Sugar Free Oatmeal

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Ok, if you’ve been following for any time at all, you should know by know that I take breakfast seriously. And by seriously, I mean I seriously hate making decisions in the morning!

This is why you’ll usually find me eating a bowl full of this homemade protein granola. And if I haven’t made my weekly batch of that (or maybe it was so good I ate it already… happens more than I care to admit ) you’ll probably find me with a bowl of overnight oats. HOWEVER, sometimes I have neither taken the time to make a weekly batch of granola nor spent five minutes dumping oats into a mason jar the night before. In the event of this crisis, I make oatmeal. Yes, it takes effort in the morning, but it’s basically the same as what I normally eat which comforts my grumpy morning self.

During my sugar free January I allowed myself to have maple syrup basically because I use it in my granola. However, I’ve got a secret to making my oatmeal sugar free: mashed banana! (Ok it’s not a secret anymore obviously but you know.) I have no idea where I first saw this trick but basically you mash part of a banana (I usually do half) and add it to your oats about halfway through cooking. I originally started doing it because I like the texture it gives my oatmeal — kinda fluffy — but it has the added benefit of naturally sweetening the oats! I used to still add some maple syrup, but I stopped doing that in January and I haven’t missed it one bit. If you’re trying to cut back on the amount of sugar you eat, this is an awesome way to do so!

Like I mention in my overnight oats recipe, oats do contain FODMAPs, which can be problematic if you’re not careful. Technically up to 1/2 cup is low in FODMAPs, but even using that much was making me feel bloated — not the way to start the day! Chia seeds, protein powder, and fat (in the form of nut butter and/or coconut oil) are the stars here to keep you feeling full but not overly so. I’ve even heard people who don’t have chronic gut issues or follow the low FODMAP diet complain that oatmeal makes them super full for like an hour and then they’re hungry again. I’m telling you, this recipe completely solves that!