Now, I don't know about you, but I grew up eating the sugar filled Quaker microwave oatmeal with brown sugar and maple syrup for breakfast embarrassingly up to the age of 18. However, my addiction to "What I Eat in A Day" YouTube videos has changed my entire perspective on this breakfast classic. I cannot credit all of my oatmeal discoveries to YouTube, however most recipes have gained their inspiration from these content creating queens.

1. Classic, warm oats

I am extremely confident that there is no "classic" way to eat something. In fact, I know that. Who am I to tell you how to eat those delicious oats? However, I will let you in on the secrets to making you look forward to eating your breakfast every morning (or lunch, I eat oatmeal at any time of day... shhh) . So, first and foremost, you must buy a basic oatmeal blend. I prefer the Trader Joe's Instant Oatmeal. This is an essential in my weekly trip to the store, because it additionally has many superfoods included being chia seeds and quinoa, just to name a few. What this basic blend does lack is some sweetness and flare. This is where I come in. Two words. Peanut Butter. Even better, crunchy peanut butter. Adding a spoonful of PB or almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter if you are allergic, will make you never want to eat oatmeal without the salty additive ever again. This is completely biased and I am way to confident in how I encourage this, yet I can say that I am not the only one enjoying PB in my OM. LOL get it. Additionally, some honey drizzled over the top, and some berries or apples are an amazing healthy topping, or any fruit you desire. I believe that no fruit could make this bowl of porridge taste bad. If you want to kick it up a notch, pop some frozen fruit in the microwave to make somewhat of a compote and pour that warm melty deliciousness on top of the oats. Now that, my friends is a game changer.

2. Overnight oats AKA cold oats

Cold oatmeal, most known as overnight oats, are a simple way to start your day, since it is prepared the night before! Like you would regular oatmeal, you must measured out desired amounts of oatmeal into a container with liquid of choice. Like I have mentioned, I am biased to the classic bowl of warm oatmeal, however this is a unique twist on something traditional that is great for on-the-go mornings (or afternoons). I would also like to mention that everything I had suggested in the classic oatmeal section can identically be applied here, just at a much lower temperature. So whatever your taste buds are telling you to eat, you can choose. Or whatever part of the body tells you what temperature you should eat your food at. I should probably know that, but hey I am an intended COM major, what can I say.

3. Finally, baked oatmeal.

Credit goes to TikTok for this one, I found this recipe whilst scrolling on my for you page and had to try it out, given my obsession with sweet yet salty breakfast oats. Oats are usually a mushy texture, and I typically don't do mushy (in certain instances) which is why baked oatmeal jumped out at me. Especially since it had, my favorite, peanut butter drizzled over the top. The combination of banana and peanut butter is a match made in heaven, I swear it never fails. After it has been baked it has a crunchy crust but a warm melty inside that is just oh so delectable. When I wake up in the morning I typically am craving something sweet and salty, and this one does the trick. The peanut butter adds saltiness and the banana and cinnamon add sweetness. What more could you ask for?

Oatmeal is typically a strong competitor with avocado toast for me in the mornings as I decide which plate to make to start my day, yet the warmth this dish brings to my soul is always a front runner for a busy day. Oats keep you full and are very good for you, according to HealthLine.com. Being a college student, oatmeal is always a great purchase to warm up in the microwave and add your own toppings, according to whatever ingredients tickle your fancy. Customization is key when it comes to eating especially if you are picky like me!