Breakfast in a hurry!

Breakfast is a meal that I find can be very challenging for my clients. A good number of people regularly skip breakfast. For people who do eat breakfast, finding a variety of foods that can be made and consumed in a limited amount of time can be difficult. Dry cereal day after day certainly becomes monotonous, but who has time to make something spectacular when you are trying to get yourself ready for work, get the kids dressed, finish up last minute homework, walk the dog, make lunches, etc. etc.?! Actually, you may be surprised at the amount of different nutritious, delicious things you can put together to start your day with just a little planning.

This week, I will share some new oatmeal recipes I came up with for fall. “But why do I need a recipe for oatmeal,” you are asking, “when they make so many great flavors of instant oatmeal?” Don’t shortchange yourself! Buy a great big container of Quick Oats (not Old Fashioned) and keep it in your pantry. You do not need to cook oatmeal on the stove, just mix the oats and whatever else you are using in a big bowl, pop it in the microwave for 10 minutes and voila! You have oatmeal that is far tastier, no preservatives or chemical flavorings, likely less sodium and sugar and way fresher than anything instant. During that 10 minutes you don’t need to do anything to the oatmeal, so that gives you all sorts of time to do what you usually do like make those lunches or walk that dog. Or enjoy some quiet time with some coffee or tea and the newspaper if the rest of the family is still asleep!

I always use milk to make oatmeal because it tastes better than making it with water and the nutritional benefits are tremendous – lots of calcium, protein and vitamins. The Pumpkin Oatmeal I made to use up the rest of the giant can of pumpkin from the Pumpkin Roll and Pumpkin Pancakes (I promise I will cool it with all the pumpkin recipes now!). When I made it, I added ½ cup raisins. I thought this combo was just great, but my daughters, who loved the pumpkin oatmeal, thought it would be even better without the raisins. So the recipe I have posted is sans raisins, but feel free to add them, just remember that the oatmeal will have a bit more calories and carbohydrates, fiber and iron. Both recipes make 6 servings. If there are not 6 people in your family, just refrigerate the rest and heat it up in the microwave (add a little water) the next day.

The apple oatmeal is reminiscent of apple pie and thanks to using cider for part of the liquid has a ton of sweet apple flavor. Kids and grownups alike will appreciate this recipe. Enjoy a hot breakfast for a change – you will find it is easier than you may think!

• Pumpkin Oatmeal
• Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal