It was an Oat Bran kind of morning

What can I say, I just felt like eating Oat Bran today.

1/4 cup Hodgson Mill oat bran cooked on the stovetop with:

3/4 cup water
dash of salt
packet of stevia
sprinkle of cinnamon
drop of vanilla extract

Cook 2-3 minutes, until water is absorbed.  Top with Nature's Path Pumpkin Flax granola (AKA crack...I think I'm addicted), sliced almonds and a splash of 2% milk.

Oat bran has a different texture than oatmeal (similar to cream of wheat) but it's like oatmeal in that it's heated up on the stove and tastes warm and satisfying on a gray morning.  Personally, I happen to appreciate and enjoy both the texture of oatmeal and oat bran, oatmeal is a bit chewier whereas oat bran is kind of softer.  I have to add flavor to both oatmeal and oat bran in order to really enjoy the taste:  fruit, berries, vanilla and cinnamon, other spices...these are my typical go-to additions I use, regardless if I'm starting out with a bowl of oatmeal or oat bran.

Oh, and oat bran cooks quicker - about 2 or 3 minutes on the stove vs. 5 minutes for the rolled oats and 30 minutes for steel cut oats!  Which, let's be honest, in the morning even an extra 2 or 3 minutes can make a difference.

Let's compare the nutrition of the two side by side, shall we?

(Note to self:  must learn how to insert tables into blog)

Per serving:  (Note:  1 serving of oat bran is 1/4 cup whereas 1 serving of oatmeal is 1/2 cup!)

                              Oat Bran               Oatmeal (Rolled oats)              
(Kilo)calories              120                               150
Fat                               3 g                               2.5 g
Saturated Fat              0.5 g                             0.5 g
Dietary Fiber               6 g                               4 g
Protein                         6 g                               5 g

That may not seem like a big difference at first, but as I mentioned above the recommended serving of oatmeal is TWICE that of the oat bran (1/2 cup vs 1/4 cup of oat bran) so you actually have to eat twice as much oatmeal in order to reap similar nutritional benefits.

Oat Bran is basically just the bran part, or the outer husk, of the grain.  It contains more protein, fiber and iron per serving than oatmeal does - so you feel fuller than you would if you ate the same amount of oatmeal.

I am totally not disparaging oatmeal.  I love oatmeal.  Oatmeal and I have a very special bond - it gets my day off to a happy, healthy start at least 4 or 5 days a week.  But sometimes I just need a change and so I reach for the oat bran instead.  So don't go feeling bad for oatmeal.  Because come tomorrow morning, I'll be reaching for it once again.


And because I may have just bored you with a nutrition lesson, here's a 27 second video of Hudson playing fetch.  Enjoy and Happy Friday!