Have you been sweating alot lately? Feeling like it’s too hot to enjoy the great outdoors? You want to wear your swimsuit to work? Oh wait, you don’t want to be caught dead in your swimsuit? You’ve been thinking, man, oatmeal would really help me shed those last couple pounds. But it’s just too hot to eat this time of year. Think again, my friends, think again. Let me introduce you to Swiss Oatmeal.

I first met Swiss Oatmeal on my weekly breakfast date with my sister. It was a Saturday. We pulled into Corner Bakery thinking we were just going to get breakfast and chat. Little did I know, my world was about to change. I ordered Swiss Oatmeal. It sounded so … European. How could I resist? It was love at first sight. Or should I say bite? Yep, I just said bite.

My affair with Swiss Oatmeal continued over the years. At first, I would just eat it on the weekends with my sister. Eventually I decided I needed to learn how to make it myself. Once a week just wasn’t cutting it. After much experimentation, I figured out how to make this in the comfort of my own home.

Let me tell you a bit about Swiss Oatmeal before I give away the recipe. You eat it chilled not hot. It wont make you sweat. It never sits in a microwave or a pan on the stove top. Just add water. It’s creamy. It’s healthy. It will help you shed those extra pounds. It’s similar to Muesli. It’s very very filling. It’s got all the fiber Dr. Oz has been telling you to eat. It’s sweet. It’s delicious. It has a very interesting history. It’s the easiest recipe on this blog to date. You’re about to fall in love.

Here’s what you’ll need, plus yogurt.

Swiss Oatmeal
one serving

1/2 c.-ish of Old Fashioned oats
water
Sprinkle of Craisins
Sprinkle of Currants or Raisins
1/2 Banana diced
1/4 Granny Smith apple diced
Brown Sugar to taste
2 spoonfuls or so Plain Yogurt

1. The night before, place oats in a bowl. Cover oats just below the top with water (pictures to follow). Refrigerate overnight.
2. In the morning, drain the water if necessary.
3. Combine ingredients into the oats—yogurt, currants, craisins, banana, apple, brown sugar. Stir.
4. Eat and fall in love.

TIPS
• We use a Pyrex bowl and cover with lid. If there’s excess water in the morning, we use the lid to help drain it out. Though, we’ve gotten so good lately that we rarely have to drain anymore.
• We only make enough for the next day.
• Yogurt is the paste that holds everything together. We use Mountain High Yoghurt—Plain, low fat. You can buy this at Costco or Whole Foods. Using plain yogurt allows us to determine the sweetness.
• We prefer currants to raisins in Swiss Oatmeal. They are smaller in size but taste very similar. You can buy them at Whole Foods in the bulk section.
• Use Old Fashion cut oats as compared to Quick Cooking oats. Because Quick Cooking oats are smaller in size, they become more mooshy overnight in water. Bleh.
• Since we eat alot of oats, we buy them in bulk at Costco.
• This is another one of those recipes you can make your own. There is no exact science, so experiment. Add berries, add granola for some crunch, add nuts, add flavored yogurt, add greek yogurt, use honey instead of brown sugar, add wheat germ, and the list could go on and on.

Above: Oats without water. Below: Oats with water.