Molasses Oatmeal

    I like to research random foods or ingredients  already in my pantry and Saturday morning it was Molasses. My interest with this started  when I recently bought a new bottle of molasses for a recipe. My granny and I had a conversation about it. She told me it was her dad's (my great grandfather) favorite  thing to add to any food to make it sweet and they always had it in the house. So suddenly, I became interested in molasses and if there were any benefits to eating it over some other sweeteners. Her father ate it for pure taste and was not concerned about the health benefits but I was…

     First, let me inform you molasses contains a lot of sugar! I am a sugar revolving girl. I am trying to decrease my sugar intake because I eat way too much but it was saturday and I wanted to treat myself with a semi-sweet breakfast. I did learn through research online a few things about molasses:
1. What is it? It is the by-product when sugarcane is refined.
2. It contains a pretty good source of iron, magnesium, copper, and potassium. Copy and paste the link below if you are curious about the health benefits. http://www.livestrong.com/article/262769-molasses-nutrition-information/
3. Molasses is not some super food but it is a great alternative to add to oatmeal for a "sweet treat" breakfast. This is not a normal daily breakfast but its better than a doughnut on a saturday.

I was looking up breakfast ideas on Real Simple's website and came across some ideas for oatmeals and that is where I saw the idea for Molasses oatmeal along with many other great ideas for oatmeal. Here is the link to copy and paste if you are interested in creative types of oatmeal:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/quick-easy/oatmeal-recipe-00100000099427/index.html

Ingredients you will need:

 I added a little cinnamon for flavor. 

 Cook oatmeal according to its directions without the bananas and molasses. 

 Add chopped banana and molasses. 

 I spent my morning bird watching with my dad in our sunroom while eating my oatmeal.
Pure happiness! 

I changed the recipe slightly from the Real Simple idea or my molasses oatmeal. I used the instructions on the back of the oat box to make the oatmeal. I make my oatmeal with just water because I steer clear of dairy when I can because of my mildly lactose intolerant stomach...
So all you need is (for 1 serving):
-1/2 cup of oats
-1 cup of water (milk if you choose)
-dash of cinnamon (optional)
-Little less than a tablespoon of molasses
-Chopped banana

*I did not add any other sugar or anything. The molasses is very rich and provides plenty of flavor. You could add some type of walnuts or pecans if you desire.