Disclosure: This recipe and blog post were created in partnership with The Quaker Oats Company. I was compensated for my time. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Street Smart Nutrition!

Are you wearing all the red this month?

Red happens to be one of my favorite colors so my closet has some strong contenders (I’m looking at you, 10-year old college sweatshirt). But it’s also a great reminder that February is American Heart Month. Although I’m still young, it’s never too early to start building health-promoting behaviors for years to come. That’s why I teamed up with Quaker one more time to share a heart-healthy breakfast recipe that can help you make the small changes that add up to better health.

Keep reading to see the full recipe and learn more!

Oatmeal for Heart Health

Heart disease is the number one health risk for American men and women, making it more important than ever to raise awareness about risks, symptoms, and how to help prevent it.

Although many of us may focus on weight loss to improve health, it turns out that making small changes to how and what you eat can help foster health benefits (even if your weight doesn’t change)! This is something that comes up often with clients, but intuitive eating means that things like convenience, flavor, affordability, and personal preference all matter just as much as nutrition does for our overall health and well-being.

Fortunately for oats, they check off all of those boxes for me!

Oats are one of the most convenient sources of fiber, including the soluble fiber beta-glucan. This type of fiber may help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. In fact, Quaker helped pioneer the FDA’s heart health claim more than 20 years ago to help people understand the heart-healthy benefits of oats. Eating 3g of soluble fiber from oatmeal daily as part of a diet low in fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. A serving of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats provides about 2 grams. Oats are also naturally low in fat and sodium, making them highly versatile, offering countless possibilities to get more nutrition and taste out of what we eat each day. Oats’ fiber content, whole grain goodness, and flexibility make them uniquely positioned to deliver on modern nutrition wants, without sacrificing great taste, convenience, or your budget!

Peach Pomegranate Oatmeal Bowl

With all of this in mind, I set out to come up with a colorful (read: RED!) breakfast that can be prepped in minutes. Quaker Old Fashioned Oats can be fully cooked in the microwave in just two and a half to three minutes, so when it’s all said and done, breakfast can be ready to go in less time than it takes for me to decide which hoodie and legging combo I’m wearing for the day.

Hey…I have lots of options. And maximizing comfort is a high priority 🙂

If you’re looking for other version of this oatmeal bowl, check out the sweet AND the savory with the Balsamic Raspberry Oatmeal Bowl and the Savory Pesto Oatmeal Bowl

But in all seriousness, this oatmeal recipe for Heart Month is incredibly simple. Although peaches aren’t in season during February, the frozen option works great in this bowl. I just transfer the frozen slices to the fridge the night before so they have some time to thaw and soften. After that, they can be added straight to the bowl and the chill actually helps bring my oatmeal back to an acceptable temperature for eating.

What can I say? I’m all about efficiency and the flavors in this bowl are so good, I don’t want to have to wait to dig in!

Peaches, pomegranates, and pistachios add up for a killer combo of flavors and textures. It’s also kind of a killer tongue twister if you want to try saying it out loud really fast. If you’re not familiar, check out how I make things easier (and less messy) when I’m working with pomegranates.

If a different fruit combo is calling your name, check out my Pineapple Banana Protein Oats for another heart-healthy, nourishing breakfast option!

Pomegranate Kitchen Hacks

Let’s cut right to the chase: it’s easier (although more expensive) to outsource the work. The produce sections have started featuring little containers of pomegranate arils (AKA pomegranate seeds) and in my opinion, it’s totally worth it.

This goes back to the days of my dietetic internship when, for some unknown reason, one of our professors thought it was necessary to demonstrate how to de-seed a pomegranate in class. No one wanted to volunteer – for obvious reasons. Pomegranate literally stains EVERYTHING it touches and yeah, dietetic interns have enough to worry about without scrubbing dark red stains out of their last clean shirt.

Long story short…I got volun-told to step right up. Cue some of the most mortifying moments of my formal education that I still resent to this day. BUT. I will say, I’ve never forgotten how to de-seed a pomegranate.

Silver linings. It’s fine.

Here’s how I’d do it. You know, if I were to do it again.

1. Score around the outside of the pomegranate with a sharp knife. Don’t slice all the way through, otherwise, you’ll inevitably burst some of the arils and commence the staining process earlier than necessary.
2. Pry apart the two halves and tug or roll in your hands to start to loosen the arils inside.
3. Grab a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon or spatula. Flip the pomegranate half over so the cut side faces down, then start tapping the back with the spoon or spatula. The arils should drop out into the mixing bowl.
4.  Continue until most or all of the arils have dropped out, then pick out any of the white pith that may have fallen into the bowl. Some people will do this over a bowl of water because these pieces will float while the arils will sink. Personal preference here.

I’ve yet to find a better/easier way to do it, other than outsourcing the work as I described above. I took the same path of least resistance with the pomegranate molasses. You could easily make your own by simmering pomegranate juice until it reduces down to a thick, syrupy consistency. But if you’re in a hurry and happen to see it in the store, purchasing a bottle of pomegranate molasses is much simpler. If you’re not familiar with this ingredient, it’s common in Persian and Mediterranean cuisines. 

Just don’t be surprised if you don’t find the flavor to be particularly sweet. The pomegranate molasses is tart, but if you prefer another topping, you can always substitute honey, maple syrup, or another favorite sweetener instead.

Here’s the recipe for my Peach Pomegranate Oatmeal Bowl!

A heart-healthy diet should include whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy, lean protein, and legumes, and should limit fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, and sodium. This recipe per 1 serving provides at least 1g soluble fiber. Experts recommend that to maintain good health, no more than 10% of your calories should come from saturated fat, and no more than 20-35% of daily calories should come from total fat.  

Peach Pomegranate Oatmeal Bowl

4.92 from 12 votes

Celebrate American Heart Month with this nourishing, fiber-rich breakfast featuring the convenience of frozen peaches and colorful pomegranate 

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

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Servings: 1 bowl

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 cup water
• 1 dash kosher salt
• 1 cup peaches, sliced, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tbsp chopped pistachios
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 dash ground cinnamon, optional

Instructions

• If using frozen peaches, allow to thaw in advance or chill in the refrigerator overnight. 
• Combine the Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, water, and salt in a microwave-safe  bowl. Microwave for two and a half to three minutes per the instructions on the canister or until fully cooked. Remove from the microwave and stir.
• Mix in the ground ginger and cinnamon (if using). Top the bowl with the sliced peaches, pomegranate arils, and chopped pistachios. Drizzle the pomegranate molasses over the top and serve immediately. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 294 kcal, Carbohydrates: 53 g, Protein: 9 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 55 mg, Potassium: 613 mg, Fiber: 9 g, Sugar: 20 g, Vitamin A: 502 IU, Vitamin C: 14 mg, Calcium: 21 mg, Iron: 2 mg

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Oatmeal, Oats, Pomegranate

How are you turning your focus to heart health this month and beyond? Be sure to check out the other fiber-filled recipes from Quaker. They joined forces with Rosario Dawson to encourage people to start taking their nutrition into their own hands and showing them that small steps – like incorporating Quaker Oats into their day – can help make a difference.

Visit QuakerOats.com to see what happens when Rosario Dawson gets real with real people about their nutrition and how everyone can get started with Quaker Oats. And check out this video for more about heart health.

Then be sure to share this recipe with someone who could use a little encouragement to make those healthy habits stick. Pin this recipe for later!

If you can’t get enough poms + oats, try this Maple Tahini Oatmeal Bowl with Pomegranates and Pistachios. You might also enjoy this Vegan Pomegranate Salad with a Creamy POM-Honey Mustard Dressing!