You don’t need me to tell you how to prepare steel cut oatmeal, the instructions are written right there on the packaging, but you might need my encouragement to put yourself through the 40 minute process of boiling water in a pan, cooking and continually stirring the oatmeal and then topping it with a delicious array of nuts, seeds and fruit.

I eat steel cut oatmeal most days, except for when the summer fruit is too awesome to resist. For starters you don’t need to cook a batch every day. I make enough for 3 days at a time and you can make enough for the whole week, freezing meal-sized portions to cut the prep time from 40 mins down to 5. I obviously think it’s worth the trouble. It is the most satisfying start to the day you could give yourself. Not only is it tasty and filling but it is a sure way to make sure you don’t succumb to a mid-morning snack. You won’t need to. You are full!

I add seasonal fruit on top, some agave nectar for sweetness, raw almonds or pecans, roasted flax seeds, and rice milk. A word of warning, it’s hard to go back to any other breakfast once you make this a part of your morning ritual.