Quick Grain Cereal

Instead of buying instant commercially-made whole grain cereal, here is an easy and convenient way to make your own heart healthy delight. And...it's cheaper than the store-bought variety.

Buy some oat bran in your bulk food section of your local supermarket or online whole foods store.

Put 1/2 cup oat bran into your cereal bowl.
To add variety, add some dried cranberries, dates, raisins and cinnamon.

Bring 1 cup water to boil in either the microwave or on your stovetop.

Pour a little of the water onto the cereal. Stir and keep adding water until you reach your desired consistency.

You can add milk, if desired.

Viola! There it is. You have your own healthy version of a quick and instant whole grain cereal within two minutes. And, you didn't have to open any paper envelopes or boxes to do it. :)

When traveling, simply put the dried cereal mixture in a ziploc bag or other portable container. Take out your desired portion and add water. This is great for hikes and outdoor outings, also.

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Heart Healthy Fruity Oatmeal

Instead of simply eating a bowl of hot oatmeal with brown sugar (or other refined sugars) for breakfast, try this variation. It is all natural, adds extra sweetness and fiber.

Serves 1.

1/2 cup whole oats (oatmeal, quick or regular cooking variety)
1 cup water
1/4 small apple, peeled and diced
1-2 Tablespoons raisins or chopped dried prunes
sprinkling of cinnamon
low fat soy milk

Place water into saucepan on stove top. Cook over medium heat until water starts to boil. Add in oats, apple and dried fruit. Stir frequently. Bring to boil. Lower heat and cook until apples are tender.

Add more water as needed.

Pour into serving bowl. Sprinkle on cinnamon. Pour milk over oatmeal.

If you don't have apple, add fresh blueberries.

Enjoy!

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High Fiber Foods

One of the benefits of eating fiber is the fact it's a natural appetite suppressant. It provides us with a sense of fullness, which in turn, causes us to not want to eat as much.

Fiber is also known for requiring a lot of chewing. Chewing, it is said, causes us to not want to eat as much. Here's my scoop...

This morning I started my day with a bowl full of whole grain cold cereal. Kashi, to be exact. It was very tasty. And, it requiring a lot of chewing. No, wait. It wasn't a lot of chewing. It was so much chewing I almost fell asleep. My jaw hurt. I was pooped from chewing so much. Now, that's too much chewing for my blood.

As much as I may not like hot oatmeal, I'm returning to it. It doesn't require a lot of chewing and I don't get tired from wasting so much energy chowing down on it.

I'm pooped.