I am always inspired by the wonderful oatmeal variations at KERF, and I took this opportunity to cook Sunny Side Up Oats for breakfast for my Dad, who loves both oats and eggs. I started with basic oats (1/2 c. oats; 1/2 c. milk; 1/2 c. water) and then sprinkled asiago cheese and placed an egg cooked sunny side up on top. My Dad enjoyed this variation and said that it kept him full for the next 4-5 hours on the golf course.

While I do love traditional Irish bread, it can be somewhat messy to cut, and these muffins are a great alternative. They have a nice light texture, and will complement any breakfast.

1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 c. raisins
6 T butter
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat the muffin tin or foil liners (12) with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients and raisins. In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. While it melts, in a large bowl, whisk the egg and buttermilk, then whisk in the melted butter. With just a few quick stirs, turn the flour mixture into the wet mixture. The dough will be quite stiff. Fill the muffin cups, and bake for 18-20 minutes.

-Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour

After my initial success with spaghetti squash, I was ready for another experiment. If you remember, I struggled to cut the squash in half, but this time I asked a staff member in the produce department to cut it for me, and he was happy to help. Problem solved!

There are many different recipes for spaghetti squash pancakes, and they can be made sweet or savory. My friend Lee came over for the experiment, and brought some amazing strawberries and blueberries which we used as toppings, along with plain yogurt. The pancakes were very enjoyable, and reminded us of potato latkes. Now you have two great reasons to try spaghetti squash!

4 c. cooked spaghetti squash
2 T whole wheat flour
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper
4 t olive oil

Mix squash, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper and form into patties. Heat oil in a large frying pan, and cook the pancakes on medium heat for about 10 minutes on each side.

There are a lot of recipes around the Web for reduced calorie muffins, similar to Vitamuffins. I will definitely do a product review of these at some point, but today I wanted to bake! I had 2 ingredients I really wanted to use: fresh blueberries (on sale this week at Stop & Shop) and oat bran. I didn’t want to use an artificial source of fiber or a large quantity of sugar substitute. So, I did some recipe combining, and overall I liked the result. The muffins are not very sweet but they have a nice texture.

1 1/2 c. uncooked oat bran
1/2 c. white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. granulated brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 egg
1 c. skim milk
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 t vanilla extract
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 c. blueberries

Combine egg, milk, applesauce, and vanilla in a small bowl. In a separate, large bowl, combine oat bran, flours, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the wet mixture to the dry mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir in the zucchini and blueberries. Pour into 12 lightly sprayed muffin cups. Bake about 20 – 25 minutes at 350F.

This is my favorite oatmeal variation at the moment. PB & J is not just for lunch! It’s satisfying and keep me going all morning long.

1/2 c. oats
1 c. skim milk
1 T peanut butter
1 T jelly

Cook oats and milk in a saucepan on medium heat. When the desired consistency is reached, stir in peanut butter and jelly.

Who doesn’t love chocolate for breakfast? This is another fantastic oatmeal variation. You can find bags of frozen dark cherries at Trader Joe’s. I use them directly from the freezer without defrosting. There’s no need to feel guilty about the chocolate either since 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder only has 20 calories. Enjoy!

1/2 c. oats
1 c. skim milk
1/4 c. cherries
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
Sugar or Splenda to taste

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the oats reach the desired consistency.

I love to start the day with a warm bowl of oatmeal, and the variations are endless. The blueberries were purchased in season and then frozen (thanks Mom!) and they made me think of summer. This was the first time I toasted walnuts in the microwave, and it worked fairly well. I probably could have cooked the nuts for another minute, but I was afraid of scorching them. Overall though, this was a wonderful bowl of oats.

1/2 c. oats
1 c. skim milk
1/4 c. blueberries
2 T walnuts

Mix oats, milk, and blueberries in a saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts in a single layer on a dish, and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir, and repeat the process 2 more times. When oats reach the desired consistency, stir in the walnuts and serve.

Black eyed peas bring luck for the new year, so why not eat them to start the day? This recipe is an adaptation of Hoppin’ John, a traditional Southern food. I really liked this recipe and would definitely make it again. It had a lot of flavor and made a tasty breakfast.