Barrister Bites

BARRISTER BITES By: Angelia Morie Nystrom, JD, LLM

UT Foundation – Institute of Agriculture

WHEATIES: NO LONGER THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

Our 16 year old son has inherited his father’s fairly decent athletic ability. Hugh likes to remind us of his “glory days”—those days when he was tearing it up as a 5’11”/185 pound lineman on the Webb High School gridiron. He proudly displays his high school letter jacket, including his letters for football and wrestling (and maybe even golf), in his office at Webb and threatens to wear it in the halls when Trace is present. At a whopping 5’7”/ 125 pounds, Trace’s hands will never touch the 50 yard line; however, he is quite the swimmer, specializing in sprint freestyle and butterfly.

Trace has also inherited Hugh’s enviable metabolism. At 55 years old, Hugh is still the exact same size as he was as a high school senior in 1985. He likes to brag to his former classmates (and really to anyone who will listen) that he can wear the same clothes that he wore in high school. (Note to Hugh: Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.) He eats what he wants and never gains weight. Trace is exactly the same.

Unfortunately for Trace, he inherited my love of “really bad for you” food. He enjoys cookies and ice cream and pretty much any type of chip or chocolate that you put in front of him (or hide from him, as the case may be). He likes to eat and says he will continue to eat like he wants until his great metabolism slows down. He knows that he is mine and that day will likely come sooner rather than later.

Given his penchant for eating, I was surprised when Trace’s swim coach told me that he was crashing in the early morning practice and that he suspected that Trace was not eating enough. I asked Trace if he was eating before practice, and he told me that he was. Since practice often starts at 5:00 a.m., I don’t often see what he eats before he goes out the door. When I was cleaning out his car one day, I saw the breakfast of choice: a jar of Biscoff butter (the ground-up version of the cookies Delta serves on its flights) and a box of plastic spoons. Apparently, that had been his daily breakfast for weeks.

Upon seeing this, I knew that we needed to do better; however, I wasn’t particularly sure that I could find something that (1) was quick and easy, (2) that Trace would eat, and (3) that I could make ahead of time so that I was not having to get up at 3:00 a.m. to cook. I found the answer in the Hospitality Room at an early morning swim meet. One of the swim moms had brought in the absolute best oatmeal I had ever tasted. I asked her secret and she told me: the Instant Pot. She said that she makes the oatmeal at night and then leaves it on the warm setting overnight so that her daughter can grab a little as she heads out the door. She said that she always has bananas, cinnamon, raisins and walnuts on hand in case her daughter wants to “fancy it up a bit” but that it is good “as is.” I was hooked.

I’ve always been a little bit afraid of the Instant Pot, as I have seen the horror stories about Instant Pot explosions. However, the oatmeal was so good, I decided to give it a try. I left the swim meet that day and headed straight to Bed Bath & Beyond, where I purchased the biggest Instant Pot I could find. I made Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats that night and have made them weekly ever since.

They are arguably one of the most healthy, budget-friendly, and versatile breakfasts in existence, and they are a nutritional superstar. If you are thinking, “I don’t like oatmeal. It’s bland. It’s mushy. It tastes like something you’d be better off feeding your dog,” then you likely have never tried actual steel cut oats.

Steel cut oats are the key to this oatmeal recipe, as they are a less processed version of rolled, quick or instant oats. They are cut with steel blades and more closely resemble a whole oat at its original state. Because they are more intact and less processed than other types of oats, steel cut oats take longer to cook; however, their unique texture makes them worth the wait. They are higher in fiber and rank lower on the glycemic index, which means the body will digest and turn them to sugar more slowly. They are also naturally gluten-free.

They are also easy to make with the Instant Pot. To make Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats: 1. In a 6-quart Instant Pot, stir together 3 cups water, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or whole milk, 2 cups steel cut oats, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 4 Tablespoons of maple syrup. Cover and seal. Cook on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the lid. 2. Give the oats a big stir. Carefully taste (they will be hot!) and add additional cinnamon and/or maple syrup to taste. The oats will continue to thicken as they cool. Ladle into serving bowls and serve hot with any desired toppings.

NOTE: If using an 8-quart Instant Pot, reduce the cook time to 3 minutes. If using a 3-quart Instant Pot, cut the recipe in half.

TO STORE: Place oatmeal in an airtight storage container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

This recipe makes 4 large servings. Each serving has 359 calories, 63g carbohydrates, 13g protein, 6g fat (1g saturated), 9g fiber and 9g sugar. It also boasts 34mg potassium, 137mg calcium and 3mg iron. It’s the perfect breakfast for an athlete in training (or for the non-athlete who just loves really good food)!