Ever since the temperature started to drop, I’ve been all about my oatmeal in the mornings. On my kitchen counter you’ll find a massive glass container full of old fashioned oats that I eat my way through very quickly.

I’ve been trying out a lot of new ways to spice up bowls of oatmeal. First of all I always make sure that there’s at least one (preferably two) servings of fruit in every bowl I eat. One great way to do this is to cook a banana into the actual oatmeal (a la Kath’s whipped banana oats). I find that when I do this it eliminates any temptation I might have to add sugar to my oats because the banana adds a wonderful natural sweetness. For extra flavor I’ve really been loving a tiny splash of vanilla in the mix.

Another trick I have is to toast the oats in the hot pan on their own for a few minutes before adding the liquid. It only takes a couple more minutes, and the warm, toasty flavor that it gives is so awesome.

Let me show you some of my favorite bowls from the last couple weeks!

This bowl has oats cooked with almond milk and half a banana, topped with a diced apple (that I roasted in a hot oven while the oatmeal was cooking), cinnamon, and a drizzle of molasses.

This next bowl was definitely a treat.

I cooked the oats with a banana and soy milk and topped them with toasted coconut and a dollop of Nutella. SO delicious!

Remember when I mentioned that I’m obsessed with caramelized bananas?

This is oats cooked with soy milk and cinnamon, topped with caramelized bananas and a molasses drizzle.

Since it’s fall, I’ve really been enjoying adding a big spoon of apple butter to my oatmeal for that festive flavor. I’m on the last jar of my homemade apple butter from last year’s harvest! Time to go apple picking again!

Mug full of oats cooked with a banana and soy milk, and topped with apple butter and lightly toasted almonds.

And last but not least, this morning’s breakfast!

Oats cooked with a banana and soy milk (sensing a trend here?) and topped with apple butter and a drizzle of peanut butter.

There are so many ways to flavor and top oatmeal that there’s really no reason for it to ever be boring. I’ve only just skimmed the surface in this post!

-Lauren

Are you an oatmeal person, too? What’s your favorite way to eat it?