A bowl of hot oatmeal is a solid start to the day that can keep you feeling satisfied for hours, but there’s no denying that oatmeal is pretty bland. Brown sugar and cinnamon can solve this problem, but even that can get boring after a while. To combat oatmeal monotony, look no further than your tea collection. Combining the soothing properties of tea and oatmeal is a huge winter morning victory, as long as you don’t make it too complicated. All you have to do is make a strong cup of tea as you normally would and once the tea is done steeping add old-fashioned oats (about half a cup) to your pan. Simmer the oats over medium-low heat until thickened and the tea has been absorbed — roughly 5 minutes. You can use any flavor tea you like, including Earl grey, herbal tea, or fruit tea. All will impart their signature notes to dress up your morning oatmeal. An additional bonus is that tea doesn’t include sugar, so you can be in control of how sweet you like it. Be aware that if you’re using black tea or green tea with caffeine, your breakfast will be caffeinated too.
