Gamer Food: Awesome Oatmeal

Hey guys!   Gonna start a new occasional series on the blog with Gamer Food, easy-to-make, healthy, tasty meals that don't take too much time out of your gaming sessions(and/or life).  We start today with...

Dan's Awesome Oatmeal
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oatmeal(slow cook if you have time, quick oats if you don't, always go for the stovetop, regardless)
1 cup water or skim milk(skim milk adds a little more calories and protein, worth it in my opinion)
1/3 cup greek yogurt(whatever flavor you prefer)
1 tablespoon raisins or dried cranberries
1 tablespoon chopped granola bar(I like nature valley oats and honey)
1 tablespoon chopped nuts(I like walnuts, personally)

Preparation:
Bring the water or skim milk to a low simmer.  Stir in the oatmeal.  Continue to stir the oatmeal slowly, allowing it to thicken until you reach desired creaminess.  Remove from heat.  Add in the greek yogurt, then the other mix-ins, stirring slowly.

The yogurt helps to cool off the oatmeal faster, so you can eat it sooner!  The mix-ins add a bit more in the calorie department, but they round out the meal nicely.  Greek yogurt adds more protein and nice flavor to the(let's be honest here) bland oatmeal.  The cranberries or raisins add some vitamins, flavor, and polyphenols(especially the cranberries).  The chopped up granola bar adds good texture and flavor(which is why I prefer the hard, dry granola bars vs. the soft chewy ones), and the nuts add some more protein and good fats.

All told, you final nutrition facts for the meal are...

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 496
Fat: 18g
Carbs: 99g
Fiber: 12g
Protein: 27g

So the calories, carbs, and fat may look a bit high for a single meal, especially if you're on the fighter diet. Fear not!  There is good fat and cholesterol in this from the nuts, and the high caloric and carbohydrate load are excellent for a morning breakfast as it will give you the fuel you need for an active day(you are working out on a regular basis, right?).  That said, here are some..

Ways to Modify:

To Get Skinny:
Take out the granola bits and greek yogurt, use water instead of skim milk.  Substitute low/no calorie sweetener such as stevia or agave.  Should knock off almost 200 calories and a good bit of fat/carbs.

To Get Big:
Add some more greek yogurt and nuts, and switch whole milk in for the skim milk.  Consider adding some whey protein powder, as well.  This will beef up the calories and protein.

That's it for today!  Tune in tomorrow for a look at starring in your own RPG, with you as the hero of the story(kind of like our Dovahkiin Skills post, but...different...).  Until then, make sure to follow me on Twitter,  like the blog page on Facebook, hit up the Tumblr, and continue to be awesome!


Dan "DaRatmastah" Wallace