November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Over the years I’ve written many blogs around this theme. You can read about them here, here, and here. However, this year I thought I’d write about a few of the most common issues/complaints/themes from my Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) participants. Real life changes to our lifestyle habits and how to make the biggest impact for prevention of Type 2 Diabetes. I’ll also leave you with a recipe for Instant Pot Steel Cut Pumpkin Oats.
- Eat more vegetables. Eating vegetables should be simple, however, for many people it isn’t. For the majority of my 18 participants they’re not eating enough. Not to mention that 9 out of 10 Americans aren’t getting the recommended amount. My encouragement is always to include more veggies. Recently I started posting recipes for “how to cook veggies simple” on my blog. There are multiple reasons why people don’t eat their veggies, however, one of the most common is because they don’t know how to cook them. From sautéed kale to roasted broccoli, it’s just the start of me showing people how to cook veggies in a simple yet tasty way. Many of the participants have started eating veggies.
- Eliminate sugary beverages. A certain coffee company just advertised their Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte and Toasted White Chocolate Mocha. ‘Tis the Season, right? Truthfully, “all foods fit” and “everything in moderation”. However, consider this, people who consume sugar drinks regularly—1 to 2 cans a day or more—have a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who rarely have such drinks. Aim to replace a daily serving of a sugary beverage with water, coffee, or tea and that was linked with a 2-10% lower risk of diabetes. Help your pancreas, don’t aim to give it more work and tire it out and eliminate those sugary drinks.
- Aim to make 1/2 your grains whole. Try a new grain, quinoa, farro, or buckwheat, the key is to keep trying. Whole grains, unlike processed refined grains, are a complete package. That whole package, he bran, the germ, and the endosperm, are what provide the health benefits: lowering cholesterol, keeping blood sugars stable, keeping you fuller longer, and more! And while I know the benefits of brown rice, I never tell my participants to get rid of white rice. It’s cultural and there are ways to combine other foods, hello black beans, with the white rice so they’re still able to have foods that are familiar, and also have fiber! Understanding portions is also key.
Instant Pot Steel Cut Pumpkin Oats
An easy whole grain to incorporate is oats, rolled oats or steel cut. Oats are a great addition to include for breakfast. And while it rarely gets cold enough to have a warm breakfast here in Miami, overnight oats is also a simple way to grab your breakfast and go. Today’s recipe is more seasonal since we did have our first “cool” front last night. Steel cut oats on the stove can take quite some time to cook, however, here in the instant pot (pressure cooker) they take just a few mere minutes. There are directions for the stove top version, however, no complaining that they take too long to cook! Add it in to your meal prep for the week. Instant Pot Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats. I hope you like it as much as I do.
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Instant Pot® Steel Cut Pumpkin Oats
Steel Cut Oats in an instant. From 30 minutes on the stove to just 4 minutes (plus 10 for warm up) in the pressure cooker, steel cut oats are now a possibility during the week!
- Total Time: 9 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups skim milk
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
Pressure Cooker
- Combine water, milk, oats, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt in pressure cooker pot. Stir until evenly combined. Close and lock lid. Make sure valve is set to the sealing position.
- Hit Pressure Cooker “High”, and set timer to 4 minutes. Pressure will build for 10 minutes.
- Cook – Once the timer has begun the countdown, the oats will cook for 4 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release for 10 minutes. Then you can manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Remove the lid and use a large wooden spoon to stir. Serve into bowls.
- Add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Stove Top
- Heat – in a large pot over medium heat, add water, milk, pumpkin, oats, spices, maple syrup and salt. Stir to combine.
- Allow mixture to come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until mixture has thickened and oats are cooked.
- Serve in bowls and add your favorite toppings.
Notes
*You can substitute 2 apples, chopped in pieces, for the canned pumpkin. Switch out the pumpkin pie spice for just cinnamon and now you have an Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal.
*I always add either nuts and/or nut butter to my oatmeal. Adding nuts/nut butters allows for some protein and healthy fat to be added to the meal, allowing me to feel fuller longer, and adding more flavor all at the same time!
*A note about the maple syrup – it is added sugar – and the key with added sugar is to reduce consumption. There are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon, so instead of 3 teaspoons you can add just two teaspoons or less if you want. I typically add about 1 1/2 teaspoons (so half the amount listed in the recipe) – you do you.
*Store leftovers in fridge; Reheat on stove-top, adding a bit of milk as needed. It’s best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 4
- Category: Breakfast
1 thought on “Instant Pot® Steel Cut Pumpkin Oats”
Always have wanted to try steel cut oats. Great idea to cut the cooking time using the pressure cooker!