Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal

This blueberry cheesecake oatmeal is decadent, naturally sweet, easy to meal prep or eat right away! You'll love that the blueberries burst into the oatmeal, adding their flavor throughout!

COOKING OATMEAL 101

I’ve been on the overnight oats bandwagon for a few years now. You can call me semi-obsessed. I’ve tried flavors from Chocolate Overnight Oats, Cherry Oats, and Banana Bread Oats. I was never a big fan of cooked oatmeal because it almost always without fail came out gummy. Who wants to eat a bowl full of paste? Overnight Oats never, ever, come out like this. Then I learned a secret about cooking oats.

First off, I was judging oatmeal based on the instant kind. While these are awesome in a pinch, they’re usually kind of a disappointment. Second, making even instant oats with milk instead of water makes a HUGE difference. Re: creamier. Third, the instant kind is packed with so much artificial flavor, that when you make real oatmeal – you forget that it really needs you to add flavor into them.

THE BEST INSTANT OATS

In this oatmeal journey of mine, I came across an instant brand that made especially good oatmeal. The company is called Better Oats - and it is accurately named. I've linked it below!

The flavors taste less artificial and sweet, and like I said, the texture is just really nice. Each pouch is only 100 calories – so I make two for breakfast and am completely full! Or I would use this as an afternoon snack when you hit that 3 pm slump. Whole-grain carbs in the afternoon are a great secret weapon if you keep having crashes and reach for the coffee, soda, or even candy at that time.

{Just so you know, Bite your Cravings participates with the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that allows me to earn a fee through links to Amazon.com and affiliated sites}

Those kinds of snacks are just going to fill you up with sugar or caffeine and leave you with a nasty crash. Instead, try replacing them. I especially like having whole grain carbs in the afternoon because it serves as my pre-workout snack since whole-grain carbs release their energy slowly, instead of all at once like a simple carb (like sugar). Hence the phrase sugar high. You don’t get a high from whole grain carbs!

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE OATMEAL

I’ve gotten off track here. Who else gets pumped talking about oatmeal?! Just this girl? Mmkay.

Now that we know what makes oatmeal both good and bad, how is this Blueberry Cheesecake Oatmeal any different? Well, its obviously made with milk and not water. It’s made with real fruit and agave, instead of artificial sweetener. Plus, it’s got additional ingredients for flavor and texture. I love that the blueberries get warm and burst open to release their flavor and juice throughout. Also, the graham cracker topping feels like it should be illegal for breakfast.

I usually make the full recipe and then portion it out throughout the week, but it would be amazing to eat this fresh off the stove.

A couple notes about eating the leftovers:

Like pasta, oats also soak up whatever liquid they’re in. Which is how overnight oats work. So, to keep them nice and moist (and not gummy) I highly recommend mixing in some milk to your bowl before you heat them up in the microwave for about 1 ½ - 2 minutes.

As always, if you make this – PLEASE leave a comment below!

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BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE OATMEAL

Servings 5

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups skim milk
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup agave
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• ½ cup reduced-fat cream cheese
• ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• Crushed graham cracker for topping

Instructions

1. Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the milk and salt. Mix frequently.
2. When bubbles start to form, add in the oats (2 cups), vanilla (½ tsp), agave (¼ cup), lemon zest (½ tsp), blueberries (2 cups), and cream cheese (½ cup). Stir together and allow to cook for 5 minutes or until oats are tender.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt (¼ cup)
4. When ready to eat, crush graham crackers on top

Recipe Notes

If heating up leftovers, mix in a couple tbsp of milk to prevent from drying out.

** Adapted from the amazing Rocco Dispirito in his "Now Eat This! Diet" cookbook.