Recipe: Killer Oatmeal

Killer oatmeal? Is there really such a thing?
If you are like me you know that you should be eating something healthier for breakfast and MD's are always peddling oatmeal. My father, who is 85 and can still climb up on a rooftop and clean out gutters, also constantly shares the benefits of oatmeal for breakfast with me. However, I find that his oatmeal conjures up visions of gruel from the 17th Century in England! It looks awful and is only edible with large amounts of brown sugar. This seems to defeat the whole effort of eating it in the first place. And that gooey texture!
I then discovered the steel cut oats which have a nuttier firmer texture. I also find that a couple of chopped dates, a handful of almonds and some shredded coconut make for a very tasty breakfast. This is probably not the lowest calorie breakfast but it does keep me going at least 90 minutes at gym.
Cooking note: It does take longer to make oatmeal from scratch so start it at the same time as you are making coffee so that you have time to eat it before running out the door. This makes more than enough oatmeal for 4 people in the morning.

4 C water
1 C steel cut oats
4 pitted and chopped dates
12 sliced almonds
2 Tbls shredded coconut

You can dump all of the ingredients into the pot on the stove at the same time. The trick is to not leave it on too high of a heat and to keep stirring it until the oats soften. 25 to 30 minutes should do it.