Oatmeal / Granola

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Oatmeal is certainly touted as one of those “miracle” foods. It is basically good for you. High in fiber, no fat, sticks to your stomach like Elmer’s glue, cleans out your plumbing, taking bad cholesterol with it, and can be eaten even without dentures. I used to dislike it with a passion. I still dislike it in most forms. But now I can tolerate it in some forms. The easiest way for me to consume oatmeal on a regular basis is in a bowl of homemade granola, recipe here. It is really easy to make. Use the flaked coconut if you can get it (they had a lot at Metro Grocery in Market!Market!) rather than the more commonly available “dessicated” coconut here in the Philippines. Better yet, add lots of dried fruit to the granola like blueberries, cranberries, apricots, dried mango, papaya, etc. and it really tastes rather good. I make a big batch (probably good for 30-35 breakfasts) and store them in big bottles or garapon.

When on a diet, I eat my granola every other morning… sometimes with gran2a little low fat yogurt and a banana, or with skim milk. Lately, I have been “doubling up” and making plain oatmeal with a little skim milk (porridge-y consistency), then I top it with my granola with dried fruit. Have this with a glass of V8 vegetable juice and your plumbing will be clean as a whistle by lunchtime, guaranteed. :) So here is the mystery question of the day… if cows only eat grass and oats (do they eat oats?) and they turn out nicely marbled, fatty steaks, how come humans have to eat grass (lettuce) and oats to remove all the same kind of fat??? Heeheehee. Serious scientific answers are not expected.

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29 Responses

  1. and don’t forget to use old fashioned rolled oats! the big kind, not those flakey starchy quaker oat type of oats. i add dried jackfruit, papaya, mangoes and pineapples in mine ü

  2. I think grass fed cows are raised just for their milk (dairy cows), they are allowed to wander in the hay field and hence their meat will be lean, tougher and no marbling at all. Cows raised for their meat are fed with corn so that their meat will have this marbling, they are not allowed to roam around much less move about in their stalls, and for the prized kobe beef, they even get to drink beer and a massage every now and then ;-)…So if you pamper them, what they produce is bad for you,,,just like the politicians.

    I do love the oatmeal cookies from Mrs. Fields, and costco sells this delicious granola mix in 2lbs plastic containers, they are realy great for 10am snacks at the office.

  3. I cook my oatmeal in porridge-like consistency with low fat milk, salt, and lots of nuts – walnuts, pecans and almonds. Sometimes I add raisins and dates or eat it with banana. I start my day like this for the last 12 years! I am so dependent on oatmeal if I did not have it in the morning, I feel like having a withdrawal syndrome. I like granola but I tend to eat more. I can nibble on granola any time of the day not just breakfast. The sugar in granola is the big offender. Yes, oatmeal keeps your plumbing on schedule and leaving it immaculately clean too! In answer to your mystery question, I would assume we have different digestive tract than cows.

  4. Try steel-cut oats ! It is way way better than your papery, pulpy-tasting instant oats. Because of the way it is processed, the individual grains after cooking become plump and nutty definitely taste way better. McCann’s is an excellent choice.

  5. Hi MM, the link to the recipe does not seem to be working.=)

    I have to lose weight, so making my own granola rather than buying it ready mixed would save me money and motivate me to replace some of the choco chip cookies I have been eating lately. Hehehe.

  6. With the fightening amount of fat I consume thank god I actually love oatmeal…weird no? Sometimes I cook it with grated apple…really good :) I saved your granola recipe when you first posted it…in fact, I think it may be the first recipe of yours I saved!

  7. grass fed cows have less marbling, corn fed cow has more marbling, simply because grass fed cows are more like free range and their corn fed brothers are just standing in one place in a barn eating lots of starch. . . hehehe. . . yep I love oats, oatmeal, granola, muesli, oatmeal cookies, oat bread. . . yummy yummy yummy and healthy. . .

  8. i love my oatmeal in ovaltine…so does hubby and son….

    your cow-human question had me stumped….bakit nga kaya?…will have to ask the next cow that passes by….hehehe

  9. actually, there are 2 types of table-grade cattle: grass-fed and grain-fed. actually MM, grass-fed cattle are exactly as you expect them to be, very lean. there’s hardly any marbling going on and generally, their meats tend to be tougher from all that grazing in the outback.

    grain-fed cows on the other hand are quartered in small fenced-in ‘feedlots’ so they don’t have to walk to where the food is, the food comes to them (aaahh.. the grain-fed life), hence their oh-so-tender meats. their grain feeds are formulated with a chocful of everything sinful and healthy (if there is such a thing) giving the cows a nice fat marbling, which i consider really as an artwork on the cuberolls.ü

    another mystery question, MM, is why do leather jackets have to be dry-cleaned when you don’t see them cows running to the shade when the rain comes?

  10. I only eat oats in this form. Ok, I dont want to be scientific but it is something to do with digestive tracts ability. If we do “kain ala baka” and we have the same chambers as they do, I wouldnt eat granolas as part of a detox diet! I’ll probably feel too heavy eating all the greens and burp…MOO!

    I remember at the farm, they make a mixture out of oats, corn and whatever leaves were those and give it to the cows as some kind of a cure to a tummy condition(?) Buti they don’t shout out loud, “success”!

  11. So if you pamper them, what they produce is bad for you,,,just like the politicians.
    –Hehehe, love that, Ted! How very true!

