaps even all water or all milk. Add in seeds you love or sprinkle some of your favourite nuts on top. Add more or less cinnamon. Use another fruit… it’s yours to customize!

Another important thing to remember when making your oats is the thickness. Some people like oats porridge quite firm, while others like their oats quite liquidy. It’s important to find your perfect balance. I generally like mine somewhere in the middle. I always add double the liquid to oats, and then, while it cooks, I stir and monitor the thickness. Usually, I add in a splash of water or milk if it gets too thick.

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Ready to try this Simple Cinnamon Oats Breakfast?

Please remember, this recipe makes 1 PORTION. If you’re just making 2 portions, simply double the ingredients.

If you make this recipe, share your creation with me 🙂
Share in the comments below or take a photo and tag @livethewonderful.life on Instagram.

Keep shining
xoxo Sian