Best bowl of oats I’ve had in AGES!
The secret: cottage cheese. It really fluffs up the texture, creams it up and makes the flavors pop.
Also, you must use a perfectly ripe banana
Plus I added some chopped figs. Just love the little seed crunch!
Finally replenished my coconut + ground flax stock (I bought whole flax and ground it in my coffee grinder). I put the coconut on top and stirred the flax in at the end. I buy sweetened coconut. The unsweetened stuff is just gross.
I think organic cottage cheese tastes SOOOO much better than regular. I usually buy Organic Valley low-fat but they didn’t have that at the store I went to so I got Horizon. It’s also delicious.
I had also been afraid to try this grass-fed milk, fearing it would have some strange taste to it. But I decided to pick some up on an emergency trip to restock milk on Wednesday and it’s quite good. Tastes pretty normal to me (they didn’t have skim at the store I visited so I had to get 2% – a treat! Mmm!)
Put it all together and whaddya get – plus Hungry Bar crumbles and TJs Sunflower. AMAZING combo!
One gorgeous morning!
Friday Dance!
Samantha @ Bikini Birthday says
Cottage cheese also adds lots of protein so I bet those oats will fill you up for a long time this morning!
Estela @ Weekly Bite says
Gorgeous pics this morning! Love that spoon too!
Have a great day 🙂
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is says
It is gorgeous here too… but chilly! 🙂
maria @ Chasing the Now says
Happy Friday. It was a good one over here, and now I’m off to Saturday already! 🙂
Christine says
It’s funny how sometimes you just make a perfect bowl! I was driving to work this morning (1/2 hours after eating) and noticed how perfectly SATISFIED I felt. It was pretty awesome.
Friday dance! Haha 😛
Dorry says
It’s fun to drink my morning tea and eat my bowl of oats while reading about YOUR bowl of oats. 🙂
Nicole @ yuppie yogini says
2% is a treat. I’ve not seen that grass fed milk–I think it’s the name that makes you think it’s gonna taste weird. They should do something about that 🙂 Love the Friday dance face!
sweetersalt says
Love sweetened coconut! So good with pumpkin. I agree, the unsweetened stuff isn’t worth my money or calories. Meh.
Laura
Holly @ couchpotatoathlete says
I am soooo glad its Friday 🙂
I don’t drink milk anymore, but when I did, I loved buying 2% once in a while. The taste is so much better than skim!
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg says
I haven’t had cottage cheese oats in so long– I forget how good they are! Yum!
andrea says
I have tried to embrace oatmeal but I just can’t. Reading these blogs makes me wish I loved oatmeal!!
Shelly says
Try the overnight cold oats if you haven’t already. I’m not crazy about hot oatmeal but LOVE the cold overnight ones!
missy says
i agree! i cannot do the cooked oats, but overnight stell cut oats – the best!
missy says
oops *steel
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
I have been wanting to try cottage cheese in my oats, because I love both items SO much separately…do you just stir it in at the end?
Also…dried figs + oats = match made in heaven. 🙂
Andrea (@ Puppy Dog Tales) says
I really need to try sweetned coconut…oh, and figs. I’m just finishing my oats for breakfast too….breakfast is my favorite part of the day!
Lily @ Lily's Health Pad says
I love unsweetened coconut! The sweetened is too sweet for me.
Sarah says
I want your breakfast! Except I want fresh dates instead of figs, and I actually LIKE unsweetened coconut (the sweetened stuff is TOO sweet for me!).
claire says
Those figs look delicious…I really need to try the lighter variety!
Amy Pea says
I had figs in my oats this morning, too! I used Bob’s Red Mill Scottish Oats and 5 Grain hot cereal (to equal a quarter cup) and used the whipped banana method. Also added unsweetened dark cocoa powder…worked well with the figs! Yummy!
Made Steel Cut oats in my slow-cooker last weekend and they were awesome! Just the oats, water, some almond milk, cinnamon and dates. The whole house smelled amazing.
Thanks, Kath for all you do. We appreciate you!
Kath says
Thank YOU for reading!
Melissa @ HerGreenLife says
Grass is what cows are SUPPOSED to eat 🙂 Milk from 100% pastured (i.e., grass-fed) cows should theoretically be more nutritious (more omega-3’s, for one thing), than milk from the corn-fed factory farm cows.
Enjoy your gorgeous morning. We have a pretty great one here, too — off to “run” some errands by bike!
Kath says
I know 🙂 That’s why I bought it!
Clare says
I love labelling that gets people thinking. I’m vegan but even if I wasn’t I don’t think I would buy milk if it said “from corn-fed cows” on the label. By now we all know that cows are not really supposed to be eating corn. It’s pretty awful to think that most dairy milk comes from cows that NEVER get to eat grass.
