Oh the Oatmeal

Oatmeal is what we eat for breakfast most days. Either that or toast with nut butter. Very occasionally - usually a Saturday - we might make pancakes. And very, very occasionally Tom will make scrambled eggs. But on a typical weekday morning you'll find us eating oatmeal. It's easy, healthy, filling, and it's no trouble to suit everyone's specific preferences. I'll either cook up a pot of steel-cut oats (1 part oats to 3 parts water, bring to boil then simmer for about 25 minutes), or I'll fix individual bowls of rolled oats (1/2 cup oats, 2/3 cup hot water, stir together, wait 3-5 minutes). Then there are the add-ins, which are as follows:

#1 Millie: Millie likes either steel cut oats or quick oats. When I fix her bowl I'll add a teaspoon of both coconut oil and flax seed oil, then lately she asks for chopped apple, unsweetened coconut flakes, and honey. Sometimes she chooses frozen fruit instead of apple.

#2 Silas: "Oatmeal with raisins and honey and wait til it cools off and don't stir in the honey."
If you ask Silas what he wants to eat, those are his exact words nearly every morning. Fairly self-explanatory. Though I might add that he prefers rolled oats, but he will eat steel cut oats too. Oh, and I do slip some coconut oil and flax seed oil in his oatmeal as well. Shhhhh.

#3 Me: I prefer steel-cut oats, and if I'm not cooking up a pot, then I don't eat oatmeal and instead opt for fruit and nuts or a smoothie. But if we are having steel-cut oats, then for my serving I'll add a teaspoon of coconut oil, chopped apple, and chia seeds. And I'm living proof that taste buds can change, as I really prefer my oatmeal without any sweetener. (Not saying I don't still like sweets. I totally do. I just prefer my oatmeal unsweetened) Go figure.

Tom and Isaac currently don't have any strong oatmeal preferences. As long as I fix some for them, they're generally happy. And Isaac sometimes prefers my bowl over his.