Irish Oatmeal with Dried Fruit

We've decided we need to eat more healthily. We eat a fairly healthy diet, but the first year of marriage (and its Freshman-15-like weight-gain) has taken a bit of a toll, so we're cracking the whip! The first step? A healthy breakfast. Those of you who follow me on Twitter know I've mentioned that we are currently 'eating down the fridge' (where you try to use up the food you've got at home before buying more...great for the creativity AND the wallet!), and in taking stock of what we had on hand, I discovered a nearly-new container of Irish Oatmeal from Trader Joe's, along with an almost-completely-full bag of Craisins (dried cranberries), and a few dried blueberries. Hallelujah, breakfast is served!

A piping-hot bowl of oatmeal is the perfect way to start the day, especially now that the weather has gotten distinctly colder! And the dried fruit will flavor the oatmeal and sweeten it a bit, without any added sugar!! For those of you that haven't tried Irish Oatmeal, give it a shot -- instead of the oats being rolled/flattened like Quaker, they're cut in half, so it's got a great texture and is supposedly better for you (perhaps because it's closer to its natural form???) Anyway, Irish Oatmeal is delicious, but it does take a bit of time to make. My secret? I make it the night before, so all we have to do in the morning is heat and eat. Perfect!

PS I cook it differently than it recommends on the container, because I've found it burns too easily and is harder to make with their instructions.

Makes: 4 servings for Husband + 3 for me (portion control is another part of our new plan :) )

8 cups of water
2 cups of Irish Oatmeal
A few handfuls of your favorite dried fruit (I used cran & blueberries, but anything would work)

Bring the water to boil in a LARGE pot , and pour in the oatmeal. Turn the heat down slightly, and boil for 5 minutes, watching carefully (I used the tallest pot I have, probably 8-10 inches, and it still almost boiled over...!) Once the liquid starts to turn cloudy/it looks like it's starting to thicken, turn the heat down to medium, add the fruit, and cook for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. This is step does not require constant attention, but you want to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom, so a stir every few minutes will tell you if you need to adjust the heat, etc. Once you get to 20 minutes, check it to see if you like the texture -- if you do, you're done! If not, keep cooking for a few more minutes. I tend to leave it a little 'wet' as I know it will dry out a bit when we reheat it.

Once it's done, I scoop it into plastic containers with an ice cream scoop (3 scoops for him, 2 for me), let it cool, and then pop it into the fridge. And voila! We've got a healthy, inexpensive breakfast for almost the whole week right at our fingertips!

*You could also top this (or plain oatmeal) with homemade jam, to add a little flavor and some fruit without a ton of sugar, etc.

Enjoy! ~ Newlywed Chefette