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My girls love it so much that my 1st grader takes oatmeal to school as her snack every single day and my preschooler sometimes takes it as part of her lunch (in a Thermos to keep it warm). Apparently a lot of people use water to make their oatmeal, but our secret is milk. I feel the same way about hot chocolate, too. Forget the water…use milk! At the start of our budget pledge last year I tried making oatmeal with water as a cost saving measure and my 6-year-old would have nothing to do with it. I didn’t even tell her anything was different I just served it like I normally do, and she knew immediately that something was wrong. And she wouldn’t eat it either. So after more than a year of playing around and tweaking our oatmeal recipe just the way my kids like it I thought I would share.
Try this Cinnamon Spice Oatmeal or this Vegan Oatmeal for a delicious flavor!
Oatmeal
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup milk (any variety will do but we use whole milk at our house)
- 1/2 cup oats (rolled (I get ours out of the bulk bins at Earth Fare))
- 1 dash cinnamon
- drizzle honey
- pure vanilla extract
- raisins ((good with nuts on top, too))
Instructions
- In a small pot over high heat warm up the milk.
- As soon as the milk starts to bubble drop in the oats, stir once, and turn the heat down to low.
- Let the oats simmer for 2 – 3 minutes. You can stir it a couple times if you’d like.
- Once the oats have soaked up most of the milk add the vanilla, honey, cinnamon, raisins, and mix everything together. Take off the heat and serve or store for later in a Thermos.Tip: My daughters like their oatmeal a little “soupy” so I usually try to catch it before all of the milk has been absorbed by the oats. You could also add a little extra cold milk at the end, which will help cool it down for little ones as well.
Dates! Yum… Try chopped dates in place of raisins…
I will only eat oatmeal with milk. One reason is that it just makes it taste better and then also I don’t drink milk so if I can get it in that way then so be it. I love to add a pinch of brown sugar and cinnamon then top with fresh sliced strawberries…AMAZING!!!
We make steel cut oats overnight in a crockpot, using a smaller bowl I side, like a double boiler. I use a 1:3 ratio of oats to water in the small bowl, the add extra water around the outside of the small bowl. Leave on low overnight and wake up to hot oatmeal. We love it and it’s super cheap!! We get our steel cut oats from bulk bins.
Ok so I am new to this real food thing, so I have been taking baby step. Does anyone have any advice for me? Our town only has a small health food store so what do you find essential? Also how to I make steal cut oats? I don’t like oatmeal but this recipe looks AMAZING! What is the difference between steel cut oats and rolled oats?
Steel cut oats will take a little longer to cook, but they are both whole grain (so it’s personal preference). If you can’t find certain staples in town consider shopping online instead! Here’s my list of essentials: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/09/02/real-food-tips-21-essentials-for-freezer-pantry-fridge/
I love oatmeal and so does my daughter (son, not so much). I make it a few times a week and have learned something- soak it overnight with a tbs or two of plain yogurt or kefir and just let it sit on the stove. Bring to a simmer in the morning and stir- it only takes a couple minutes to cook and the oats are more digestable after the soak. I also do it for baked oatmeal and just add the rest of the ingredients like fruit and nuts in the morning and bake.
Katie,
How much (many?) oats do you use? I’m trying to feed 4 adults and a 1 year old. 2 tbs per how much oatmeal?
I make steel cut oats in double or triple batches. I add raisins, walnuts, chopped fresh organic apple-peelings and all- and then I sweeten with our own honey and at the end I add cinnamon.
I keep the leftovers in the refrigerator and I like it cold – reminds me of rice pudding – or reheat it and serve with milk again.
Delicious
Have you heard of steel cut oats? We just started trying them, my kids are not sold on them yet – but I love them, especially with blueberries or other fruit. Dr. Oz claims they are better than regular oats!
Yes, I have (we think they take a bit longer to make and can be a little harder to “chew”)…but whether they are steel cut or rolled they are all “whole grain” oats.
I think I’ve gotten tired of having sweetened oatmeal. I recently started making savory oatmeal for breakfast in the morning and it’s great. I do the steel-cut oats overnight in a crockpot. I top it with spinach or arugula that’s been sauteed in a little sesame oil, and top with an over easy egg and some soy sauce. It’s a little odd, but I love it.
I make steel cut oats for us and add cinnamon, chopped apple, raisins, walnuts and either honey (our own) or real maple syrup. I like it all cooked together. I make it in a large quantity and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator. Then I heat it for more breakfasts or I even like it just like it is – cold – it reminds me of rice pudding!
I love my oatmeal! I eat it every day. I do whole grain in water in the microwave for about 2.5 – 3 minutes. While it’s cooking I mash a banana. I add cinnamon, walnuts, Smart Balance (margarine) and sugar free syrup or honey. My husband says eating this oatmeal daily is why my cholesterol is good lol. I want to try the pumpkin flavor now tho :)
This looks yummy Lisa! Do you have a recipe to make oatmeal in a crockpot during the night? I love your crockpot recipes.
