You know when you have a houseguest coming to stay and you want to be a good hostess and you ask them if they have any comfort items they can’t live without? “What kind of pillow do you like? Do you have any preferred snacks? What do you eat for breakfast?”

“I like oatmeal for breakfast!” Cyndy gleefully responded. Cyndy is my Mother-in-Love*, whom I absolutely adore, so I bought it for her. Even though I hated oatmeal. Hated it.

*Formally, Cyndy is my “mother-in-law”, but we were vacationing together in a villa in Italy and someone there told us that that title translates to “mother-in-love” in Italian. It is easily one of the best souvenirs I’ve brought home from any holiday. Love you, Cyn.

An overhead shot of a delicious looking bowl of oatmeal, peanut butter and honey are melting on the surface. The dish is topped with slice bananas, blueberries, toasted pecans, large flake coconut, melty honeycomb, hemp seeds, and bright, little, purple flowers. There is a gold spoon beside the bowl.

When Cyndy arrived for the aforementioned visit and it was time for breakfast I shoved the bag over to her and stepped aside. Normally I’d make my guest breakfast but, oatmeal? Yuck. No, thank you.

Several visits, that same damn bag of oatmeal, and a lot of encouragement later, I finally succumbed to her (loving) encouragement to try it and, to my absolute surprise, I actually liked it. It was most likely because I stirred in a LOT of peanut butter and honey and ensured each spoonful included a slice of banana.

This all to tell you, this oatmeal recipe is gooooooood. I love it now. It’s like having dessert for breakfast. If it was able to convert this hater,… it has to be delicious. Full disclaimer though, it has considerably less pb+h than that first time.

Ingredients for the peanut butter and honey oatmeal are placed on a beige linen cloth. Oats in a bowl is predominant in the centre, blueberries have been washed in a berry bowl. There is liquid honey in a reused Riviera yogurt jar; peanut butter in a little Weck jar; toasted pecans and coconut, hemp seeds, and purple flowers on a rectangular plate; salt and cinnamon are on a little plate in the background. A gold spoon invites you to want to dig in.

How do you cook oatmeal?

There are several ways to cook oatmeal but I’m talking about making it quickly in the morning. Microwave or stovetop are my go-to methods. I’m still testing a baked oatmeal recipe and I have yet to try overnight oats. I cannot fathom eating them cold. Nope. Can’t do it. Don’t want to. I suppose I could warm them up? Hmmm. I’m going to look into this one.

Regardless of your cooking method the ratio is the same, 1:2. One part oatmeal to two parts water. And salt. Please, don’t forget the salt. I consider an individual serving of oatmeal to be 1/4 cup.

If I’m making oatmeal for one or two of us I use the microwave because two of our cereal bowls fit on the turntable. Please note that you must use a sizeable bowl; the oatmeal/water mixture needs to expand, let’s say, double in size, so it won’t spill over. If I’m making oatmeal for three or more people I’ll cook it on the stovetop. Same ratios. If you cook it on the stovetop, choose a larger pot than you’d think. Don’t use the smallest pot you have. Oatmeal needs some room.

A side shot of a delicious looking bowl of oatmeal, peanut butter and honey are melting on the surface. The dish is topped with slice bananas, blueberries, toasted pecans, large flake coconut, melty honeycomb, hemp seeds, and bright, little, purple flowers. There is a gold spoon in the bowl.

How do I choose the type of oatmeal?

There are so many flavour variations and combinations you can create to enjoy oatmeal, not to mention other types of oatmeal! The options are endless and we’ll explore many more varieties and combinations in the future. This recipe is just to get you started.

The large flake oatmeal we buy is Rogers Original Porridge Oats & Healthy Grains. Along side the large flake oats they blend in oat bran, wheat bran, and flaxseed. We chose this product to add more fibre to our diet. Seems responsible! #tellmeyoureinyourfortieswithouttellingmeyoureinyourforties.