My Pre-Cooked Oatmeal vs. Overnight Oats

I'm sure some of you have wondered why I bother to make big batches of pre-cooked oatmeal rather than follow the newest trend to "overnight oats."

The biggest reason is my personal preference for my oatmeal texture. From little up, I loved nice hot hearty oatmeal. The key word is "hearty" - "hot" is a secondary factor.

I found after trying it that "overnight oats" just do not cut it for me. They do not satisfy my hunger. They are wimpy. It's one of the reasons I no longer eat "instant oatmeal" from packets now as well. Years ago, at onsite jobs, I often kept those instant packets in my desk for quick but reasonably healthy snacks at work. These days, I prefer to make my own mixture. And those overnight deals just are not hearty enough for me.

When I cook the "old fashioned" oats, they are thick and very very satisfying. I find it simpler to make a really big batch in one of my wonderfully large, vented-lid microwave bowls. I measure for 6 or 7 servings of the oatmeal at the bottom. I add my favorite flavorings from healthy spices: sprinkles/pinches, per serving, of ginger and/or nutmeg and/or cinnamon. I add 1/4 cup of either raisins or cranberries or chopped dates/figs per serving. I toss in about that amount of dry roasted unsalted peanuts from a jar because a friend inspired me to realize they soften in the cooking. And I add some form of apple - either diced-and-nuked or crock-pot-diced or applesauce (either from the jar or just pureed from apples). I add liquid per serving.

I nuke at 60% for 5-1/2 minutes, stir, and add more liquid if needed, and then cook regular/high for another 3 minutes. Then I pack into serving sizes.

The prep/assembly is faster than it might appear because I know my routine now and it's so automatic and doesn't even take me 5 minutes to get everything into the bowl to cook. Once it's done, I've got hearty, healthy oatmeal for myself for at least half a dozen servings, just ready to heat. At the heating stage, I add some milk because by then the cooked oatmeal has thickened nicely.

Anyhow, boring as that may have been for some of you, I hope it explains why I find both the instant packets and the overnight oats ever so wimpy, wimpy, wimpy... I really love my hearty version.