Microwave Oatmeal

There's no need to spend money on instant oatmeal, when this takes only a few seconds longer and tastes SO MUCH BETTER!  If measuring 1/2 cup of oats in the morning is too much, then measure them out and put in baggies the day before - do enough for a couple of weeks at a time.  You could even add dried fruit, nuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon to your mixes.  Then just add water and microwave.  Lately I've been using some freeze-dried diced apples with a hint of cinnamon and brown sugar.

Microwave Oatmeal - Basic Recipe for 1

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. water

Put in a large cereal bowl (it needs room to boil) and microwave 2 minutes on high.  I've found that sometimes I need to adjust the time when I have different brands of oats - one needed 3 minutes to get soft enough and another only needed 1 1/2 minutes, so cook until it's the texture you like.  You also might prefer to add more water, but I like mine fairly dry since I top it with milk or almond milk.

I like to add toppings like 1/2 cup of frozen berries or chopped apples and cinnamon (microwave 30 seconds longer) or 1/4 cup pumpkin puree, chopped bananas, and pumpkin pie spice.  Also fresh fruit like berries or peaches are great, or some dried blueberries and walnuts.