Fancy Oatmeal for the Holidays

My kids & I are big fans of oatmeal. We go through a few kilos a month, especially in the colder months. I love how easy it is to make--I use quick oats, so I just dump it with the water in a pot, turn on the element & then turn it off again as soon as the water comes up to a boil, stir, et voila: breakfast. Plain old oatmeal is pretty boring, though, so I get creative with the add-ins. Here are two of our current holiday favourites:

Gingerbread oatmeal
Serves four

1.5 cups oatmeal
3 cups water
1-2 tablespoons molasses
1-2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
1 tablespoon vanilla
(4 parts cinnamon, 4 parts ginger, 2 parts ground cloves, 1 part nutmeg)
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (or other sweetener)

Plain or vanilla yogurt on top

Cook oats as you usually work & then stir in the rest. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt.


Christmas oatmeal
Serves four

1.5 cups oatmeal
3 cups water
1-2 candy canes
handful of chocolate chips (or cocoa powder if you prefer it less sweet)

Crush up candy canes (my three year old loves to do this--I give her the candy in a Ziploc & she bashes them to smithereens with the back of a heavy spoon on the cutting board. Cook the oatmeal as usual & stir in chocolate & candy cane bits.


What's your favourite add-in for oatmeal? Got any recipes to share?

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