Eating whole oats and barley

I've always enjoyed eating oats for breakfast, especially when I started doing so without any sugar. I could always count on a bowl of oats to fill me up in the morning. For a while I would simply take my oats with bread. I ate all kinds of oats, rolled, steal cut, instant, with added flavors, overnight etc... Recently I got intrigued by a blog post discussing whole oats and barley as being good options when trying to keep blood sugar low. So I set out to find both grains whole and I did at a local organic store. Both were surprisingly cheap, especially the barley. 

When I prepare them for breakfast for the week, I make about 250 grams which is about half a pound and eat a few tablespoons each morning. I prepare both the same way. First, I soak them a while, overnight if I can/remember to do it the night before, otherwise just a few hours in the morning before I cook them. You will notice the point where the volume of the grains have increased due to water absorption. Then I put a bunch of water, enough so that after their fully cooked what is left of the water will be mostly absorbed. Then I add some cinnamon, ginger and monkfruit powder and some grated nutmeg. 

Some people will add a pinch of salt but I don't. I monitor them after a while until the grains are cooked. I try not to overcook them, especially the barley, I don't like it when it's all mushy. I enjoy actually chewing them and feeling that my teeth are breaking them down. When cooked I turn off the heat and let them cool completely. If I cook them early enough I'll have some for breakfast otherwise I put into containers and most of it goes in the freezer, the rest in the fridge. I'll have 2/3 portions in the fridge at once. In the morning I'll eat them with some sugar-less vegetable milk or yogurt. I'll add in berries, crushed nuts, ground flaxseed and a touch of powdered cinnamon and ginger. I might change up the add-ons a bit depending on what I have at home.

I feel like the nuts helps in staying full longer, maybe it's the added fat. I feel like I have more energy when I eat this versus regular rolled oats or even a smoothie with oat powder. I also don't feel any crash afterward or any digestive discomfort. I like that it's easy to prepare. 

If you want to buy the ingredients mentioned here are my affiliate links to buy them on Amazon:

• Organic whole oats
• Organic whole barley
• Cinnamon powder
• Ground ginger
• oat flour
• Ground flaxseed
• Nuts
• Dried berries
• Vegetable Milk