After years and years of harboring guilt, I feel like I've made a major accomplishment:
My kids will eat oatmeal. (OK, to be honest, it's only some of them...)
I've always felt so inadequate admitting that all they ever ate was cold cereal--honey smacks, froot loops, kix, even pop tarts...
But since the beginning of January, when I ran out of cereal and it was going to be awhile till I was able to go to the store again, I've been cooking breakfast.
I've read this over and over again--cook breakfast instead of feeding boxes of sugar coated air. But I wasn't convinced that it would be cheaper. I've been pleasantly surprised. It may not be drastically cheaper, but it's not more expensive. And it's better!
Six eggs, scrambled, feeds four of my younger children and me. I also make a small pot of oatmeal each morning and some of them like a scoop.
I've tried serving oatmeal before--always the microwave kind. Thinking back, I may have tried to cook some quick oats a loooong time ago when my bigger boys were small. Either way, it was unsuccessful.
I tried it this time around with the regular oats--not quick oats or the microwave pre-packaged kind.
One of my kids tried it and gagged and ran to the garbage to spit it out. I'll be transparent enough to admit that.
However, my 2 year old ate FOUR helpings of it yesterday morning! I cook it according to the directions on the container, except I mix milk in for some of the water to make it a little creamier. I like my oatmeal to be thick so I use slightly less liquid than it calls for on the package.
For the servings I make, I use one and a half cups of water and a fourth cup of milk. Bring this to a boil and add one cup of oats.
I add about 2 T. brown sugar, a dash of vanilla, some cinnamon and a sprinkle of nutmeg and yummm: my kids eat oatmeal!
(My bowl gets topped with some walnuts from time to time. The kids think they don't like nuts, so they don't want them on theirs.)
I am able to make a cozy, warm breakfast that's pretty cheap. The best part is that it's good for them, too!
I still keep a couple boxes in the cupboard for emergencies (like Cheerios or honey smacks), but they last a long time now.
I feel better knowing my kids are eating healthier, as fruits and vegetables are hard to fit into my grocery allowance.
Oats are a heart-healthy food--it says so right on the box!
Parker and Lucy have always eaten oatmeal. I also buy the kind you cook on the stove, and use all milk and no water. They won't eat it made with water. And, then mix in some brown sugar. When they were toddlers I used to mix in mashed banana, but theyn won't eat it that way anymore. I once in a while will eat some, but only with some strawberries or rasberries in it and a couple scoops of cool whip. No brown sugar!
ReplyDeleteTami
Oooh, I like adding the fruit!
ReplyDeleteI bet Elijah would really like bananas in it...