Fruit & Maple Oatmeal

I had to do something very, very painful to create this recipe: go on the McDonald's website. Of course, this was much less painful than actually going to their store and purchasing something, but the thought of giving more traffic to this company's website pained me slightly.

I understand there are people who are okay with McDonald's (and fast food in general) in moderation. I am not opposed to all fast food by any means, but I loathe crappy chain fast food joints (McDonald's, BK, Wendy's, Taco Bell, etc.) and refuse to support them. I gave up McDonald's first, and I haven't been inside one since the summer of 2010.

As a result, I've never experienced their Fruit and Maple Oatmeal, and I have no intentions of ever doing so. However, it seemed like a good combination of flavors, and I figured there may be some people out there who would like a copycat recipe. It's a little annoying because it requires both green and red apples, but you could ignore that and just use one kind of apple. Your secret is safe with me. :)

I dub thee....

"McDonald's Can Suck It" Oatmeal.

"I Can Make It Better" Oatmeal.

"No Caramel Color Necessary" Oatmeal.

or, I'll just keep it classy and go with...

Fruit & Maple Oatmeal

by The Oatmeal Artist

Prep Time: 2 min

Cook Time: 5 min

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Ingredients (serves 1)

• 2/3 cup milk of choice, or water
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 a small red apple
• 1/2 a small green apple
• 1 tbsp golden raisins
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp dried cranberries
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp molasses, or 1/2 tsp brown sugar (optional)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Bring milk (I use an equal mixture of almond milk and water) to a boil, add oats, and reduce heat to medium. (If you'd like to add flax or chia seeds, do so now.)
2. Dice apples and add to the oatmeal immediately. Add raisins and cranberries.
3. Once more of the liquid has absorbed, add vanilla extract, maple syrup, optional molasses, cinnamon, and salt. Stir.
4. When you're pleased with the consistency of the oatmeal, transfer to a bowl. Serve with another splash of your milk of choice and any other additional toppings (shredded coconut, nuts, etc.).

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*If using the molasses, add as directed in step 3. If opting for the brown sugar, you can either add that in step 3 in place of the molasses, OR you can add that at the end as a topping.

**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!