Selma, Alabama sunrise

Y’all, I am on the breakfast struggle bus. I often don’t eat because I’ve run out of time or the thought and then smell of food will send my IBS into overdrive. So I usually skip breakfast, which isn’t good for my brain. And then I need to eat something when I arrive home but I don’t have an appetite, because I haven’t eaten all day, and often just eat popcorn. I know, that is NOT a good nutrition plan.

And I really skipped breakfast in October because I didn’t want to find myself in need of a bathroom while driving through no-woman’s-land. Or I had to travel early in the morning and couldn’t fit a meal into my tight schedule. So I thought I would find a fix that was easy on my stomach and easy to prepare. Oatmeal is easily digestible for me so I picked up two flavors and kinds for my trip to Selma, Alabama and gave them a try.

The first one was Quaker instant chocolate oatmeal. How could I go wrong with chocolate for breakfast, right? I would never turn down chocolate for breakfast!

The chocolate oatmeal looks promising but smells strange

The oatmeal had an aroma that immediately warned my gut it might be trouble. I added hot water and let it sit, then stirred it to melt the chocolate bits. It continued to smell “off” and I knew it was a miss after the first tiny bite. It also looked like a failed cooking experiment that then went wrong. I couldn’t get past the smell and looks which made me 0 for 1 in the instant-oatmeal-for-breakfast game.

This was before the chocolate oatmeal was stirred, a much better image than after it was stirred

I’d seen high protein Kodiak products before but avoided them due to their gluten content. But the oatmeal seemed to be a safe choice and it included blueberries, which I love. I poured hot water onto the oatmeal and allowed it to sit hoping I would have a better experience. I did and I didn’t. The oatmeal smelled like oats and blueberries so that was a winner.

So far, so good for the Kodiak instant blueberry oatmeal

I let it sit as long as required, expecting it to be soft and pillowy like my mom’s oats.  But the oats remained firm, much too firm for me, even after I added more hot water. So the Kodiak were also no for me making this instant oatmeal 0 for 2.

Adding more water didn’t help my Kodiak blueberry instant oatmeal

I tried them again when I returned home and they became a strong breakfast contender. I cooked them in almond milk, instead of water, and in a double boiler with a few pats of butter. I stirred them occasionally and over time, the oats softened and became fluffy, just like mom’s did. So yes, they were better, but I don’t have time in the morning to stand over a stove and stir breakfast. That’s the entire point of “instant” oats!

So now I think I’m going to try them in my mini crock pot. Surely I can dump, stir, and leave them while the pot does the work? What do you think?

What’s your go-to easy breakfast for busy mornings?

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What’s your go-to breakfast for busy mornings?