Now that school is back in session I want to switch over the kids’ breakfast before heading off to school. I want to switch them over to eating more filling, balanced breakfasts before they head out on their day. In other words, something besides cold cereal. Cold cereal has never held me over for more than an hour. Its pretty lacking in good nutrients, protein, and hardly a balanced meal.

For kids to learn well, they must eat well.

I have the most luck when I start my day with a good dose of protein with some carbs thrown in. While oats are more on the carb side, they contain 4g of fiber and 6g of protein per serving! Additionally, you can enhance oatmeal with various add-ins to increase protein and fat which will keep you full longer. If you’re an oatmeal lover, this is one of my favorite stand-by recipes for a busy school morning. I love that it is ready when you wake up. Get it ready to go before you go to bed the night before, and when you wake up, its done! If you haven’t had steel cut oats before, they are a treat! They have a different texture than your typical rolled oats, and a slight nutty flavor. Delicious! I prefer them over rolled oats because of their different taste, and because they are a little less processed than your typical rolled oat.   Make up your oats and then in the morning mix in some healthy toppings:

• Sweeteners:  honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar
• Fruit:  fresh fruit (I love blueberries & apples!  Bananas and strawberries would be good too.), raisins, dried cranberries or cherries, etc
• Nuts: chopped walnuts and raw almonds are my favorite, natural peanut/almond/sunflower butter
• Other nutritious mix ins:  ground flax seed, chia seeds, shredded unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, butter

I’ve done various mixes of the above ingredients to keep it fresh. I also like to add a little milk to my oatmeal. Make sure you add 1-2 toppings with good protein & fat sources to make sure the meal lasts you longer. You can find steel cut oats in the cereal aisle of most grocery stores. Many stores carry them in bulk bins.I love the Bob’s Redmill brand.  Here are a few links for steel cut oats on Amazon:
Regular Steel Cut • Organic Steel Cut • Gluten Free Steel Cut

The crock pot I use is a small 1.5 qt crock pot. This is the perfect size for this recipe. I would be hesitant to use a larger crock pot for this amount because it may overcook on the edges and get dried out. This crock pot is similar to what I have. If you are doubling this recipe, make sure you use a bigger pot!   And one final bonus: Since its hot and ready in the morning, it makes a great thermos filler for packing in your child’s lunch bag that day! Mix in their favorite add ins, throw it into a heated thermos and they are ready to go.