A day in the life...

A day in the life by Jaclyn Marie.

My parents are in their late 50’s and retired, so as a nice treat to themselves they decided to take a two month cruise aboard Oceana to sail around South America. Since I am currently awaiting a settlement from a company I launched and sold, and am taking care of their estate and dogs full time, I decided to take some time off from working a 9-5 and work on myself while they are abroad.

On the self improvement side, I resolved to eat better and work on my portion control. By no means am I obese, however I have put on a few extra pounds from the holidays that I would like to drop. In addition to exercise I have been eating much healthier while not losing out on delicious tasting food.

This morning I made myself a delicious steel-cut oatmeal with fresh and dried fruits!

Steel-cut oats, also known as Irish or Scottish oats, are made when the whole groat is cut into several pieces, rather than rolled. Steel-cut oats look almost like barley and this cut gives the oats a bit more texture, for a heartier bite

Steel cut oats could be considered a "power food" because they are an excellent source of protein, soluble and insoluble fiber and select vitamins and minerals. The benefits of steel cut oats exceed the benefits of rolled oats because of the way they are processed.

Steel-cut oats and quick oats have the same nutritional profile because they're both made from whole oat groats. In general, both contain 74 calories, 3 grams of protein and 2 of grams fiber per 1/2-cup serving, according to registered dietitian Leslie Beck, author of "Foods That Fight Disease." The nutritional value may vary greatly, depending on the brand, however. Steel-cut oats and quick oats are high in vitamins E, B-1 and B-2. Eating three servings of whole grains, including steel-cut oats or quick oats, reduced the risk of having a heart attack or dying from heart disease by 30 percent, according to Harvard University's Nurses' Health Study. A 2007 study found that women who ate two to three servings of whole grains daily were 30 percent less likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains. Although steel-cut oats and quick oats are nutritionally identical, watch out for instant oatmeal cereals, which usually contain large amounts of sugar and sodium

Now that you are more informed about steel cut oats let me provide you with a scrumptious breakfast of steel-cut oats and fruit!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked steel-cut oats (cook according to package directions or use Pacific Foods ready to eat steel cut oats. Today I used Trader Joe’s steel-cut organic oats)
• 1/4 apple (gala), chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
• 5 dried cherries (I used ocean spray)
• 5 dried pomegranates (I used ocean spray)

Simply combine ingredients and enjoy!

If you find the oatmeal is not sweet enough for you, you can add a dash of Vermont Maple syrup!

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