I don’t, but that’s a good idea!
I’ve always cooked oatmeal with half water & half milk! That tastes perfect to me.
I love this blog not only for your posts but for the insightful comments of your readers. I love oatmeal but never really thought to play around with the ingredients. Yesterday I added cinnamon and vanilla. I loved it. I am still working on getting my daughters to love it as much as I do. To entice them I need a bit of brown sugar and maple syrup!
I always learn so much from the readers/comments as well!
Love this recipe. My son absolutely loves oatmeal and I need more ways to try to get my daughter to love it too. This looks like a fast and healthy breakfast they both will enjoy. They both love raisins:) Thanks!
We love oatmeal over here…with MILK! My kids each have their favorite ingredients to add from almonds, walnuts, diced apples, blueberries, bananas, dried cranberries, cinnamon,chia seeds and flax. Depends on what they are feeling that morning ;)
Here is one of our very favorite raw overnight oatmeal recipes… http://amomspassion.blogspot.com/2011/09/mmmmmmovernight-oatmeal.html .
My sister has trouble with my niece ~ my niece has always loved it made with regular milk, until my sister made it once with almond milk. Now my niece will only eat it that way! I LOVE oatmeal, I make it with steel cut oats in my rice cooker, usually with water but sometimes with half water and half almond milk. Cooked with ground flax and wheat germ, and topped with raw honey, chopped walnuts, and chia seeds ~ yum!!
I make mine with water and then add milk when it’s in the bowl. It cools it off, which is important when you’re trying to eat the oatmeal within 5 minutes of making it. (Never enough time in the morning!) I just wish I could convince my kids to eat it!
I agree with your daughters about the milk! I started making it that way to get some more calcium in my toddler but now i do it because when I tried making it with water again i thought it was disgusting! I grew up liking it made with water, but then again, I also drowned it in brown sugar :)
I like oatmeal actually but I always get a stomach-ache after eating regular rolled oats or steel cut oats- any suggestions?
You may be lactose intolerant. Gluten in oats is not supposed to cause the same issues as gluten in things like whole wheat bread, etc. I usually take a LactAid pill and have no problems. Good luck!
I think some people may soak their oats for better digestion, but I don’t really know very much about it since no one in my family has issues.
You must of read my mind….just adding oatmeal today to our new list of real food meals. I do have one question. Are 100% whole grain rolled quick oats ok? Thanks so much for changing our family.
Yes, all oats are whole-grain…here’s a post with more info about grains: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/07/22/understanding-grains/
Great recipe! I’ve found that many people who do not like oatmeal, like freshly rolled oatmeal! It’s WAY cheaper since you can get a 50 pound bag of organic oat groats for around $30 (we get it from Azure Standard) and then you roll what you need when you want it. You can vary the thickness of the oats and you know that they are as fresh as can be (since rolled oats can go rancid aka oxidize, b/c the oils in the groat have been exposed to air). Once you’ve had fresh rolled oats, you’ll never go back, not to mention how much cheaper it is for whole food!
Love that your daughters are hooked on oatmeal, it is my absolute favorite breakfast particularly when topped with a heaping spoonful of peanut butter and plain yogurt, and a healthy sprinkling of flax seed and wheat germ :) YUM!
PS and I mainly started with the “baby oatmeal” because I felt all the porridges out there (the commercial ones) just contained too many ingredients of which I didn’t know what it was, or I couldn’t even pronounce the ingredient names! Or it had sugar / HFCS in it! No way I was going to put that in my babies…
We also love oatmeal (with milk) – kids (4 and 6) eat it every day. I find it provides them with the best start of the day! We always add fresh fruit: so carbs, protein and vitamins – is there any better way to start the day??
I already started my kids on oatmeal as babies. I would take about 2 or 3 tablespoons of rolled oats and grind them up, then make it the usual way with milk (in the beginning with breast milk or formula), slowly but surely adding fruit and making it coarser. They’ve always loved it.
After discovering steel cut oats I prefer them to the rolled oats. They have so much more texture and a nuttier flavor. I also feel more full after eating a bowl of steel cut oats. My favorite way to cook them is in the crock pot over night. I use a modified version of this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/overnight-oatmeal-recipe/index.html . You should try it sometime! I cook them with water but I do eat them covered in milk.
We make ours with water, but I add some shredded coconut while it cooks, then maple syrup when I take it off the heat, and top it all with milk, cinnamon, and butter. Love it!
Love how oatmeal can be changed to fit the seasons!
@JJ, that’s a great time saver. Here’s a make-ahead method: http://www.freshstartnutrition.com/oatmeal/
@Feeding My Tribe: you’re so right about the plump raisins!
