Last week, I jetted clear across the country to visit Miami for the annual BlogHer Food Conference. After a flight delay and lack of taxis, I arrived at the hotel at 1:30 am, but with a blog post left to publish, I slipped between the sheets after 4 and finally stopped snoozing sometime around 1 the following afternoon.
While I fit in a quick workout before many of the other bloggers flew in, I listened to the heavy drops loudly pelting the gym’s windows like the constant drum roll of a snare. (With all of the wind, a tornado even touched down during that time only a mile from the airport!) Back up in my room, I showered, dressed, and headed down to the lobby in search of food.
As I sat in an empty armchair to contemplate my options (room service, their lounge, or the small snack shop), a redheaded lady approached me and inquired, “Are you Brenda?”
I answered, “No, I’m sorry… Are you here for the Conference?”
When she replied yes, we exchanged names, blog titles, and a few pleasantries before I eventually asked where she was from.
“The San Francisco Bay Area.”
“Oh! Whereabouts?”
“A small town…”
“Which one? I’m from the Bay Area too!”
And when she mentioned the city’s name, my jaw dropped to the floor.
“I was born and raised there!”
It’s a small (well, relatively, for California) 70,000-person town and nobody ever seems to be from there, let alone know where it is!
So Jane took me under her wing, convincing me to join the gaggle of gorgeously dressed girls (despite my cutoff jean shorts and well-worn slightly ratty hoodie) boarding a shuttle to traverse across town for a party by reassuring me they’d serve lots of snacks and savory dishes for my growling stomach. And she continued to watch over me for the entire Conference, making sure I was never lonely, met all the right people, and stayed very well fed.
By the time I boarded the plane to fly home yesterday, our easy friendship felt as comfortable as if we’d known each other for years. It was a sweet surprise to meet someone that kind and generous from my hometown!
Just like Jane, this Skinny Cookies ’n Cream Oatmeal is also a sweet surprise! Its thick, smooth texture—almost reminiscent of soft scoops of ice cream, minus the melting—and rich chocolate cookie crumbles will tempt you to jump out of bed in the morning just to eat a bowl for breakfast. Despite its classic dessert taste, this oatmeal is still loaded with protein and ready in less than 5 minutes!
You guys loved my skinny chocolate chip cheesecake oatmeal so much that I couldn’t resist creating another fun flavor! Similar to that one, you only need 4 ingredients for this easy recipe: oats, milk, pudding mix, and an Oreo. That’s it!
You don’t actually prepare the fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding mix according to the package’s directions. We only need the dry powder for flavor, not thickening, because oats thicken enough on their own already.
To prepare the oatmeal, stir everything together in a big bowl (or pot for the stove, if you don’t mind washing an extra dish!) except the crumbled Oreos. The cookies soften really quickly, so leave them out to maintain a little bit of their crunchy texture. Cook the oatmeal, stirring occasionally (this helps prevent it from bubbling over the rim!), until it’s mostly thickened; then let the bowl sit for a few minutes to allow it to thicken a bit more. Now it’s time to dig in!
If running short on time, you could even make overnight oats instead. Simply add the same 3 ingredients to a small Tupperware container, seal the lid, and refrigerate overnight. Once the oats absorb all of the liquid, stir in the Oreos, grab a spoon, and dash off to work or school with your sweet breakfast treat!
With its classic flavor combination, this Skinny Cookies ’n Cream Oatmeal is an irresistibly fun morning meal! The soft oats, rich vanilla, and indulgent chocolate Oreo chunks combine together to create the most satisfying cozy bowl, yet even your mom would approve of its low-calorie profile and big protein punch.
So… Who wants cookies for breakfast?
This thick and creamy oatmeal tastes like the classic ice cream flavor but is packed with protein and nutrients! The recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled to feed more people.
- Roughly crumble the two halves of the Oreo cookie, and set aside.
- Add the oats, milk, and pudding mix to a large microwave-safe bowl. Stir to dissolve the pudding mix. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute 45 seconds. Stir, and microwave again for 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds to prevent the oatmeal from bubbling over. Let the oatmeal rest for 2 minutes before stirring in the crumbled Oreo cookies.
Notes: Just use the dry pudding mix! Do not prepare it according to the package directions.
Alternative cooking method: Add oats, milk, and pudding mix to a small pot and cook for 4-5 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently, on the stove.
