Sweet Potato Oatmeal

After making that amazing matcha oat bowl yesterday, I thought about making an oatmeal bowl with sweet potatoes! I’ve been all about making bowls in the morning. I’ve found that my energy throughout the day is much better when I focus on eating filling meals like this and Buddha bowls. I admit it, I really don’t get full off of pizza unless I eat way too many slices. I know, I know. That is crazy. But, I try not to do the most with my portions due to my history with binge eating disorder.

The best thing about eating oats for breakfast is the fact that it fills me up for hours. I mean hours. Every single time I make it for breakfast, I end up going 3-4 hours before needing lunch. Which is amazing because I normally get hungry 2 hours after eating breakfast.

So, I don’t use milk in my oats because I don’t think there’s a major difference “taste wise”. A lot of people will probably strongly disagree with me. I’ve never been a huge fan of using milk to make my oats. On the other hand, sometimes when I make baked oatmeal, I’ll use milk instead of water. Weird, I know.

I am so lazy when it comes to making oats. Therefore, I almost never ever make them on the stovetop. In the mornings, I never want to make a meal that takes more than 25 minutes. If I make a meal that takes that long, I literally will not make it again unless I make it overnight. On the other hand, if I’m craving the dish badly, I’ll compromise and make it. Thus why instead of baking the potato, I microwaved it. If you have the time and you’re not as lazy as I am – go ahead and make this on the stove and use your oven.

How to make sweet potato oatmeal:

First off, decide on if you’re going to be using your microwave or oven. If you’re feeling lazy, you can actually buy them frozen and then cook them. After cooking them, use a potato masher to mash them. Since I am using my microwave, I pierced the potato all over with a fork and then microwaved it for five minutes.

I always use Bob’s Red Mill’s quick cook rolled oats for my oatmeal recipes. Their oats are the best. They don’t have any disgusting unnecessary filler ingredients. Bob’s Red Mill’s quick cook rolled oats are the perfect canvas for oatmeal recipes. Alternatively, I’ve used Trader Joe’s rolled oats and they’re just as good.

Since sweet potatoes are already sweet, I didn’t add any additional sweeteners. The vanilla protein powder, vanilla extract, and the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes was just enough. And since my toppings are a banana, blackberries, granola, chia seeds, and peanut butter – I chose not to use any extra sweeteners. No need for sugar overload.

Lastly, I want to mention that I added in Dunaliella Salina powder. I added this powder in because I wanted these oats to be oranger. This is completely optional. Dunaliella Salina is an algae just like spirulina. Personally, I don’t find that it has much of a taste. But according to Raw Nice, it has a “matcha and rosehip” taste.

Can you make this recipe overnight?

Honestly, unless you’re going to keep this in the refrigerator, I don’t think it’s possible. I’ve never actually made overnight oats, so my knowledge on them is nonexistent. I have seen a few people mention that you should put them in a pot over the stove and let them soak overnight. I know for a fact that you’re not supposed to leave sweet potato out of the refrigerator that long. If you make this recipe overnight, please let me know how it works out. I’m not sure.

What are the best toppings for oatmeal?

When it comes to choosing a topping for your oats, always aim for nutrient-dense toppings. Such as fruit, nuts, seeds, granola, and yogurt. Stay away from toppings like chocolate bars filled with unnecessary filler ingredients, and nut butters loaded with unnecessary filler ingredients. I always aim to keep my oat bowls simple. Granola, seeds, fruit, and nut butter is always my rule of thumb. Sometimes, I’ll break that rule and add a little yogurt. I tend to stay away from adding ingredients like whipped cream because they’ll give me a horrible sugar rush in the mornings.

I know after stating that you’re wondering how I manage to avoid a sugar rush in the mornings after eating a bowl of fruit and sweet potatoes. Well, this is due to the fact that the ingredients are high in vitamins. Sweet potatoes aid in helping reduce inflammation. They also have high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and magnesium. And when you combine foods with high health benefits, it’s easier to avoid the crash. For instance, in the past, I have experienced really bad sugar crashes after just topping my pancakes off with maple syrup. Organic maple syrup, while better than other unhealthy liquid sweeteners on the market, is still high in sugar and isn’t as nutrient dense as blackberries and bananas. Blackberries and bananas contain natural sugars. Natural sugar is good for you in moderation.

The paragraph above is why I always tell everyone to stay away from the grocery store pre-made oat mixes. It’s completely unnecessary to buy. Being able to control the amount of sugar in your meal is very important. Without the toppings, this bowl contains 9.5 grams of sugar! Which in comparison to some of the pre-made brands, that is amazing! And the best thing about this is the fact I didn’t add any extra sugars. Just natural sugars from the sweet potato.

Want more recipes?

• Matcha Oat Bowl
• Baked Oatmeal with Peaches
• Strawberry Banana Baked Oatmeal
• Healthy Chocolate Gingerbread Oatmeal
  
  

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