Valerie’s Sweatpants Oatmeal — THM E, low-fat, dairy-free

If you hang around Trim Healthy Mama at all, you’ve probably heard of Pearl’s Sweatpants Oatmeal. No, it doesn’t mean there are sweatpants in the cooking pot! It means this is one of her basic/default recipes that she doesn’t have to look up or think about and that she always has the ingredients for.

Need a brainless breakfast, lunch, or dinner? Choose one of your “sweatpants” meals. We’ve all got those, right? So, when the buzz began, I watched the video for Pearl’s Sweatpants Oatmeal, but I honestly never once made it. It sounded more complicated than the way I already made oatmeal, and I’m perfectly happy with my own way! It occurred to me that I already had Valerie’s Sweatpants Oatmeal!

That’s what I’d like to share with you today. This recipe is a solid Trim Healthy Mama E, meaning it’s a low-fat, sugar-free carb source. It actually has two carb sources: fruit (in this case, plums) and rolled oats. You can certainly sub a different fruit, just keep it to half a serving of fruit since you also have oats. Together, they tag-team a good amount of non-insulin-spiking carbohydrates for a meal.

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In THM, we anchor meals with protein, so I’ve taken to stirring a splash of cartoned egg whites into the oatmeal a minute or two before they are fully cooked. That’s the only time I stir the oatmeal while it’s cooking. I think this is key to the texture. Too much stirring turns the whole pot-full into a mushy glob. Blech. I like the bit of texture. I do not like mush.

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So, let’s get started!

Recipe: Valerie’s Sweatpants Oatmeal (E)

(single serve)

Heat to boiling:
• 1 cup water in a saucepan on the stove.

Then add:
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup rolled oats (I prefer old-fashioned, aka large flake)

Stir to immerse the flakes in the boiling water, then turn the element to low and set your timer for 10 minutes. Do not stir during this time.

While the oats are cooking prepare your fruit. We have plum trees, and I freeze a lot of pitted plums every September, so I usually use
• 4 plum halves.

I put them in my cereal bowl and microwave for thirty seconds, then snip them into small pieces. Feel free to use 1/2 cup of peaches, apricots, cherries, or whatever fruit you prefer.

When the timer goes off, pour
• 2 tablespoons egg whites into the oatmeal pot and stir. Give it just another minute then turn off the heat. Pour the cooked oats over the plums. ALTERNATIVELY, sprinkle a scoop (1.5 tablespoons) of collagen over the water as it heats. Either of these will add a lean protein to help keep you full longer.

On top of the oats, add:

• a drizzle of blackstrap molasses (1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon)
• sweetener (I prefer monkfruit/erythritol blend)
• about 1 teaspoon MCT oil (unless I have another fat source, like cream in my coffee)

Top with
• cartoned nut milk (I prefer cashew milk) to taste

Yum! This is one of my favorite E (carb) breakfasts. Super easy, and not anything I have to think about doing with ingredients I already have… which makes it a perfect “sweatpants” meal!

This is a breakfast Sadie from Raindrops on Radishes would totally enjoy in her Trim Healthy Mama story… at least, once she learned to trust carbs!

Please Note: I am not an authorized Trim Healthy Mama coach or blogger, although I play one in fiction…