I had never cooked oatmeal on the stove top.

I pride myself on my cooking abilities, and yet, when it came to my breakfast, the microwave made it happen for years. I’m mostly vegan at this point, and finding quick breakfast foods isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Oatmeal has become a go-to, and a serving of quick oats cooked in the microwave (because they aren’t quick enough otherwise, apparently) with a spoonful of peanut butter and some honey is an easy out for most mornings.

But then my boyfriend showed me up.

We’re long-distance, and when we do get to spend time together, he makes me breakfast. He actually cooks. He puts oatmeal on the stove, adds fruit, nuts and honey (whatever we have on hand, really), and makes me a wholesome, lovingly prepared meal that warms my insides in more ways than one. It’s super sweet. And by that, I mean his making me breakfast, not the oatmeal. He doesn’t do a lot of sugar.

The fact that my man was creating a better version of breakfast for me than I had been cooking for myself got me thinking. Why didn’t I give it a try, this whole cooking-oatmeal-on-the-stove business? It couldn’t be so hard, right?

It wasn’t hard at all.

Here’s one of my favorite, quick and easy recipes for a warming, healthy breakfast (made on the stove top, y’all!) with no artificial flavorings or added sugars, aside from a taste of honey, if you like. You’ll feel good about feeding this to those bodies you love—yours and your family’s:

Creamy Eight-Minute Strawberry-Banana Oatmeal

Ingredients (for one serving):

½ cup of strawberries, sliced or quartered (fresh or frozen)
½ large banana, chunked into 1-inch pieces (fresh or frozen)
½ cup almond milk (water, regular milk, or soy milk work too)
¼ cup quick oats
Honey, to taste

I always have frozen berries and bananas on hand for smoothies, so I typically use frozen fruit, but I’ve made this with fresh fruit as well, and the steps remain the same.

To make yourself cry tears of breakfast joy in less than 10 minutes:

1. Place milk (or water), banana chunks and strawberries in a saucepan.
2. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the banana.
3. When the mixture starts to bubble and boil (about 5 minutes), reduce heat to medium, add oats and stir.
4. Cook for 1 additional minute, stirring frequently.
5. Remove from heat and cover. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes, add honey to taste and serve. Enjoy!

*Note: If cooking larger quantities for multiple servings, cooking times may need to be adjusted accordingly.

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Relephant Links: 

2 Sweet Breakfasts. {One Vegan & One Grain Free Recipe}

Banana & Peanut Butter Overnight Oats. {Vegan Recipe}

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Author: Kristen Bagwill

Apprentice Editor: Elly Woods; Editor: Caitlin Oriel

Image: evoixsd/Flickr