Here's a way to make oatmeal fun for kids.
My children love oatmeal, but the little packets of instant just aren't that satisfying, healthy, or cheap. I looked around and found this easy stove top recipe, adapted slightly for making with children. Once you try it, you'll never go back!
Ingredients: (for each serving)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk (cow, soy, almond, or whatever you prefer)
- Additional milk for serving
- dash of salt
- Vanilla
- Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- Toppings (see list below)
Steps:
- Have your helper measure the oats, water, and milk into a saucepan. Add a dash of salt. Briefly stir it to mke sure the oats are covered by the liquid.
- Put it on medium heat until it starts bubbling, about 3 minutes or so.
- Stir it and let it continue cooking until the oatmeal thickens and starts to pull from the side of the pan.
- Remove it from the heat.
- Stir in a dash of vanilla and a few shakes of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
- Put it in a serving bowl with a little additional milk.
- Let your helper top it with their favorite toppings.
Possible Toppings:
- Sliced bananas
- Mini chocolate chips
- Craisins or dried cranberries
- Chopped apples
- Sliced strawberries or peaches
- Raisins
- White chocolate chips
- Chopped walnuts
- Coconut
- Chopped prunes
- Dried blueberries
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Brown sugar
- Maple syrup
- Jams, jellies or marmalade
Tips:
- Put the toppings out in small dishes for a fun presentation.
- Put baby spoons in the more "junky" toppings like chocolate chips and larger spoons in the healthy toppings like chopped fruit.
- The more fruit that's added, the less sweetener you need.
- You can slice and add a banana to the mix when you add the milk and water. The riper the banana, the sweeter the oatmeal.
We used hemp milk, which is high in brain-boosting Omega 3 fats and tastes surprisingly good. You can find hemp milk in the dairy section of stores like Walmart in Minneapolis or natural food stores. You can also use dairy milk, coconut milk, almond milk or organic soy milk to tailor the recipe to your families preferences and avoid allergens.
Calories: This varies widely depending on toppings and additions. For just oats and skim milk, it's 193 calories.
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