I switched to almond milk due to acid reflux that is triggered by dairy, among other things. I just bought a half gallon yesterday and the expiration date is in January. I can't imagine not going thru that much if you are going to eat oatmeal on a daily basis. I also make myself drink at least a small glass a day to get the calcium I'm not getting from dairy.

I can buy almond milk in 8 oz cartons.....it's not cost effective when you consider a half gallon that lasts a month is only about $4....but I can buy 8 oz of CHOCOLATE almond milk and put some in my coffee!!
And try oat bran....more of the soluble fiber....and same good taste.

You can also make your own almond milk. It's not hard and commercial almond milk is full of all sorts of stuff you can avoid by making it yourself, in addition to only making as much as you need.

There are also lots of ways to eat oatmeal without milk. A friend just chops up dates and adds those and raisins and cinnamon, and it's really good without anything else.

My husband has had his second major stroke, 3 years ago and he has a very hard time swallowing and about all he can eat is oatmeal. I try to vary it with some spices and at times, bananas, eggs, and some times with the eggs and salt and pepper and some butter, anything for a different taste. Of course I cook it in milk for all of it. I like oat meal but only at times want it. I guess because I cook it twice a day. day in and day out. I use whole milk with ours.

Sue

Oh my I love oatmeal. I always make it with skim milk though.

You realize that you can buy shelf stable almond milk? I have seen it in the stores for quite a while - it's not a new product.

https://silk.com/products/learn-more/about-shelf-stable

Chess, exactly what section of the store do you find that in? Yes, if they have smaller amounts of that I would prefer to buy it - I've never seen it.

I made steel cut oats yesterday, but I do not add milk or cream to them. I do add date crystals (the same that are used for date shakes), and this time I added some finely chopped apple and a bit of cinnamon. The dates make it sweet enough and also add good flavor to them. I bought a tub of date crystals the last time I was in Indio - they keep well. I added the apples because we have ripe ones on our tree now.

ritaweeda, I sure don't recall for certain, but I would guess where the evaporated milk is? Surely you can check with your grocers.

I often eat oatmeal and love steel cut oats. There is a brand called Better Oats and the oatmeal comes in pouches to which you add water. Then you cook them for 2.5 minutes in the microwave. Their steel cut "original" oats are excellent. Only 130 calories. As far as milk goes, I noticed a new ad on TV for a milk for the lactose intolerant. I am not sure what the brand is but I noticed that there is a brand "Dairy Pure" that has milk that is labeled 100% lactose free and another brand "Organic Valley" that also has lactose free milk.

If you're looking for smaller packaging shop at a smaller store. The big box and big volume grocery chains aim their selections at big families and small businesses. I've run into the nothing but half gallons just for regular cow's milk at the big chain grocery.

I have been eating Better Oats for a couple of years now. I use skim milk for them too, and only 2 min in the MW. They are a nice easy breakfast for work once cooler weather sets in.

Lars/J. Robert Scott - Date crystals? I have never heard of these! Are these only available out west?

Chess, you can order date crystals from Shields Date Garden, but I bought them when I visited - they have a better selection in their store in Indio. Shields uses date crystals to make date shakes instead of fresh dates, but I make them both ways. It's just easier to store the crystals. Since they are dried, they may seem expensive, but a little goes a long way.

I've not seen date crystals anywhere except Shield's Date Garden in Indio. They have a very nice restaurant, in case you happen to be in the area - it's in the Coachella Valley, near where the Coachella festival is held. There is also a date festival in February, but I will be out of the country when the next one happens.

Lars/J. Robert Scott, thanks for the info. I will have to try these!

Instapot makes really good steel cut oats, soft on the outside little chewey inside .

18 min on high pressure and you can set on timer so it's ready and waiting in the morning. If u go this way make sure to have the extra 20 min or so it takes to pressure down naturally.

I add cinnamon, lil bit maple Syrup, almond milk and top with basil seeds(soaked in hot water for 5-10 'min, tastes like chia seeds) and slivered almonds . Yum !

oh and I get mine from the bulk bins at Whole Foods.

Ritaweeda --

FWIW, Costco also stocks the Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats in 7# bags.

