Tiramisu Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (40g) steel cut oats
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coffee (your favorite)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 medium banana, sliced into thin pieces
• 1 tbsp fat-free plain greek yogurt (I use Fage)
• 1 tbsp mascarpone cheese
• 1+1/4 tsp stevia
• 1+1/4 tsp vanilla extract (Best. Vanilla. Ever.)
• 2 ladyfinger cookies (48 calories worth)
• 1/4 tsp Grand Marnier or orange extract
• pinch of unsweetened cocoa
• pinch of mini chocolate chips

Directions
The night before you plan to eat the oatmeal: In a medium size pan, heat the oats, water, 1/4 cup of coffee, and salt over medium-high heat, with a lid on. Once the mixture reaches a boil, turn the burner off. Make sure to keep a close watch, because a boil over can happen very quickly (speaking from experience). You do not want to lose half of your oats all over the stove top.

DO NOT REMOVE LID. This is very important. This keeps the moisture inside, which is going to continue to cook the oats. Leave the covered pot on the stovetop overnight.

In the morning, remove the lid and give it a stir to incorporate. Turn the burner on to medium heat. Once the mixture begins to simmer, approximately 5-6 minutes, stir in the sliced banana. Continue to stir until the banana breaks down and the mixture thickens.

In a tiny bowl or cup, mix together the 2 tbsp of coffee and the 1/4 tsp of Grand Marnier. Place the ladyfingers side by side on a shallow plate. Pour coffee mixture over top and allow to soak until the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a separate medium-size bowl, add the greek yogurt, mascarpone cheese, 1/4 tsp of stevia, and 1/4 tsp vanilla and whip together using a hand mixer on medium-low speed. Set aside.

Back to the oatmeal, add 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp of stevia to the oats and continuing to stir. You will know when it is done, because it will be thick like a porridge, not at all soupy.

Pour into a serving bowl and very carefully arrange the very soft ladyfingers on top. Then add mascarpone cheese mixture on top. Dust with unsweetened cocoa and the pinch of mini chocolate chips.

This oatmeal was fabulous! Decadent yet still very healthy! Guys, surprise your lady with this treat as breakfast-in-bed this weekend. Nothing like bonus points a few weeks before Christmas, eh?

Tip: If you are worried about protein content, you can always add a side of scrambled egg whites in order to bump up the protein to carbs ratio.

Nutritional Info
1 servings = per serving

Calories: 331
Fat: 10 g
Carbs: 51 g
Protein: 11 g

Check out more recipes from my 30-Day Oatmeal Challenge.