Nicole says
Ohh love the addition of figs, must try this soon!
stacey-healthylife says
I should get some regular coconut. It does taste better and I only need a little.
Sarah-Mae @ Eat, Run, Knit says
Mmm! I happen to have a little tub of cottage cheese that I was wondering about incorporating into my oats this morning! Tomorrow!!!
Alicia says
I LOVE your “K” mug. We did you find it? I think it would be a great Christmas gift for friends…I know I’m already thinking of Christmas.
Also, I am glad I found someone who loves oats just as much as I do! Here’s to a delish breakfast 🙂
Kath says
Anthropologie!
Alicia says
Awesome! Thank you 🙂
Amanda (Eating Up) says
I need to retry cottage cheese. I had a bad introduction to it years ago!
Laura I. says
I’m also one of those that prefer unsweetened coconut to sweetened–but I’m also not a pumpkin-lover and really like onions . . . . to each their own, eh?
Kath says
Say it ain’t so!
Jamie @ Food in Real Life says
Happy FRIDAY! Your oats always look so good. I wish I liked oats. I also wished I could get back into eating cottage cheese, but it’s one of those foods I totally went overboard on during my “clean eating” stage. I used to buy big tubs at costco. GAG.
Oh I wanted to tell you I also tried those chocolate nibs from TJ’s you posted about. They are fab!
Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun says
Cottage cheese is the ONE food I have never been able to enjoy at all.
Heather says
2% milk would do a number on my tummy. I have never tried cottage cheese in oats but I love ricotta.
I’m going to the store tonight so perhaps I will pick some up. Happy Friday!
R @ Learning As I Chop says
That is the only milk I buy. It tastes better and last longer than Horizon, Organic Valley etc
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
Yum, yum! That bowl looks perfectly satisfying in every way. 😀
Brianne says
You do know that skim is by far the worst kind of milk? Whole Raw Unhomgenized is ideal next would be whole unhomgenized pasteurized followed by whole homgenized. Organic is better than conventional obviously. Please stop buying skim!!
Kath says
One opinion… do you have a source on why whole is better? I’d say 1% or 2% is best.
Emily says
I don’t have a source (other than what I learned working at a health food store for a year), but many of the vitamins in minerals in milk are stored in the milk-fat. Raw, unhomegenized milk has a lot of “good” bacteria for your body. However, you can get that same bacteria from yogurt or probiotics. And skim milk isn’t inherently evil. 🙂 It all depends how you like to “spend” your fat serving for the day.
Kath says
Other than vitamin A being fat-soluble, skim and whole milk are pretty comparable nutrient wise (meaning protein, calcium). The difference mostly is in the fat. I think whole milk is a bit toooo much, but 2% is a dream. I usually settle for 1% when I can find it. It’s my favorite flavor.
Natalia - a side of simple says
Friday dance ALL the way 🙂
Alyssa says
I must admit, you inspired me to try cottage cheese oats, and I don’t think I can ever go back! They are amazing!
Tabitha (From Single to Married) says
Hey – I have a mug like that too. Did you get it from Anthropologie? (Sp?) I think that’s where I got mine…
anyway, oatmeal looks amazing!
Allison K says
ooh! i’d like to find grass-fed milk around here!
ashley says
why on earth would you be afraid of grass-fed milk? cows are meant to eat grass not organic corn.
Kath says
Afraid of the taste – that’s all. Of course I eat grass-fed beef all the time.
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
I think flax makes a huge difference in oats! I think it just brings the whole thing together perfectly! Enjoy your day!
Angela says
I love adding cottage cheese to my oats. I usually add it after though to cool them down a bit. I’m not a huge coconut person but it looks delish in your breakfast!
Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary) says
I think the reason I never like sweet oats is bc you didn’t make them Kath ;D Will you make me breakfast ?? hehehehe!
Emily says
I hear you on the organic cottage cheese. It is SO much better than regular! I am obsessed with Nancy’s Organic Cottage Cheese. It’s amazing.
Food & Other Things says
Coconut on oatmeal sounds amazing…I too am doing a Friday dance!
Megan (Braise The Roof) says
TGIF!! Definitely a Friday worth doing a dance for- it was a long week!