Like you, I've been trying frequent oatmeal as part of an effort to lower my LDL cholesterol. Friends talked me into trying almond milk. I found that our rural Montana supermarket stocks shelf-stable almond and
rice milks in quart containers next to the canned and powdered milks. As does the local natural foods store. So do the nearest Walmarts. Our nearest Costco has had Kirkland brand Organic Almond
"beverage" in shelf stable 32 oz. containers, though Costco sells them in
boxes of six.

Shelf stable containers keep seemingly forever. I've found that an opened container will keep in the fridge for weeks until used up. (I know because I don't like the stuff, and it spends in the fridge.)

I tried freezing some. It seriously separated on thawing. Also, freezing it seemed to adversely affect taste as well as texture. That said, friends of mine (whom I suspect of seeing almond milk as part of a spiritual vocation) swear by freezing it in ice cube trays which they cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to prevent absorbing untoward odors. They make their own almond milk, though, and it may react differently than the commercial stuff I tried.

I'd cook the oats in water and salt then add some maple syrup in serving.

I make my oatmeal with untoasted granola with fruit and nuts :-) And due to DH's lactose issues I get fresh, lactose free milk.

So I made some of the oats this morning. First of all, I do like that the steel cut oats have a little more texture. Other than that, BORING. But I will continue to have them, I'm going to eat oats at least 4 times a week for breakfast. Or that's my plan. This morning I cooked them and in the meantime I cut up some dried prunes and dumped them in and let them steep awhile. I wanted to use them for a sweetener. I made enough for DH to try, he ate it but he added more sugar in his and didn't have much to say about it except that he also liked the texture. I think I'll add some kind of nuts for crunch next time.

I read through the postings rather rapidly so I may have missed it, but steel cut oats cook more rapidly and are supposedly healthier if they are soaked overnight. I always make them this way. In the morning, drain off the excess water, and add water for cooking. You won't need much more water and they cook quite fast. I always eat hot cereal as if it were a grain dish I was having for dinner, i.e. with butter, salt, pepper, and sometimes grated cheese. You can, of course, use other spices like cumin, Aleppo pepper, etc. I never, ever use a sweetener. Just don't like cereal that way.

Other than that, BORING. But I will continue to have them

Don't worry. You will get addicted. Try with half & half, raisins and brown sugar (but not too often because it cancels out the health effects, lol).

Sometimes to vary the flavor of oatmeal I will add maple extract to it...tastes like Maypo if anyone remembers that.

laceyvail --- The Bob's Red Mill oats are a quick cooking version so they cook in five to seven minutes without needing an overnight soak. Bob's packaging claims its version has won Scotland's "Annual Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship" (whatever that is).

I remember that obnoxious kid..."I want my Maypo!!"
Do any of you remember the oat bran muffin fad? It was a tasteful and easy way to get your daily dose of oatbran....the recipe was on the side of the box of Quaker's oat bran? My husband's cholesterol was on the high side and I made tham and froze them and it was easy to microwave one and you had a yummy muffin.
The store where I got the Silk Almond milk in the 8 oz containers was the biggest supermarket around; one with a section for different ethnic foods, a deli, a bakery a pharmach, a starbucks kiosk, in the store and much more. I find the bigger the store the more variety of products and sizes they have.
All this oatmeal talk has me longing for some oat bread....may have to make a batch of oatmeal bread a la Dartmouth...makes the best toast!!

Never had Maypo. Never even saw the stuff except in commercials. And not an oat bran muffin fan either. Ugh!

Interestingly enough, our grocery store (large retailer) has the shelf stable almond milk right beside the oatmeal!

I also refused to eat oatmeal as a kid, but now I really love it. I'm boring though, I cook it in water with a pinch of salt, and eat it plain. This thread had me looking for recipes and I found some tasty sounding ones.....carrot cake oatmeal, apple pie oatmeal, and when I googled Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championship, I found Sticky Toffee Pudding Porridge

" steel cut oats cook more rapidly and are supposedly healthier if they are soaked overnight. "

Nope. Soaking them overnight does absolutely nothing to change the nutritive value.

Yep. Soaking with a little acid reduces the anti-nutrients you get in whole grains, making them more nutritious in a roundabout way. I have a cup sized jar of vitamin C crystals for the purpose and expect it to last the rest of my life unless it goes damp or something. It just takes a pinch. Sprouting or fermenting the oats is also supposed to release nutrients that might otherwise be indigestible, but that takes a lot longer.

