Breakfast for the bunches

My kids are breakfast eaters, their little eyes slowly open and then they ask to eat. Their father is this way too, and he got them all hooked on eating cereal, which is not a practice I enjoy. The kids needs two big bowls to feel full (and they are a bunch of skinny kids!) and while I only allow healthy cereals, I just feel there are better options. On crazy school mornings, it can be hard to get up and make a hot breakfast, especially with a nursing baby, before school activities and preschool drop offs, so I have found a few good tricks.

Crockpot Steel Cut Oats are a must here. In fact, I pretty much use my crockpot for oatmeal only! There are a million recipes out there, so I won't repeat how to make it, but I did want to share some of our favorite varieties.

A big favorite is for us to add our home canned apple slices or apple pie filling to the pot at night, by morning the oatmeal is filled with the fresh apple flavor. We also like it with brown sugar or maple syrup. You can add berries in the morning, or dried fruits the night before, apples and raisins are faves here. If your family can eat nuts, I bet they would be delicious mixed in too.

The best part about the oats is the cost. We get our steel cut oats at a local grocery store in the bulk area. They are organic and cost us $1.67 a pound, and every few weeks the store offers a dollar off the bulk bins! We only use a cup to a cup and a half of oats which means we are paying between 40 and 60 cents for a breakfast that feeds 5 people with extra left. Not to mention that steel cut oats have a better nutritional value than rolled oats, it is a hot and filling breakfast and my kids love it!