Lora McLaughlin Peterson’s Make-Ahead Fill-You-Up Oatmeal Recipe

I love oatmeal! Truly, I do. And while it’s pretty healthy as is, I grew up eating Cream of Wheat, Cream of Rice — all the hot, creamy cereals out there. In fact, I was more of a hot cereal kid than a cold one. I would add sugar and butter and then let it get cold so I could cut it into squares — it was basically sweet polenta! When I moved to California, Cream of Wheat wasn’t a big thing, but oatmeal was. I had seen someone online putting frozen riced cauliflower in their oatmeal to sneak a veggie in and was inspired. I added protein powder, vanilla, cinnamon — all the flavorful things to disguise any cauliflower flavor. To shrink the prep time and cleanup to practically nothing, I make a batch and divide it among baggies I can reach for in the freezer.

Make-Ahead Fill-You-Up Oatmeal

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups water

One 12-ounce bag riced cauliflower

1 cup rolled oats (or oats with seeds and nuts added, such as Trader Joe’s)

4 scoops (about 4 ounces) vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

Pinch of salt, or to taste

Toppings (optional): Fresh berries, chopped fruit, chopped nuts, raisins

Directions

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cauliflower and oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the protein powder one scoop at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon, if using, and salt.

Serve immediately with toppings of choice. Or to enjoy later, divide the oatmeal among four freezer bags, cool thoroughly, and then seal and refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 4 months.

Storage tip: To freeze and reheat, press the bags flat and freeze. (When pressed flat, they’re much easier to stack and store in the freezer, and they thaw much more quickly.) To thaw, run the bag under hot water and then pour it into a bowl and finish heating in the microwave. Garnish as desired.

Excerpted from The LORAfied Cookbook, reprinted by permission of DK, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2026 Lora McLaughlin Peterson.