I used to enjoy eating Quaker oats, boiled till nice and mushy and sweetened with condensed milk. Eventually, they came out with the instant version where we just need to add hot water, no need for any boiling for a prolonged period of time.
I don’t know when or why I stopped eating it but I always enjoyed those rich and creamy oats cookies/biscuits from Jacobs and anyway, it is not easy to get hold of condensed milk here these days – what they are selling everywhere are sweetened creamers made from palm oil, not cow’s milk.
It so happened that I read somewhere that if I take three tablespoons of oats every day for a month, it will help lower my cholesterol. Remembering how I used to enjoy eating that, I made my way to one of the neighbourhood shops to buy a pack. Yes, they have Quaker but the instant ones and I think I saw somewhere that those aren’t as great.
In the end, I settled for a pack of these organic rolled oats…
…which I have to boil for quite sometime before they become mushy and soggy enough to be eaten.
Of course, I cannot add any condensed milk as I am supposed to stay away from dairy products as well. Needless to say, they are not very palatable, bland and quite a chore to eat and at times, I added a little bit of honey or our low GI gula apong (nipah sugar) but even so, after a while, I, more or less, gave up.
I told my sister about it and she went and ordered this huge pack of dried cranberries…
…for me. It’s from the same people who came out with these sambals that my dear friend, Mandy, sent me sometime ago. I am not supposed to eat those because like raisins, they are soaked in sugar syrup before drying so the sugar content is very high – I can’t eat raisins either!
However, my sister said that cranberries are good for the kidneys so I can mix a bit with my oats for the sweetness and also the delightful taste of the cranberries would make it a lot easier for me to eat the oats.
I tried cooking just a bit with the three tablespoons of oats…
…in low fat milk (it is all right for me to drink that)…
…till it is mushy and soggy…
…and it turned out to be rather nice – I love the taste of the cranberries and there is a hint of sweetness in the oats that makes it a lot easier to eat.
My sister said that I can eat it on alternate days, no need to eat it every day if I am worried about the sugar and incidentally, perhaps I can buy a can of sweetened creamer to add to the oats sometimes – after all, it is not a dairy product so except for the sweetness, it should be fine for me…once in a while. What do you all think?
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
Yay, I just started to take oats too early this year but the instant ones.. 😊. Lazy people takes the easy way out. I take with chia seeds. It is tasteless though but no choice I have to force myself to take. This coming Wednesday going to have my yearly blood test. Last year, everything is good except my chloesterol is slightly higher and hopefully this year, my cholesterol stays good after taking oat. Let’s see.
I know nothing about oats other than what they say about it being good for lowering cholesterol but I saw this online:
“Instant oats contain guar gum, which is an additive and a thickener. In fact, they are usually famous for the additives and preservatives added to them. Since they also have a lot of sugar added to them, they are considered unhealthy.”
Best to avoid those instant ones, I suppose.
Good luck in your blood test.
https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-rolled-oats-and-instant-oats/
At one time I was eating rolled oats like porridge in place of rice and everything was good. After a while I stopped taking rolled oats and now I need to take care of cholesterol level. I have resumed taking oats but due to laziness I am taking instant oats. I have tried Anzen Organic oats a few times. I can eat oats plain just like eating plain porridge but once in while, I will add some cranberries or some nuts if available. I prefer rolled oats to instant because of the chewing texture.
I miss oats with condensed milk – I remember how I enjoyed that in my younger days.
Try overnight oats
Yes, a Facebook friend suggested that in her comment on my link there.
I used to make overnight oats by soaking the raw oats in almond milk or soymilk and then adding toppings the next day. You might not like it because it will be cold from the fridge.
I have not seen the sugar-free soy milk for a while now, not available in my neighbourhood shops. I would have to avoid the sweetened ones since I am on a no/low sugar diet.
I love oats; I mainly use steel-cut oats. These days I prepare them using my rice cooker. They come out perfect each time. I also like oat groats. In some recipes, I do use that instead of rice. Excellent substitute.
In moderation, I believe it should not hurt. If I want it sweet, I’ll add fruit or a tiny amount of honey.
I guess that is what I am doing with the dried cranberries. Should be o.k. like this.
My daughter would have her bowl out for that dish. She loves cranberries! We just got back from walking our dogs. We live in a small, quiet neighborhood surrounded by woods. I live on four acres. I do believe I’ll make oatmeal for my evening dinner. Thanks for the inspiration, and I think we do have cranberries!
Lucky you! We do have cranberries here, but they are all imported from overseas. Once in a blue moon, we get the fresh ones and they’re very sour – usually, we just go for the dried ones. I used to buy and eat just like that. Once, I enjoyed those they added to some VERY expensive low GI bread but somebody commented asking me not to buy and eat owing to the high sugar content.
I have oats most mornings. No condensed milk, though!
I’m struggling! LOL!!!