10-Minute Almond Joy Oatmeal

You know what I want for breakfast? Mmmmmm … I really wish I could have an Almond Joy candy bar … but in a healthy, hearty, keep-you-powered-up-all-morning breakfast!

Oh wait … that’s exactly what I made! Yay! (Oh friends, you know how much I love Almond Joys … remember these snack bites?)

Sweet coconut and crunchy almonds, with just a hint of creamy chocolate. All swirled together in a deliciously warm and satisfying bowl of almost-instant oatmeal … mmmmmmm!

And this got the ultimate double-stamp of approval. Not just because my family absolutely loves it and excitedly asks me to make it regularly … I mean, that’s a given for recipes we share with you here at THK.

Nope! It’s because of what happened one day last weekend … (picture a time warp here) … when my family made a spur-of-the-moment decision to hit the slopes of our local ski resort (as we headed into our umpteenth-straight, freezing cold Ohio day).

My husband gallantly offered to make breakfast while the rest of us showered and grabbed our gear. The kids wanted Almond Joy Oatmeal (again!), so I handed Romeo my laptop with the draft of this recipe post (and experienced the strange and wonderful sensation of letting someone else handle breakfast duty)!

Minutes later, Romeo arrived upstairs with a huge smile and a steamy bowl of this oatmeal, gleefully declaring, “This recipe is totally THK! I can’t believe how easy it was to make!” (You shoulda seen his eyes sparkle! You would’ve thought he’d just seen a unicorn!) “I thought it’d be hard, but it was done so fast and it’s really, really good, and healthy and filling! Really kid-friendly, too! It’s just great!”

He was so stinkin’ cute – utterly earnest in his excited discovery that our THK recipes really are that easy to make! (Well, yeah, sweetie – that’s kinda the whole premise of Two Healthy Kitchens!)

I grabbed a pencil and frantically wrote down his little gems of wisdom before I forgot what he’d said – this was the very best and most glowing recipe review I could have hoped for!

But really – this 10-minute oatmeal is absolutely worthy of a double-stamp of THK approval!

My husband was 100% right – delicious, healthy, filling, and a total breeze to make. (Ummmmm … I kinda designed it that way … but don’t go telling Romeo that and bursting his bubble of excited discovery!)

I don’t mind one bit that my kiddos request it all the time, because I can whip this together and check breakfast right off my list (even when I don’t have the luxury of letting someone else take over the kitchen)!

I’m not kidding about the 10-minute prep! (Well, ok … actually I kinda am … it’s probably more like 7.2 minutes! But “7.2-Minute Almond Joy Oatmeal” just didn’t have the same ring!) The most time-consuming part of the whole process is just getting the milk and water to boil!

So fire up your most powerful burner, and get ready to meet your new favorite oatmeal!

We’d Love to Hear From You!

Because I’m always testing or retesting a recipe, double-checking measurements, trying one last possible variation … my Romeo doesn’t do much cooking. But he’s really totally trustworthy in the kitchen and he’s actually a pretty terrific, creative and intuitive cook! Back before kiddos, we even enjoyed leisurely cooking together (before we had to embrace divide-and-conquer-parent-mode)! So I’m wondering – who does most of the cooking in your house?

To get more healthy, delicious recipe ideas, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Pinterest. Plus, be the first to get our newest recipes by simply entering your e-mail in the box at the top right corner of our page!

Love Super-Fast, Delicious Oatmeal Recipes? Check Out Our:

• 10-Minute Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

• 1½ cups non-fat milk
• 1½ cups water
• 2½ cups quick oats
• ¾ cup coconut
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• 3½ tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon mini chocolate chips, optional, for serving

1. Bring the milk and water to a boil in a saucepan that’s large enough to prevent boil-overs. (While your milk and water heat up, gather your other ingredients and have them ready, because the rest of the cooking goes very quickly.)
2. Once the liquids boil, reduce the heat to low. Add the oats and then stir in all other ingredients except optional chocolate chips.
3. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes as you’re adding the ingredients, until oats are done and oatmeal is thickened to your liking. (If you’re not quick about adding the ingredients, you can turn the stove off as you add the final items so that your oatmeal doesn’t get too thick, or you can add just a little more milk to thin the consistency to your liking.)
4. Serve with about ½ teaspoon chocolate chips sprinkled on top of each serving, if desired.