Oatmeal

If I had been asked 10 or 15 years ago to explain to someone how to make oatmeal for breakfast, I would have told them to get a packet of Quaker Oats Maple and Brown Sugar (my favorite) instant oatmeal, put it in a bowl with water and microwave it for however long.

I have since been shown how easy and much more nutritious it is (and cheaper) to buy the big container of oatmeal and cook it in water on the stove. Let’s compare ingredients between the two:

Maple & Brown Sugar (Instant): Oat(s) Whole Grain Rolled, Sugar, Flavor(s) Natural, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Guar Gum, Oat(s) Flour, Caramel Color, Iron Reduced, Vitamin A Palmitate (ingredient list came from here)

Old Fashioned Oats: 100% Whole Grain Oats

I think I'll take the one with a single ingredient....

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In the colder months, oatmeal is what the kids and I eat every morning for breakfast (our other option is our homemade granola…our kids don’t even know that Lucky Charms exist). I usually just sweeten it with brown sugar or occasionally honey and top it with skim milk. Sometimes I add other things to make it more interesting.

Ideas of things to mix in to “spice it up” a little:

Strawberry jelly (or whatever flavor you have)
Apple butter or pumpkin butter
Fresh or frozen berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
Fresh cut up apples or peaches
Dried fruit – raisins, Craisins, apples, apricots, dates
Chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans

Oatmeal doesn't have to be boring. You can dress it up and have a warm, yummy, nutritious breakfast...so much healthier than boxed cereal.