Hi there! Welcome back. It’s so good to see you again. Today is a continuation of my conversation which is trying to convince you that there is time to make your oatmeal from scratch rather than using those lovely little packets that contain added sugars and cost a fortune. Buying oats in bulk allows you to control the ingredients and save money.
There is nothing leisurely about my morning. My husband drives my son to the school for weight lifting by 6:ooAM. We leave the house for the bus at 8:17AM. My husband and I need to be at work by 9:00AM. In between all of these times are showers, homework, hair brushing, folder signing, packing bags for after-school activities, and breakfast. You know how it goes. Organized one second and total chaos the next. Things are pretty hectic with 5 of us all trying to get out of the house while sleeping in as long as we can.
So, we are super busy like lots of families I know, but that is not going to stop me from feeding my family real food. Once I set my mind to do something, I work non-stop to figure out a way to make it happen. I quickly found that my kids like oats, they are packed with lots of nutrition, and I wanted to find a way to feed them to my family on a regular basis. I find they keep me feeling satisfied and focused till lunch and I’m pretty sure oats do the same thing for my kids. We don’t eat them everyday, but I do often include them in my meal plan. They are especially nice on a cold morning.
The solution to our time crush is actually quite simple. Start the water boiling when I get out of the shower and the oats are ready by the time I get my hair dried and styled for the day. It couldn’t be simpler. I make a large batch and I have oats ready to go for another day. Cook once. Eat twice. Sometimes I will cook oats overnight in my slow cooker or make baked oatmeal during the weekend for the week. These methods works great too. Pick a cooking method you like and don’t let time be an excuse anymore. You will be thrilled when you can add this to your repertoire of real food preparation.
Just because my family eats real food, doesn’t mean that we have given up chocolate. Boy, do we love our chocolate. Dark chocolate is considered a super food so I set out in search of a dark cocoa. My kids will say they don’t like dark chocolate, but they have never complained about my dark cocoa. This recipe was created in honor of the movie candy classic.
Chocolate Covered Raisin Oatmeal
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups thick-cut rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup (More or less to taste)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons Cocoa
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- Bring 4 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil.
- Add rolled oats and stir.
- Add in cocoa, maple syrup, raisins and vanilla. Stir.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 10 – 20 minutes. Time will depend on your stove and your desired consistency.
- Stir again making sure spices are spread throughout the mixture.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 – 20 minutes. Time will depend on your stove and your desired consistency.
- Let stand for 2 minutes. This is where I grab the bowls and call the kids to the table.
- Top with butter and milk or cream. Add additional sweetener as desired. This was plenty sweet for me just as I made it, but your tastes may differ, especially if you are just at the beginning of cutting out processed sugar.
Do you have a favorite oatmeal flavor? Do you eat oats often or are you like processed food me and kind of forgot about oats as food? Tell me your hectic morning stories. As the saying goes, “Misery loves company.”The Juggling Real Food and Real Life Newsletter is Coming!
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my favorite flavor is chocolate with raspberries. I haven't made oatmeal in awhile. I think I will do that in the morning. I also like craisins in place of raisins and with a bit of orange essential oil. Thanks for the morning inspiration.
Hi Janine! Chocolate with raspberries sounds fantastic to me. We like to make all sorts of combinations. I'm actually having fun trying to invent new ones for our family. The kids like to make suggestions. They have come up with some crazy ones………….Applesauce and corn, anyone? Oatmeal would be a great way to use essential oils.
I am not a raisin fan but… This recipe still makes me drool!
Here is a napkin for the drool GiGi. LOL! The chocolate oatmeal makes a nice base for lots of dried and fresh fruit add-ins. We are trying all sorts of combinations. Life is too short to eat food you don't like.
Thanks for sharing. I have never added cocoa to oatmeal. I'll try it tonight in my crackpot with steel oats. For the longest , oatmeal was not a favorite of mine. But, since I started making the real oatmeal instead of the packaged stuff, I find it to be so filling and delicious. I love adding fresh fruit on top of my oatmeal. I have a feeling that I'm going to love the added cocoa!
This looks delicious. My son loves oatmeal, I never thought I could make my own that easily. And he DOES like dark chocolate so no convincing needed there.
This does sound fabulous! We were back to another round of snow today, so even the warm aspect sounds good!
We had 4 inches of snow over the weekend, but it warmed up for us yesterday. Back to being cold again today. I don't know about you Katie……..but this warm weather can't come fast enough. I need some fresh air! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this recipe. It will warm your tummy until the warmer weather actually gets to you.
Delicious! Please keep sharing these awesome recipes. Oatmeal cookies are my favorite, then you toss in some chocolate, how can you not like it? My mouth is watering at the thought. Thanks for sharing with Countdown in Style.