Dont forget to soak your oats to make them more digestable. The Nourishing Home has a great note about this here:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-nourishing-home/how-to-soak-grains-for-optimal-nutrition/188668687814332
Kitchen Stewardship also discusses it here: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/11/30/monday-mission-soak-your-oatmeal/
Here Kitchen Stewardship makes some ‘Soaked and Ready to Go’ Oatmeal so if you forget to soak oatmeal for the morning, you can cook these up as hot cereal, just as if they were “quick oats!â€
http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2010/04/08/how-to-soak-and-dehydrate-oats/
I’ve never been a big fan of oatmeal, either, but the kids like it. I did, however, discover that I really like steel cut oats when made a certain way. Thankfully, it’s easy to make (and to make a big batch to have throughout the week!). We love it!! Here’s how we do it: http://ourgrowingfam.blogspot.com/2011/10/overnight-steel-cut-oats.html. (I also have a “recipe” for pumpkin pie oatmeal, like the person above. Great for this time of year!) ;) This way takes no time at all, which is nice w/ steel cut oats. And we also like to use milk (when I make a big batch, I actually do half and half, esp since we use whole milk). Just does not taste the same with water! I agree! I’ll have to try your way to see how the kids like it (and me, too – haha!). Thanks!!
We love oatmeal in our house! I must be the odd person who prefers oatmeal cooked with water instead of milk. We often mix ours with applesauce & cinnamon, or bananas with chopped pecans & cinnamon. As mentioned above, we soak ours overnight too. 1c oats, 1c water, 2 Tbsp whey or kefir. Then cook in the a.m. with 1c water. The kids prefer this or the overnight steel cut oatmeal in the crockpot. They end up nice and creamy.
the first time I has oatmeal made with water was while living in the US. Here in Puerto Rico, that’s unheard of. We always use milk.
I just discovered steel cut oats and I love them so much more than rolled! The texture reminds me of Grape Nuts, which used to be my favorite breakfast until I realized how yucky it is for me. I never did like rolled oats with water though. I always use milk. Well, almond or coconut milk now, as I am vegan. Sweeten with pure maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. I like to top it with walnuts too. Sometimes I sweeten with banana and blueberries and it turns purple. Kids love that!
When cooking oatmeal I put in: 1-2 cardamom pods cracked, 2-4 cloves, I cinnamon stick. Fish them of before serving. This gives a taste reminiscent of kheer, Indian rice pudding. I like the savory richness of it- and it works flavor wise with (syrup) (brown sugar) (molasses) and (coconut oil) (butter) and (raisins) (nuts) (cranberries) and any spices you’d like to add later (cinnamon) (allspice) (ginger) (nutmeg)
Everyone who’s had it loves the flavor. Most often people don’t notice it specifically but say something like “I don’t usually like oatmeal but….”
We do ours with milk, applesauce, cinnamon and raisins…the kids tear it up :)
I notice that you add your raisins as a topping. Have you tried adding them to the pot with the oats? It makes them plump a bit and also makes them softer. Either way, they are good.
I’ve heard that about the raisins and need to try it…thanks!
Oh so wonderful. My 12 year old made it for breakfast this morning for the 3 of us.
1 cup H2O
1 cup Milk
1 cup Bobs Red Mill Extra thick Oats
1 handfull of Golden Raisins
1/4 cup sliced Almonds
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
COOK uncovered 15 min, turn off heat, Cover 2 min Add…
1/2 Tablespoon Honey for each bowl.
Eat and LOVE!
I love oatmeal and so do most of my kids. We have it for breakfast about 3 times a week. Most of the time I make steel cut oats, but since our local Natural Grocers had a coupon in the Mambo Sprouts for free oatmeal with purchase, I have been making lots of rolled oats lately. I always soak mine overnight in water with a bit of whey drained of my yogurt. It is supposed to make the oatmeal more digestible and it speeds cooking time, especially an issue for steel-cut oats. My pumpkin pie steel-cut oatmeal recipe is on my blog at http://feedingmytribe.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/pumpkin-pie-steel-cut-oatmeal-in-less-than-10-minutes/, but you can follow the basic instructions and leave out the pumpkin and spice mix for plain steel-cut oatmeal in a jiffy.
I used to only make oatmeal with milk, too. Then little by little, I started substituting water for milk. Now, we only make it with water and we all love it. It’s an acquired taste, I suppose.
For me, I like to stir a spoonful of natural peanut butter into mine, with 1/2 sliced banana on top. Or I just dump a big scoop of frozen blueberries.
For my 5 year old, I top with a little vanilla almond milk and blue berries or a banana.
We do soaked steel cut oats or mix a little oatbran with the oatmeal. If you like prunes, they are actually great on oatmeal and add a LOT of sweetness. :)
Is it possible to make this in a larger batch beforehand and then reheat a serving as needed? If so- how do you recommend storing and for how long is it safe to keep? Thank you!
Good recipe. My favorite way is to make steel cut oats with water. Then add a little milk on top, with thinly sliced bananas, and a dribble of Maple Syrup. Yum!