Friday, July 25, 2014

Baked Oatmeal as Muffins and Other Great Breakfast Options


Baked Oatmeal as Muffins
 
Sometimes, when you think your kids are never listening and will never listen, they surprise you!   I had one of those moments this week. 

I've always been the kind of mom who worked really hard to offer the best choices for meals, packed lunches, breakfasts.  I started out slow like most young cooks.  I haven't always made Homemade Sandwich Bread - I stocked up at the local bread outlet store just like everybody else.  I haven't always made Homemade Hot Pockets- I bought the ones in the frozen foods section of my local grocery store.  But I have always encouraged my kids to eat at home over eating out; to eat the least sugared breakfasts they can reasonably enjoy; to drink less soda, stuff like that.  Now have they always embraced my choices for them?  Big FAT NO!

My older child used to rail on me when she was in middle school because so & so's mom let them eat McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken for their suppers instead of MAKING them eat the Homemade Chicken & Dumplings like I was fixing.  (Oh the horrors, right?  ;) She would have rather eaten Cheese-Its for breakfast instead of Homemade Blueberry Muffins.  She used to tell me, "Mom!  Why can't we just BUY our Chocolate Syrup like everyone else?"

Poor kid.... Ha!

I continued as I got older to incorporate more and more homemade things into our menus.  I'm so glad I did!  Of course, we didn't have blogging in the 80's & 90's so I didn't have access to such terrific recipes for homemade things.  And since my kids grew up with a mix of homemade and store bought things, and since their friends were mostly eating all of the things I encouraged them NOT to eat LOL, I never thought they would totally embrace this cooking style of mine.  It is more work, I know.  I just hoped that eventually they would see that ours is more delicious than anything they could ever buy - and that their bodies FEEL differently when they eat something made at home.

Fast forward to July, 2014.  This same child I was mentioning above lives in her own home, she works a full time job, mows her own yard.  I think I can officially call her "all grown up".  I can especially say that since she has recently discovered that if she eats a "heartier"  (homemade) breakfast (rather than boxed cheese crackers), she is less starving between breakfast and lunch.  Go Rebecca!  

Rebecca now loves my Baked Oatmeal, which by the way she would NEVER have stuck in her mouth as a little girl.  She loves it baked with nuts, no fruit or chocolate chips.  Pecans to be exact.  Rebecca bought herself a large size muffin tin and baked these beautiful Pecan Baked Oatmeal muffins for her breakfasts this week.  Proud mama that I am, I just HAD to take a picture and blog about it!  She texted me Monday to tell me how excited she was to get to work to eat her homemade muffins for breakfast Monday morning.  Of all things, her work had provided Caseys Breakfast Pizza that morning, which she said smelled so wonderful.  She ate the breakfast pizza instead of her muffins ... and then felt gross all morning.  

She should know now that momma always knows best!  :)

So... in all of my wordiness of this post, remember that even though your kids don't embrace the homemade things you make right now, (kids normally just want to be like their friends and most of them aren't eating homeade), when they grow up they WILL have the skills and the appreciation for the best food in life - the homemade muffins, homemade breads, biscuits, homemade snacks and great homemade suppers.  Both of my daughters cook.  They eat out and love to eat out.  But they CAN and DO cook!  I am so very proud of them both! It was worth it!  They WERE listening! 

Here's a small selection of homemade breakfasts.  Ditch the boxed cereal, poptarts, Cocoa Puffs, and cheese crackers (if you are MY child) and dive into something homemade.  Your body will thank you - I promise!

 

(So much Better than your favorite drive thru)


Buttermilk Biscuits

(Add your own eggs, cheese, ham, or just jelly is great!)



Vanilla Scones

(Just like your favorite Coffee Shop)


Donuts - Small Batch-Homemade

(I paid $8 for donuts & drinks for my husband and I the other day at the donut shop - never again!  These are so much cheaper!)


Toaster French Toast (for the freezer)

(These pop in the toaster just as easy as toaster pastries.)

and... Rebecca's favorite Baked Oatmeal:


Baked Oatmeal - baked in a muffin tin

Make them however you like them, with
chocolate chips, blueberries, nuts, bananas - Mmmm!


Enjoy!



Gina