Hi there and happy weekend! I hope you’re having a good one. I’ve basically been using this weekend to recover from my trip to Seattle last week. The trip was amazing, but I didn’t get home until Thursday morning at 2AM so between jet lag and a lack of sleep, my body has been running on zero. I’ve slept in until 10AM both days this weekend, which is crazy for me because I’m usually an early riser. I guess my body was in need of the extra zzzs.
I probably should/could have slept on the plane ride home but that didn’t happen because I was too busy reading Gone Girl. It was one of those books that I just couldn’t put down — I think it took me a total of 5 days to read. I liked the author’s writing style, the storyline was captivating and there were quite a few surprising twists that made it a fun read. I hadn’t read a good book in a long time so I’m happy that Alyssa convinced me to read it (and let me borrow her Kindle!!). Now that I’m finished, I think we’re going to go see the movie tonight. Woot!
I have a rapidly growing list of posts that I need to write, but I wanted to keep things short and sweet today so I’m sharing a quick and easy breakfast recipe that I’ve been loving this month. It’s got pumpkin and it’s packed with a hefty dose of protein. Get excited!
I’ve been adding egg whites to my oatmeal for years but hadn’t had them in a while since I didn’t really eat much hot oatmeal over the summer. Julie’s post for Three Minute Egg White Oatmeal inspired me to bring back the egg white oats and I figured now would be a great time to share the recipe.
I know adding egg whites to your oatmeal sounds a little odd if you’ve never done it before but it’s actually pretty awesome — you end up with a nice and fluffy (not to mention filling) bowl of oatmeal. The key is to avoid scrambling the egg whites. To do this, you simply have to continuously stir/whisk the egg whites while you’re adding them to the saucepan and as they cook. Trust me on this… one time I got distracted and didn’t keep up with the stirring… I ended up with a bowl of oatmeal + scrambled egg white chunks. Not so appetizing.
Don’t worry though, if you take my advice and follow the recipe, you’ll end up with a delicious looking bowl of protein oats like what you see below. Pinky promise. 😉
Protein Pumpkin Oatmeal with Egg Whites
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 ripe banana, sliced
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
- 1/4 cup liquid egg whites or 2 egg whites from whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- pinch of sea salt
- sprinkle of extra cinnamon
- almond butter and pumpkin spice pepitas for topping
Instructions
- In saucepan over high heat, combine the almond milk, water, banana slices, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, salt and cinnamon. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the oatmeal. Turn the heat down and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed (about 5-6 minutes).
- Pour in egg whites and stir/whisk constantly. Stirring will keep the egg whites from cooking so that they turn into a thick, fluffy consistency instead. This should take 1-2 minutes.
- Once all the liquid is absorbed and the oatmeal is cooked through, place in a bowl and add your favorite toppings. I used almond butter and pumpkin spice pepitas, but feel free to use a variety of nuts, nut butter or sweeteners. Enjoy!
Gone Girl was such a great read.
This looks amazing. I love how oatmeal tastes, but I’m someone who has to have protein in the morning or I’m ravenous an hour later. I’ll have to try adding egg whites sometime.
Have you ever tried making these the night before & reheating in the morning? Overnight oats (with yogurt) are my go-to because I can do the prep at night, but I’d love to try (1) a warm version and (2) using egg whites as the protein bump!
This sounds fantastic! I am about to head to the airport for my flight back home after a weekend conference – Denver to South Carolina on the RedEye. I too planned on sleeping, but I started Gone Girl 2 days ago and don;t know if I’ll be able to put it down for the flight home!! I’ll have to try this recipe at home after I’m out of my sleep coma to help restore me 😉
gotta have the AB or PB drizzle on top or it’s just not oatmeal 🙂
I made this for breakfast this morning and it was so good! Thanks for the recipe. I am looking forward to seeing Gone Girl too. The book was such a page-turner! Have a great week.
I’m so glad that you liked the oats with egg whites mixed in, Lauren. Thank you for trying the recipe. We went to see the movie last night — it was good!!
What a great way to make oats have a little more sticking power throughout the day! This sounds like a delicious, filling breakfast. I must give this a try with all the fall inspired flavors. Are you buying certified gluten-free rolled oats now with the recent diagnosis from your functional medicine doctor?
Yeah, I’ve always tried to buy gluten-free oats so luckily that wasn’t a big change for me. 🙂
I love adding egg whites to oats– adds a nice flavor, fluff and protein!
I have the exact same question!
Oh my gosh, I recently started a food blog and I posted a VERY similar recipe as my “hello blog world” post! Love it, and love your idea of adding in actual pumpkin seeds!
Good minds think alike. 🙂
This is so good! I tried making egg white oats one time before and I ended up with oatmeal and chunky egg whites. This time it worked! They are so fluffy. 🙂
I was hesitant to try this, but wow! I’m shocked at how big the portion was and how amazing it tastes! Thanks!!! Any thoughts on an apple version?
So glad you liked it, Cathy. It’s funny that you asked about an apple version because I just made one this morning. I used 1/2 of a chopped fuji apple and added it in at the same time you’d normally add the banana and pumpkin. I used cinnamon and a little sea salt for the seasoning. The rest of the ingredients were the same. Maybe I should post this recipe too. 🙂
This looks great! I love the addition of the egg whites as well, packs in some protein. I am always looking for new oatmeal recipes, especially with pumpkin now that it is fall!
Anyone has tried making it in advance?
This looks absolutely scrumptious.
can this be done with steel cut oats as well?
Sure! You’ll just have to cook the oats longer.
Any way these can be made in the microwave?
Sure! Here’s a recipe from my friend that uses the microwave: http://www.pbfingers.com/2014/09/17/three-minute-egg-white-oatmeal/
Can you make,this with steel cut oats?
Totally. They will just take longer to cook.
Can you make this with one whole egg instead of whites only? I love my yolks 🙂
Definitely! Whole eggs will work just fine.