I always keep oats on hand for breakfast or a snack I like to top off my yogurt with oats and brown sugar. I make oatmeal cookies with the oats, I add raisins or dates to the cookie mix along with chopped apples and if I have another high fiber cereal I will add that to the mix to increase the amount of fiber in the cookies.
I think oats are okay and definitely a good option for when you are trying to save a bit of money but it's not really my favorite go-to meal when on a budget or trying to stay healthy. I eat it maybe once or twice but if I had to eat some daily I just would stop enjoying it as much. If I'm really trying to keep healthy and keep myself within a budget I'd most likely just go for vegetables and vegetable products because it would cost me about the same and I enjoy the flavor a lot more while still being healthy as well
The oats I ate when I was growing up were the oldest ones out there, and I've seen them the world over LOL They're called Jungle oats, just horrible. If I remember right, they used to add golden syrup in them for us, and I hate syrup. They were also made them with milk. They're so gross, it didn't actually help LOL
@Lushlala, So the brand Jungle Oats really tasted that bad as compared to Quaker Oats? Maybe they differ in texture, because both taste bland anyway.
You know, the thing about oats is that they're versatile. They can be eaten anytime, anywhere and in various different ways. Thank goodness Quaker invented instant oats. This cuts back the time you spend for preparing a single bowl. Personally, I prefer to eat oats for breakfast. They're more effective that way. It's not that it's unhealthy to eat oats as your snack but I'm not used to it. I'd rather munch on biscuits or cookies.
No Sidney, Jungle Oats are the ones I grew up on and those were terrible, very plain and boring! Weird texture too. But now Quaker have brought out all these gorgeous flavours and the oats are so yummy. Flavours like apple and blueberry, sultanas, raisins, cranberry and apple and honey and vanilla etc; my personal favourite is apple and blueberry, sultanas, raisins, cranberry. I make it with milk and it's absolutely gorgeous. My husband adds a dollop of thick cream, too. Very naughty.
Oatmeal for breakfast is something I only like in the winter and then not too often. Actually, I find myself eating oatmeal as a snack sometimes more than for breakfast. I always add fruit or cinnamon and sugar. Sometimes jam. Mostly, though, I eat oats in cookies and fiber bars.
Now I am behind. I don't really look for Quaker Oats in the supermarket, but I haven't heard that they came up with new flavors for it. If I don't see any then it's not available here, lol. I just googled them and they look yummy.
Oh, I can assure you, Sidney; they ARE really nice I guess brands make different products for different countries, different target audiences. I only used to have access to those delicious Quaker ones in England. We have Quaker in Botswana, but only the plain ones I might have to ask someone to send me a food package LOL
@Lushlala, How much do those flavored Quaker Oats cost? Do they use real fruits or dried ones? lol. I guess they don't think they would sell in 3rd world countries, huh? All my life I only saw the plain ones, and I never saw any commercial for the flavored ones!
I hate the taste of boiled oats, even with lots of sugar, milk or yoghurt. I tried it voluntarily. Nobody forced me, for I understand the health benefits of oats. However, it's grass like taste completely puts me off. I even tried sprinkling spices and pepper, but nothing could make it palatable for me. I'd now try it with chilli sauce and coriander/parsley. I suppose, I can gobble it in loads. It's best for cholesterol, however.
@sidney: The oats don't cost much, to be honest. -and they use dried fruit and nuts. It's such a shame that we don't get all those flavours in the third world, because I do believe they'd be popular
@Lushlala, I think they think that only Western countries would buy their products? Or they think that the 3rd world people are "too poor" to buy oats? Lol. They should spread that product worldwide, because it's not expensive anyway. Over here, Haagen-Dazs closed all their stores last 2012 because they could not meet their target profit. Well, I do find their ice cream quite expensive!
I really like oats, but I can't have them for breakfast, any time I do I end up hungry again in less than an hour. They're great as a snack though, which is why I eat them as my mid-morning snack.
I also like overnight oats. I layer it with vanilla yoghurt and berries in a tall glass and by the morning it tastes delicious. I haven't tried coconut milk though. That sounds good. I also love flapjacks made with oats and honey and oat biscuits.
Hehe probably, Sidney! It's a shame because all these companies are concerned about is their bottom line, they all have all these outrageous targets to meet. If a market doesn't generate their envisaged figures, that's it, they close their doors and go elsewhere. We've noticed that in Botswana, even the size of the chocolate bars are smaller LOL Not that I'm complaining; i like that because I don't feel guilty about grabbing my favourite chocolate bar because it's about a 1/3 smaller than the standard
