By Melissa Woodson
I’ve always been a huge fan of oatmeal for breakfast. It’s hearty. It’s warm. It’s comfort in a bowl. But for as it fills me up in the moment, I often find that it doesn’t quite hold me over until lunchtime. Luckily, I discovered a little trick that amps up oatmeal’s staying power for only about 35 calories and no extra fat.
The secret? Egg whites! I was skeptical at first, but once the whites are whipped in, you can’t even taste them. What’s more, they make the oats incredibly creamy and fluffy. Give this recipe a shot, and you’ll be hooked, too!
Protein-Packed Oatmeal
Serves 1*
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup each water and unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any milk you like)
cinnamon, to taste
1 sliced banana, divided
2 fresh egg whites
splash of vanilla
1 T. almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
1. Add oats, water, and milk to a small saucepan and heat over medium high until bubbling.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and add ½ sliced banana and cinnamon. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring often, until oats have absorbed most of the liquid.
3. Whip the egg whites and vanilla together well with a fork. They should be slightly foamy.
4. Slowly add the whipped egg whites to the oatmeal, stirring constantly. Raise the heat to medium and continue stirring oatmeal until the egg whites are absorbed, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add the rest of the sliced banana. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
6. Transfer to a bowl and top with almond butter.
*Feel free to double the recipe for 2 or if you like a bigger bowl of oats.
Melissa Woodson is the community manager for @WashULaw, a Masters in Law offered through Washington University in St. Louis that is considered a premier LLM degree. In her spare time, she enjoys running, cooking, and making half-baked attempts at training her dog.