A lot of people make portioned jars with oatmeal and kefir or yoghurt, as well as flavorings and add-ins, and chill them over a night or two. Go too long and you'll have soggy glue. The mixture is ready to eat cold in the morning, or to heat up.

Cooking them actually accomplishes the same thing.

I'm no expert on this, but what I've read of what the scientists say, cooking does not actually do it, which is the point.

I don't love oatmeal, but the steel cut ones are not bad. My Grandmother used to make me eat oatmeal and hers was always glue-y and sticky, and my texture issue just had....well....an issue, LOL. Couldn't eat them without gagging, no matter how much milk and sugar went into/on top of.

Now I eat steel cut oats and find them acceptable. I use the Cook's Illustrated overnight method, which calls for boiling the oats for 1 minute, then covering and letting them sit overnight. Next morning turn on the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes and they are ready to eat. I use 3/4 cup of oats and 3 cups of water, and leftover oats can be refrigerated and they warm up OK in the microwave. Mine never have any milk of any kind, I just drizzle a bit of maple syrup and sprinkle with chopped nuts or add some brown sugar and raisins.

I don't care for the uncooked overnight oats, we're back to that texture thing. I'm not sure how something can be chewy and mushy at the same time, but they are.

Oh, and the shelf stable almond milk is available in sizes from 8 ounces to 32 ounces on Amazon. It's not available here but I don't have access to large grocery stores.

Annie

I've just converted my breakfast routine to steel cut oats too! I really like fruit in it with a little milk. During the power outage with Hurricane Irma I used reconstituted powdered milk - I though it was going to be AWFUL - but it wasn't really too bad - would have been better cold probably. I was also just looking for the small containers of almond milk and found a good price on a 12 or 24 pack of 8 oz on Amazon.

To keep oats in my diet when I don't feel like oatmeal for breakfast, I make very low-sugar oatmeal cookies (about 1/3 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup flour, 2+ cups of oats, 1/2 cup oil, an egg, vanilla, 1/2 t baking soda or baking powder, a splash of milk with the baking powder if I want them on the soft side, steeped dried cranberries or dark choc. chips, maybe some nuts). I much prefer these to traditional cookies with tons of sugar and butter, not quite guilt-free but close.

And re: nutritional value of oats, the higher the unprocessed quality of oats, more the nutritional value. If you follow any of the arguments on glycemic index/glycemic load (GI/GL) numbers ,than steel cut oats are higher in nutritional content than rolled/quick oats. It's all to do with how quickly the carb in oats are absorbed by your blood stream. Faster the absorption rate ,quicker the spike in blood sugar. Spikes and dips in blood sugar are also linked to our appetite/ hunger cycles in a complex ways not fully understood.

So in the world of glycemic index , oat groats are better "nutritive value" than steel cut which in turn are better than quick oats. Oat flour will have the higher GI/GL and be more quickly digested although one could argue that oat powder is better than All purpose flour because of higher fiber . And ALL this has to be weighed with what else you are adding to the oats to make it palatable.Makes it quite convoluted !

I cant do tree nuts anymore, but i know I've seen small volumes of almond milk at trader Joe's.

I do like oatmeal, not the instant kind (which doesn't really have the health benefits anyway). I make with water, top with a splash of whole milk, a little brown sugar or maple syrup. Often with fresh fruit such as strawberries. (I really dislike the texture and over-sweetness of most dried fruit. )

I only make oatmeal if I have milk in the house for some other purpose. It's not a staple for me. Somehow, oatmeal to me tastes amiss without just that little splash, and it is hard to find small quantities at the grocery.

PS. I use crushed oatmeal flakes instead of breadcrumbs to coat my "fried" chicken (which I bake rather than fry).

Have you tried baked oatmeal? I make it in 8 oz ramekins but it can be made in a 9" baking dish too. This is enough for eight servings but you can cut the recipe in half for ramekins. I put the extras in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. It's a forgiving recipe so you can tweak it however you'd like.

2 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 c. old-fashioned oats

a small chopped or grated apple or a mashed banana

1/2 c. raisins or dried cranberries

Butter baking dish or ramekins. Whisk wet ingredients. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. Spoon into ramekins and bake at 35O degrees until top is puffy and golden brown. Serve with a pat of butter and milk.