Jasmine @ Eat Move Write says
I am currently having a great bowl of oats made with cinnamon applesauce. SO good. I love fall oats.
notyet100 says
oats with cottage cheese sound s so yum
loreejo says
i have to second the comment on the deliciousness of organic valley cottage cheese! i had decided i liked it b/c it’s so salty tasting and was afraid the sodium content was high until my grocery was out of it so i had to buy another brand and was able to compare. organic valley did NOT have higher sodium!!! i’m not sure what makes it so tasty-er? i’m glad to hear horizon is also good….i might try it in a pinch even tho i don’t like their milk.
lynn (The Actors Diet) says
delicious combo – i too am a big fan of cottage cheese. my hubby isn’t. more for me!!!
Elizabeth says
Stick with Organic Valley when you can. Horizon gets BAD marks for their dairy farming practices and they get fined all the time for violating the “organic” requirements (but they are huge and can afford to pay the fines.) Check out cornucopia.org for independent ratings. Sorry, but I get a little upset when large corporations try to market themselves as something they are not.
Clare @ Fitting It All In says
Between You and Kailey posting about cottage cheese, I’m definitely going to add it to my shopping list! Your oats look delicious!
Krystina (Organically Me) says
Sounds good, but I disagree about the coconut. The sweetened is too sweet for me!
Marina says
i think i never had sweetend coconut actually!
love the look of your bowl!
Cathy B. @ Bright Bakes says
coconut and cottage cheese are definitely two of my top oatmeal favs!
gorgeous bowl!
Love,
Cathy B. @ brightbakes
yummieecupcake says
i dont think i’ve had cottage cheese. i never knew what to do with it so thanks for sharing!
Felicity says
Unsweetened coconut is yum, not gross. And it’s great in homemade granola! : D
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
I can’t seem to have oats without cottage cheese anymore! It’s perfect 🙂
Kjirsten- Balanced Healthy Life says
I love coconut on oatmeal! So good!
LauraLee says
Kath,
I’ve never had grass fed milk either (it’s not available where I live, so organic and local is what I buy) but would also be a little nervous the first time I try it. I guess I would think it would taste, um…..grassy? Like milk and wheat grass mixed, ha! I love the sweetened coconut too, made the bestest easiest macaroons with it last weekend (from the Splendid Table: How to Eat Supper cookbook) SO FREAKIN GOOD! By the way, made pumpkin oats for the first time last week, life changing! Ok, not really, but very yummy.
🙂 LauraLee
Dana @ my little celebration says
What a lovely oaty combination. Thanks for the morning inspiration.
It was your Tribute to Oatmeal that got me hooked on your blog like three years ago!
Gina says
Are these overnight oats or did you prep them on the stove? 🙂
Kath says
Stovetop!
Jessie says
Are you adding the cottage cheese while you whip the banana or do you add them at the end?
anne says
Love the title of this post!! You’re hair cut looks very nice. Happy Friday!
Felicia says
love this!! same question as above: when do you add the cottage cheese? during the cooking process to get creamy, midway, towards the end…? looks delish! and i love anthropologie, i’m always eating my oats/having coffee from their bowls and mugs. i bought a set of 4 and it was totally worth the price 🙂
Kath says
Cottage Cheese = Stirred in at end of cooking process! Just enough to get it warm.
Meagan says
I am so happy to see you eating “real” milk – grass fed! I only drink raw milk. I encourage you to try some if you ever get the chance. It is different than “normal” milk, but it is the way that we are actually supposed to drink milk; straight from the cow, now pasteurized or homogenized which leaves the milk with no beneficial bacteria, protein, or vitamins and minerals! The carton is super cute too 🙂
Ella says
Kath, did you by any chance see Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” episode yesterday about oats? Watching it made me think of your blog – for obvious reasons and also because I think I recall Matt mentioning some AB influence when he was doing the whole Brew and Bake thing. Anyway, the episode is hilarious and super interesting. There’s a part about cholesterol that had me dying and also wishing that my profs would have shown some scenes from Good Eats in my DPD coursework!! It’s perfect for food science, nutr biochem and other classes. You should check out the episode if you can!
Kath says
I think I have seen that one!
Margaret says
Grass fed cows ??
That is the only type of dairy farm there is, in Australia. The cows come into the dairy building to be milked by machine twice a day and are free in the pastures of grass all the other time.
They get a small amount of food to eat while they are being milked, so they come in by themselves when it is milking time.
You might be interested in finding out exactly how a cows stomachs work if you are concerned about them eating grass.
Kath says
PSA:
I know cows are supposed to eat grass!!
I 100% support grass-fed cows!!
That is why I BOUGHT the grass-fed cow’s milk when I saw it on the shelf.
My comment only meant I was expecting that it might taste funny (even if funny is normal). Thankfully it tasted good.
Hannah says
I’ve never been able to stomach cottage cheese in sweet form, but you really do hype this up so much that I should probably try it! The kinds in Australia are so salty though…