For overnight oats: Combine the oats, milk, and pudding mix in a bowl or Tupperware. Cover and refrigerated for 8 hours or overnight until thickened. Just before serving, crumble the Oreo cookies and stir them in.
What a delicious way to start the day! I love this, Amy!
Thanks Megan! 🙂
What a great story and recipe! Jane sounds like such a sweetheart.This sounds so yummy =)
Thank you!
Jett
Thanks Jett! I’m truly blessed to have met such a sweet woman. Fate has a funny way of taking care of us, doesn’t it? 😉
And the funniest thing was that she was from your home town! That’s amazing! By the way, I am following you both on Twitter now. I thought I already followed you ;-/
@jett2whit also on Instagram
Have a fabulous afternoon!
Jett
Thanks for following us on Twitter! Something may have happened when I changed my blog name, so it’s probably not your memory. 🙂 And I love seeing you on Instagram!
Thank you Amy! xoxo
I hope you had a great time at the blog conference! And of course, this oatmeal looks amazing! Actually, all of your oatmeal recipes do! I still have your funfetti cake batter one on my list to try, so this one will definitely come next!
Aww Gayle, you’re the sweetest — thank you so much! I really hope you enjoy both oatmeal recipes. And yes, I had a fabulous time at the conference. I’m really happy I faced my nerves and went; I feel like a totally different person in the best sort of way! 🙂
Your images are beautiful Amy, can’t wait to try out this recipe.
Thank you; I hope you enjoy it!
I add sugar free, fat free pudding mixes to my oatmeals all the time! The one I did today included a sugar free apricot jam and some sugar free lemon pudding mix for a citrus-y oatmeal. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
I love the sound of the lemon and apricot combination Kaylin! Definitely keeping that one in mind. 🙂
Sounds like it was an incredible weekend, despite the iffy weather! Someday, I would love to attend BlogHer. It has got to be so neat actually getting to meet in person the people you’ve only met over the Internet. Jane sounds absolutely wonderful and its such a blessing you happened to meet!
And it is such a blessing you posted this today – I’ve had Oreo cravings pretty seriously, but I would rather not eat the whole box in one go 😉 so a bowl of creamy, rich, Oreo filled oatmeal sounds delicious! Thanks Amy!
I highly recommend going to BlogHer Food! I wasn’t able to go last year, and there’s no way I want to miss another one. You’ll meet so many new blogging friends, make immediate connections with brands (the equivalent of corresponding back and forth for a year!), and eat so much amazing food. It’s completely worth it! And a lot of bloggers also get full or partial sponsorships, so the cost isn’t too bad as well. I really hope you come to next year’s so we can meet! 🙂 Are Oreos dairy-free? I can’t remember!
This is the first year I’ve really heard about BlogHer and I’ve got the bug! 🙂 It sounds absolutely amazing; I didn’t think about the immediate connection with brands – yet another perk! Oh Amy, I hope I could go next year, it would be so fun to actually meet you! And yes, Oreos are dairy free … its a good thing because I’m eating a bowl of this as I type! I may not need another breakfast recipe – ever. 🙂
I really, really hope you’ll come next year! They should be announcing the location sometime over the summer, so hopefully that’ll give you plenty of time to plan. You’re the best Mary Frances — I’m SO happy you’re enjoying my oatmeal!! 😀
Umm what a blast!! I am so jealous of Jane, but so glad you found each other! I hope you blog more about Blogher! Or you can always text me? HAHA I wanna know more!! I hope you had an amazing time, from the looks of your IG photos I would say you did. COOKIES for breakfast..always a good idea.
Trust me, you’re still TOP on my list of bloggers I want to meet!! I’m hoping to get up to Seattle within the next year, and you know that if you ever come to NorCal, I’ll be begging you to meet up. 🙂 I’m planning to blog more about the BlogHer conference, but feel free to email (or text) me if you have any specific questions!
How cool is that!! And a conference buddy is a must. 🙂 It was so great to hang out with you!
I loved hanging out with you too Dorothy! And hopefully we can hang out more in SJ in July. (Yes, I decided to go!) I think you and the other Sac food bloggers are the only ones I know going, and with the sheer number of brands and bloggers that are attending, I could definitely use an awesome conference buddy like you!
This is my kind of breakfast 🙂 Cookies for breakfast!! !
You can’t beat dessert for breakfast! 😉 And congratulations on your little bundle of joy! I’m so excited for you and your husband, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for your family!