HALF THE BATTLE OF ABS is convenience. Eating on purpose, with a goal in mind, is hard. Eating what’s handy — and cheap — is easy. The problem with cheap and easy is that most everything you can get in a handy pre-made package isn’t particularly good for getting to six pack abs. Quick, what was the last snack you ate? Carrot sticks, radishes, and Ranch Dressing?
Heck, that wasn’t even my last snack — that was Reese’s Puffs. The point? If I had bothered to wash up some baby carrots, radishes, and cut up a cucumber earlier in the day or even last night, there’s a 90 percent chance I would have ignored the Puffs and ate some veggies instead.
It’s All About Convenience
I have learned, though, how to whip out a couple of quick breakfast options, both of which have a lot more staying power than Puffs. The first is scrambled eggs, which are just scrambled eggs that I toss a dollop of salsa into right before I take them out of the pan. No way to make that fast, easier, or more convenient. It’s just eggs.
The second is a power bowl of oatmeal, and I’m not talking about the instant kind that comes in a tidy little package (but I am a fan of those, btw). I’m talking about Old Fashioned Quaker Oats — the kind that have not been minced into the “quick” variety — with brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts, and a bit of milk.
To make this concoction convenient, I start by tossing a small handful of walnuts into a plastic container, followed by a small handful of raisins, along with a few dashes of cinnamon, and a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar. I take a 1/2 cup of oats and put that in a separate sandwich bag, which goes on top of the other ingredients in the container, which is then sealed up and placed in the fridge.
How It Works
So morning hits, and I can barely function, and I’ve got work to do looming ahead of me. I don’t have a lot of time to be making omelets, so I grab the oatmeal container and a medium-sized pot.
Into the pot goes a single cup of water, placed over high heat. I wait until it’s boiling, then I toss in the 1/2 cup of oats. I reduce the heat the medium or so and let that cook for a minute or two. When most of the water has either been absorbed by the oats or cooked off, I toss in the walnuts, raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I stir it around. The trick is not to cook it much at this point, just long enough to thicken the mixture and make sure the whole thing is hot. Once it’s good and clumpy, I scoop it out into a bowl, then add a bit of milk — just a little.
On the downside, once you try it . . . you’re screwed if you’re missing ingredients.
The whole thing is damn good.
On the downside, once you try it, and if you like it, you’re screwed if you’re missing ingredients. Skip the brown sugar? Lackluster taste. No raisins? Ah, what’s the point? No walnuts? Come on, man, where’s the protein? The essential fats? And of course, no cinnamon? That spice is wicked good in the morning. I once made everything and realized I had no milk.
But this morning, I had the ingredients. As for the rest of this week, I’ve got containers in the fridge, ready for go time.
Power oatmeal, ready to eat, right in front of the computer.
HALF THE BATTLE OF ABS is convenience. Eating on purpose, with a goal in mind, is hard. Eating what’s handy — and cheap — is easy. The problem with cheap and easy is that most everything you can get in a handy pre-made package isn’t particularly good for getting to six pack abs. Quick, what was the last snack you ate? Carrot sticks, radishes, and Ranch Dressing?
Heck, that wasn’t even my last snack — that was Reese’s Puffs. The point? If I had bothered to wash up some baby carrots, radishes, and cut up a cucumber earlier in the day or even last night, there’s a 90 percent chance I would have ignored the Puffs and ate some veggies instead.
It’s All About Convenience
I have learned, though, how to whip out a couple of quick breakfast options, both of which have a lot more staying power than Puffs. The first is scrambled eggs, which are just scrambled eggs that I toss a dollop of salsa into right before I take them out of the pan. No way to make that fast, easier, or more convenient. It’s just eggs.
The second is a power bowl of oatmeal, and I’m not talking about the instant kind that comes in a tidy little package (but I am a fan of those, btw). I’m talking about Old Fashioned Quaker Oats — the kind that have not been minced into the “quick” variety — with brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts, and a bit of milk.
To make this concoction convenient, I start by tossing a small handful of walnuts into a plastic container, followed by a small handful of raisins, along with a few dashes of cinnamon, and a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar. I take a 1/2 cup of oats and put that in a separate sandwich bag, which goes on top of the other ingredients in the container, which is then sealed up and placed in the fridge.
On the downside, once you try it . . . you’re screwed if you’re missing ingredients.
How It Works
So morning hits, and I can barely function, and I’ve got work to do looming ahead of me. I don’t have a lot of time to be making omelets, so I grab the oatmeal container and a medium-sized pot.
Into the pot goes a single cup of water, placed over high heat. I wait until it’s boiling, then I toss in the 1/2 cup of oats. I reduce the heat to medium or so and let that cook for a minute or two. When most of the water has either been absorbed by the oats or cooked off, I toss in the walnuts, raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I stir it around. The trick is not to cook it much at this point, just long enough to thicken the mixture and make sure the whole thing is hot. Once it’s good and clumpy, I scoop it out into a bowl, then add a bit of milk — just a little.
The whole thing is damn good.
On the downside, once you try it, and if you like it, you’re screwed if you’re missing ingredients. Skip the brown sugar? Lackluster taste. No raisins? Ah, what’s the point? No walnuts? Come on, man, where’s the protein? The essential fats? And of course, no cinnamon? That spice is wicked good in the morning. I once made everything and realized I had no milk.
But this morning, I had the ingredients. As for the rest of this week, I’ve got containers in the fridge, ready for go time.
Tags: Six Pack Abs
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on Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 6:31 pm and is filed under Six Pack Abs.
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Easier than that but maybe not as healthy. In a small frying pan, four slices of cut in half bacon, fry an egg in the grease, salt and pepper to taste. Lasts until 10, then you definetly need snack. Bonus, my boys will sometimes eat bacon instead of cereal for breakfast.