I very rarely add any form of sweetener to my morning bowl of oats.
Bananas, I think are plenty sweet enough. Blueberries add their own form of fresh and sweet. Cinnamon with apples is simple but lovely. And so—most of the time—I turn up my nose to brown sugar, honey, agave and even maple syrup.
Most of the time.
But yesterday I found myself walking through Whole Foods with a bottle of blackstrap molasses jostling around in my basket. I didn’t quite know why or what I planned on doing with the jar (or how it managed to get there in the first place,) but buying it and bringing it home seemed like the right thing to do at the time.
Blackstrap molasses (not to be confused with the regular ol’ molasses seen in the baking isle,) is a by-product of processed sugar cane. It retains many of the vitamins and minerals that regular sugar doesn’t have. One tablespoon has about 45 calories, and offers 20% of the recommended intake for calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.
I like to think that it’s basically a health food. 😉
With its rich, dark flavors, I do believe that this jar of blackstrap molasses is slowly converting me to the sweeter side of life.
The sweeter side of oatmeal.
Creamy, Spiced Banana Oats with almond butter and blackstrap molasses
If you like your oatmeal to be on the sweet side, try adding a drizzle of blackstrap molasses! A little goes a long way with this dark, rich treat. 😀
- 1/2 c. uncooked oatmeal
- cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
- 1 banana, sliced
- 1 c. milk
- 1/4 c. water
- 1 T. crushed flax
- toppings: almond butter and blackstrap molasses
- In a medium saucepan, bring milk and water to a boil. Add oatmeal, spices, banana and flax. Stir, reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 4-6 minutes or until thickened to desired consistency. Stir well every couple of minutes to enhance creaminess.
- Drizzle with molasses and top with almond butter. ENJOY! 😀
Question: Do you regularly add sweetener to your morning bowl of oats? What are your favorites?
Running To Slow Things Down 