I am not a big fan of oatmeal. I have always found it fairly bland.  One time, at a restaurant, I wasn’t feeling good so I ordered oatmeal. They brought me the creamiest, tastiest oatmeal I had ever had. Turns out, it was cooked in milk – what a big difference!!

Recently I added oatmeal back into my morning routine.  I only have it about once a week, on the weekends, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.  I always cook it with dried cranberries (the boiling milk rehydrates the cranberries while it cooks the oatmeal).  Last week I decided to shake things up a bit and toss in some chia seeds as well.

Are you familiar with my friend the chia seed?  They’re not just for chia pets anymore 😉  Two tablespoons of chia seeds contain eight grams of fiber, six grams of protein and almost five grams of omega-3 fatty acids.  That’s a lot of punch for such a tiny seed!!  Hydrated seeds are nearly flavorless, taking on the flavor of whatever they are soaked in, so you don’t have to worry about any kind of weird aftertaste.

Cranberry Chia Seed Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (NOT instant)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp. honey

Directions:

Bring milk and water to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Once milk is boiling, stir in oatmeal, chia seeds and cranberries.

Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tsp. honey.

Enjoy!!