And I’m not even close to getting sick of it.
After years of protein everything, the conversation has recently shifted to fiber. According to the FDA, the average adult needs to eat 28 grams of fiber per day. When I heard that statistic, I instantly knew I wasn’t meeting the recommendation. So I looked up high-fiber foods and decided that a morning bowl of oatmeal with chia seeds and fruit was going to be key to boosting my intake. I tried a bunch of oatmeal recipes, but I finally overdid it to the point where I was closing my eyes and thinking of something else just to get the oatmeal down. I was officially sick of it.
After that, I spent a few weeks rotating between chia seed pudding and smoothies for breakfast. And that’s when I came across a breakfast video from Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen (you may know her viral beet pasta). Meredith clearly knows food: She’s a New York Times-bestselling cookbook author and has been dubbed the “Gen-Z Martha Stewart.” So when I heard her say, “I’ve made the same thing for breakfast for the past two weeks,” I was instantly sold.
Could this be my new easy breakfast? Meredith’s “hyperfixation” breakfast included a really genius way to use dates … in oatmeal. I wanted to try it, but had I overcome my oatmeal aversion? There was only one way to find out.
How to Make Date Oatmeal
Meredith’s date oatmeal is made by combining one package of McCann’s unflavored instant oatmeal with water, 1-1/2 to 2 ripped-up dates (specifically Joolies-brand dates) and a sprinkle of cinnamon, and microwaving the mixture for two minutes. As the water heats up, it plumps the oatmeal and the dates, with the dates breaking down and becoming so jammy and gooey they’re almost spreadable. Genius.
Even with my oatmeal ick, I knew I had to try Meredith’s oatmeal recipe. I mixed whatever quick-cooking oats I had in the pantry with a 2-1 ratio of water to oatmeal and two ripped-up, unbranded dates. I left out the cinnamon and added chia seeds instead (for the fiber!). Meredith notes that she likes a thicker oatmeal, but if you like a looser oatmeal, either add more water or shorten the cooking time. I like my oatmeal somewhere in the middle, so I microwaved mine for 1 minute and 40 seconds.
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