The Humble oat - For breakfast and lunch box treat!

Can I be honest and just say I am NOT a fan of cooked oats.  I don’t like warm mushy breakfast food.  Even as a young child, I remember being revolted by the sight and smell.    But now that I have two young boys (that I have to feed 72 times a day), I have grown to love the absolute versatility of this little grain. 

They can be transformed into delicious lunchbox treats that don’t remotely look or taste like what I remember as a kid.  A plain old boring bowl of luke warm porridge can now be something fresh and fruity!

And… no one can deny that they are good for us.  Oats are a good source of carbs and fibre, contain more protein and fat than most other grains and are loaded with vitamins and minerals.  It has even been proven that they can improve blood sugar control and relieve constipation.

My two young boys love oats in any shape or form, and because I am that mum who won’t make six different dishes for all the fussy eaters in my house, I have deciphered the best oat recipes that I enjoy as much as the kids do. 

I bake once or twice a week, mainly to add into lunchboxes and snacks to eat on the run. I do like to bake the indulgent sugar filled cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, but I do try to keep things healthy, and by adding a cup of oats I feel less “mum guilt”.  And while my boys do like cooked luke warm oats for breakfast, I also make an overnight oats breakfast recipe that involves no cooking and can be prepared the day before.

 

Overnight Oats

Use this general recipe and change it up to what every suits your kiddo’s taste: 

1 part oats + 1 part milk + 1/8 seeds

 

Ingredients I use:

• 1 x cup rolled oats
• 1 x tbs chai seeds (i make it a small tbs just so that it doesn’t become too jelly like)
• 1 x 400ml can of Coconut milk or cream (can also use almond milk, cows milk or soy milk)
• An assortment of nuts, fruits, honey or maple syrup

 I use this ratio super loosely – a little more oats or a little less chai seeds, whatever I have on hand at the time.

  

Instructions:

 Mix everything together and put into individual ramekins or jars (I use jars because I can close them up with a lid and have the boys eat in the car if we are running late).  Or as a lunch box idea put the oats into a leakproof bento lunch box (see DEJ Kids lunch boxes) for a tasty, healthy and filling lunch box food.  

You can get 4 servings out of 1 cup, depending on the appetites you’re feeding, but can easily double it up if you want. As long as its sealed in the fridge, it should keep for a good 4 days.  Just leave out the fruity ad-ons until just before you serve.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Muffins

This Chocolate Banana Oatmeal Muffin recipe from BAKE EAT REPEAT provides the perfect tasty and guilt-free baked treat for both dad and the kids’ lunchboxes. It is super easy and the thick batter works perfectly when baked in these reusable silicone cupcake moulds. 

I used plain white flour for these as I didn’t have whole wheat flour on hand and used coconut oil instead of canola. 

The muffins stay fresh for a few days or you can freeze them if you need them to last longer - grab a couple out of the freezer as you need them and either thaw them on the counter or wrap them in a paper towel or serviette and pack them straight into the lunch box.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Oatmeal Muffins

 PREP TIME      10 minutes

COOK TIME     16 minutes

TOTAL TIME    26 minutes

 Yield: 12 Muffins

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees Celsius). Line a muffin tin with silicone moulds or paper liners, or lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, milk, and mashed bananas.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Divide the batter between the muffin cups, they will be quite full.
6. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

 

These are just two examples of delicious alternatives to just plain old oats, there are loads of recipes to suit all fussy eaters (both mums and kids). 

 

Written by Dandy Swanks Snaps (Product photography and content creation)

 

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