Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Thin Mints Oatmeal

My friends, let me tell you the story of how Thin Mints Oatmeal came to be...


I have a love-hate relationship with bananas. In general, I kind of hate them. I rarely eat them plain; their taste and texture make me gag a little if I'm not in the right mood. On the other hand, they are just wonderful. They are a natural sweetener, super cheap, and versatile. I can put them in sandwiches, smoothies, oatmeal, or baked goods, which is why--despite my on-and-off hatred of them--I almost always have some on the counter.



Few things make me as happy as this sight when I walk into HyVee.
I had one banana left on the counter, and it was looking pretty sad and close to death. I was much more in the mood for apple cinnamon, but that banana demanded my attention, and soon. Begrudgingly, I began cooking the oats and mashing the banana.

But then I had the idea: mint chocolate chip, one of my favorite flavor combinations. But how does a banana fit into the equation? Just like I used it for my lemon poppy seed oatmeal, the banana sweetens the oatmeal, and it also bulks it up both literally and nutritionally! Because of the strength of peppermint oil, you most definitely will not taste the banana. Which is exactly what I wanted that day. No banana.


And then I took my first bite. BLISS. PURE BLISS. Instantly, I thought of Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies, and the nostalgia kicked in. Since that day, Thin Mints Oatmeal has been one of my absolutely favorite recipes.

Thin Mints Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist
Prep Time: 1 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Ingredients (serves 1)
  • 1 cup milk of choice, or water
  • 1/2 cup regular rolled oats (I use Country Choice Organic)
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/4 tsp peppermint oil or extract
  • 4-5 tsp of cocoa powder
  • pinch of salt
  • handful of semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium.
  2. Mash up the banana thoroughly (until NO chunks are left). If you don't mash it enough, you'll end up getting tastes of banana during your mint chocolate chip experience, which is not ideal. Once it's all perfectly mashed, add to the pot.
  3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add peppermint oil, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir, and watch your oatmeal transform into fudgy goodness.
  4. If you'd like to add any additional ingredients (coconut oil, sunflower seeds), do so now.
  5. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and sprinkle some chocolate chips (or carob chips) on top. If you have fresh peppermint, use a peppermint leaf for garnish! :)
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**You can also find hundreds of other oatmeal recipes (as well as tons of other meatless recipes) on my Pinterest account!  You can also like The Oatmeal Artist on Facebook. Thanks!

15 comments:

  1. I never thought about using banana to sweeten the oatmeal! I usually use honey. I add cocoa powder to my kids oatmeal and if I have any, some mint chocolate chips. The love it!

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    1. Num! When I make this recipe now, I always use cocoa powder. And I love using banana to sweeten oatmeal because it also gives it a creamier texture!

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  2. I love your site! Great recipes!!! I tried banana oatmeal and it was amazing! I have never known when exactly to add mix ins before. Thank you, Lauren!

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  3. I was trying to follow you on Pinterest, but the link you provided took me to a different Lauren:(

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    Replies
    1. Woops! Pinterest recently made me change my username (apparently the "_" symbol is not allowed??), so you can find me at lauren015. :) Thanks so much!

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  4. I love this website! I was actually able to recommend it to a friend who has some serious diet restrictions and she loves it :) I have only tried a couple of your recipes, but I really look forward to trying more!

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  5. Instead of mint oil, would it work if i boiled fresh mint in the water before adding the oatmeal? Thx! :) love ur recipes btw!

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    Replies
    1. Interesting! You may have to use a LOT of it to get the desired taste.

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  6. Can you put this in a mason jar in the Fridge overnight or does it need to be eaten immediately?

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    Replies
    1. Yep! Check out this post: http://bit.ly/1biDo53

      To be fair, some people have trouble getting the banana to "hide" all the way in the overnight version. Make sure you mash it very carefully! If you're really concerned about it, you could blend all the ingredients except the oats first, and then combine the oats with the blended mixture in the mason jar!

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  7. First time I tried the mashed banana in the cooked oatmeal, not a huge fan but the thin mint flavor was to die for! I'm slowly making my way through all your recipes!!

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    Replies
    1. Could you taste the banana, or was it the texture that threw you off? I've never been able to taste the banana in this recipe. I must be using a stronger mint extract than you?

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  8. Just made this after a long work-out. Didn't have any chocolate chips around the house but that didn't matter. It tasted so good! I felt like I was having girl guide cookies except without any guilt. I can't wait to make this again soon!

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  9. 3 Researches SHOW How Coconut Oil Kills Waist Fat.

    The meaning of this is that you literally burn fat by consuming Coconut Fats (also coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 studies from large medical journals are sure to turn the conventional nutrition world upside down!

    ReplyDelete

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