    And as for stadaenko’s follow-up mystery question: In the movie “Shall We Dance,” a similar question was raised. Why are leather garments ruined when we spill food on them, when you wouldn’t see cows covered in, say, grass stains? Again, this is rhetorical anda scientific answer is not expected. ;-)

    MM, I really love cereal; it’s one of the few healthy foods I enjoy. So I was chagrined to learn that it’s NOT allowed in Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet! It may sound bizarre to you, but I actually think of oatmeal, granola and muesli as treats!

  12. Same with you MM, I hate oatmeal and I will not eat it even if you shove it down my throat. I don’t like its texture and its lack of taste. Moreover, it looks like the gawgaw mix we use to paste posters on the walls come campaigning time. Hehehe. But if you say that with the concoction you have, it will taste better, then I say that it’s worth a try. I seriously hope that it works for my taste buds since I know that it’s really good for your body.

  13. What timing! After being sick for almost the entire Christmas season, this was just what the doctor recommended – oatmeal. It was like a “death sentence” when I heard it but now, I look forward to having homemade granola. Thanks MM!

  14. Wow, I learned something new from all of you who responded to MM’s msytery question of the day. I thought all cows are the same! Anyway, I’m an oatmeal consumer too. Got to be to remain healthy.

  15. i buy mine from organic store and always add fresh slices of banana and semi skimmed milk
    so far i dropped weight I place the whole crew on a diet too

  16. Hi everyone, I was away for a few days…will try to catch up on comments: Nikita, yes, the more old-fashioned or closer to original form, the healthier, also the more like a horse you will feel…heehee. Ted, I agree with most of what you say, but as for Kobe beef, mostly the whole massage and beer routine is apocryphal, or blown out of proportion. They probably just get the cow drunk before they kill them so that their muscles won’t tense when they are being slaughtered. Maria Clara, if you make your own granola, you can sweeten it with honey, which is a bit better than granulated sugar used in commercial preparations. Christophe, I have never come across steel cut oats…hmmm, I am curious now. Joy, my apologies, I forgot to make the link live…it is fixed now… Joey, I look at it as the brillo pad of foods… I have yet to try YOUR recipe with green apple… stadaenko, I wouldn’t dry clean my leather jackets, just buff them. And here is another question to your question, why do they call it dry clean when they actually get SOAKED wet in a chemical solution? Heehee. Katrina, we shave off all the protective hairs that would otherwise prevent the grass stains… think if you had a full head of hair and a bird pooped on you, the hair would keep it from getting to your scalp and staining it!…hahaha. I jest. bugsybee and Hchie, try the recipe, its really good and easy…don’t overcook. Have lots of different dried fruits to make the granola over the top yummy…

  17. I just saw a cartoon where the son asks his dad “if milk and cheese are full of fat and cholesterol and may contribute to cardiovascular disease, why don’t cows die of heart attacks?”

  18. i also hate eating oatmeal porridge style. aside from granola the only way i’ll eat it is as Bircher Muesli. simply soak a cup of whole oats with low fat milk until just covered. add your choice of dried fruits and leave it in the ref overnight. in the morning add a grated apple (use the largest holes of the grater), sliced bananas and yogurt of your choice. you may add honey if you like it sweeter. this mixture will keep for about a week in the ref. its so yummy and healthy!!

  19. I eat my Old fashioned oatmeal with a sachet of choco drink and sliced bananas. It’s super yummy. I don’t like like quick cooking oatmeal though. There is no bite to it. i like them chewy.

  20. All you oatmeal lovers and healthy eaters will probably cuss and curse me for doing what I do with my bowl of porridge-like old-fashioned oatmeal for breakfast.

    Like you, Mr. MM, I never liked oatmeal before. I know it’s one of the healthiest foods around, and for years I’ve been trying to find ways to make it palatable. Last year I finally discovered how to make it tasty. How? I add a tablespoon of condensed milk.

    YUMMY!

  21. I think the reason why cows have fat saturated muscles even though they only eat fibres that is practically fat free has something to do with the process of natural selection. Fat is a form if stored energy which the cow’s body can use in time of famine.Maybe the current breed of cows have special enzymes that can convert grass into fat and muscle and this breed is the one that survived the numerous famine throughout the ages, whereas those breed that doesn’t store much fat died out.In human, the fibres in the veges acts like a sponge that absorbs the fat in our body and pass it out as stool.

  22. my answer to Mila’s question; it is because we dont let them live long enough to suffer the bad effects of having a cholesterol laden body.

  23. love oatmeal myself but i use the steel cut oats, just soak overnight and cooks well in the morning, add a tbsp of two of butter (real one) and a little salt, then i add dried cranberries for sweetness. this is specially good for lactose intolerance, and no added sugar. for kids make regular oatmeal and toss hot cocoa mix. just like champorado.

  24. We make our own batch at home too. We use old-fashioned rolled oats, raisins, nuts (cashews, sliced almonds, or walnuts), bran flakes, and other dried fruits (whatever you like). I pour enough lactose-free skim milk over it and wait a few minutes for the oats to soften. I eat this almost everyday or every other day or whenever I feel like I ate too much oily/fatty food. It really is a good way to loose weight.

  25. Yes, definitely…Oats are really a good food. Safe and highly nutritious. It is rich in fibers, omega 3, etc that help in preventing colon cancer, high blood, and it is a good source of energy. gives this filling effect after eating even with small amounts only.

    BTW, question, do you know where in manila can we buy cheap oats, cereals, (granolas in general) ?? :)

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