Along with cleaning out my pantry, breakfast is one of the first big challenges I tackled. What would we do without our old favorite standby, cold breakfast cereal with coconut-almond milk?

I started with overnight-soaked oatmeal (“porridge"), and also started serving more (pastured!) eggs. Granola was still an option, but I ditched the nut milk, since it has all kinds of extra stuff in it. Going back to cow’s milk, I found that there are at least a couple of brands at Whole Foods that are not homogenized, and hopefully only lightly pasteurized - my preference being High Lawn Farms whole milk. (High Lawn Farms specializes in raising Jersey Cows, whose milk is much higher protein than the usual Holsteins.)

After a lot of reading, and some trial and error, I can recommend the following oatmeal porridge recipe, based on one from The Nourishing Home blog.

Soaked Oatmeal Porridge

In the afternoon or evening, combine in a non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic):
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup regular rolled or steel cut oats (look for gluten-free oats, if that’s you; do NOT use the quick cooking kind)
  • 2-4 T buckwheat cereal (for the gluten-free) or rye flakes
  • warm water to cover
Let this stand, covered, on the counter over-night.

In the morning, rinse the oats and buckwheat cereal in a mesh sieve. This washes out most of the sour taste from the lemon juice.

Plop the mostly-drained cereal mixture into a pot and add:
  • 1 1/2-2 cups water (buckwheat will absorb more water)
  • a generous pinch of salt
You can also flavor your oatmeal at this point. I like to add some combination of:
  • dried fruit (raisins/apples)
  • fresh fruit (apples, banana)
  • spices to taste (ground coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom)
Cook on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until you have the consistency you like. Feel free to add more water if it seems like a good idea. Serve with honey (raw and local!) or maple syrup (Grade B, Dark Amber, which has the most minerals) and milk over the top! You can also top with nuts and fresh berries.

For Leftovers

Make your life easier, and make extra! Leftover oatmeal can be kept in the fridge for a few days, then warmed up in a pot on the stovetop with a little water anytime. You can even freeze it. Hooray for “instant" home-cooked oatmeal. :)