Choose Your Own Oatmeal
Hey Chicks!
I find one of the best ways to get my kids to make healthy choices is to give them choices, but they can only choose healthy options. This works surprisingly well. If offered a choice of an apple or a granola bar – I know they would always pick the granola bar. So I give them a choice of say, an apple or a pear or sliced veggies. They get to choose, and are more likely to eat something they have chosen. And I am happy knowing whatever choice they make is a healthy one!
When it comes to breakfast, we always make our own oatmeal creations. Packaged cereals are loaded with crap and I don’t have them in the house. There are maybe one or two that aren’t full of sugar, chemicals and garbage – but I always choose natural foods first (and oatmeal is way cheaper than any packaged cereal!)
Here’s what we do:
Start with a blend of oats and flax seed. Cover with boiling water, cover and let sit for about a minute. You could also use a base of already cooked quinoa, steel cut oats, barley or oat bran too!
Cereal is ready, so then we add whatever toppings the girls want. The flavour du jour is – pumpkin, unsweetened applesauce and natural peanut butter. I also put a little protein powder or egg whites in it since this combo is pretty weak on the protein.
Four fabulous breakfast combinations:
- plain greek yogurt, berries and sliced almonds
- banana, peanut butter and chocolate protein powder
- pumpkin, walnuts, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla protein powder
- apple sauce, chopped apple, and pecans – served with a couple of eggs on the side!
Use your imaginations, but I always make sure the breakfast has lots of healthy fats and protein!
Tell me, Chicks, how do you like your oatmeal?
Have an awesome Monday!
Sarah
