Do you dredge mornings and the hustle and bustle when you need to get your family out the door and fed?
One trick to keeping them organized is to:
1. Pack lunches the night before, see our articles on lunch ideas!
2. Meal plan dinners and re-use left overs for the next meal, see our articles on meal planning!
3. Make Breakfast quiet time not frantic time and start your day off right!
This is an oatmeal that is packed with nutrition, that is high in calcium & fiber, to get your family off to a healthy start and we love the mason jars, they are a perfect serving size & easy to grab-and-go ( and you can enjoy it cold!).
Here are some ingredients that you should have on tap:
1. Chia seeds- They are packed with Omega 3 fatty acids than flax seed (important for heart health)
2. absorb 10 times their weight in water and transform into a gel-like substance–great for athletes for maintaining hydration and helps with weight loss by making you feel full longer
3. Loaded with calcium, potassium, Vitamin B, and anti-oxidants
4. High in protein as quinoa
5. They don’t have to be ground before adding them to food in order to digest them and benefit from their nutrients,can be eaten whole unlike flax seeds. Benefit is they also have a two year shelf life, flax seeds can go bad quickly and lose their nutritional value
6. It helps balance blood sugar via the gelling action of the seed and it’s unique combination of soluble and insoluble fiber that slow down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars
Sources: Dr. Weil, NutritionData, LiveStrong, Huffington Post, PINTEREST
THE BASIC PROCEDURE
Step 1. Assemble these ingredients & supplies:
- old fashioned rolled oats (not instant, quick, or steel-cut)
- Greek yogurt (regular yogurt is thinner; if you use it, you’ll need to reduce the amount of milk);skim milk or Almond Milk ( whatever your kids like)
- milk
- chia seeds
- half pint (1 cup) mason jars
Step 3:Put a lid on the jar and shake to combine. We suggest using white plastic jar lids sized to fit canning jars–they last longer than the metal tops and rims that come with the jars, and they are easier to screw on and off. You can get at Walmart or Amazon.
Step 4. Add fruit and stir gently until combined. ( different fruits will change it up)
Step 5. Place in fridge overnight and up to 2 days; maybe longer depending on the type and ripeness of the fruit. The non-banana varieties have been good after 4 days.
Banana Cocoa Refrigerator Oatmeal
Flavored with bananas, cocoa powder, and honey.
(A healthy way to eat chocolate for breakfast.Your kids will love!)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup skim milk or Almond Milk ( whatever your kids like)
- 1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon honey or Agave, optional (or substitute any preferred sweetener)
- 1/4 cup diced ripe banana, or enough to fill jar (approx. half of a small banana)
Flavored with fresh raspberries, raspberry preserves or spread (I used a no-sugar added fruit spread), and vanilla extract.
230 calories, 4g fat, 51g carbs, 8g fiber, 11g protein; Weight Watchers PtsPlus: 7
Step 1. Assemble the ingredients: ripe bananas*, steel cut oats, light coconut milk**, ground flax seed, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, kosher salt, butter (butter is optional; omit butter for vegan).
*We recommend using very ripe bananas.
Step 2. Add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker or you can use instant oatmeal, I am gluten free so I use rice oatmeal but, you can use whatever you like, if you are rushing in the a.m. then the slow cooker is a great option!
3-1/2 quarts is big enough for this recipe. Note: double the recipe if you are feeding more than 4 or 5 people.
Step 3. Stir it. Put on the lid. Set it to cook on low for 7 hours. The cooking time can vary greatly from one slow cooker to another, cook during the day when you can watch it, if it is your first time.
Step 4. Go to bed. Wake up to the sweet aroma of bananas and coconut milk.
Don’t lift the lid until it’s done. If you do, you’ll have to add 20-30 minutes to the cooking time for every time the lid is lifted.
Here are some optional toppings that are great with this oatmeal:
- additional sliced bananas
- macadamia nuts or walnuts
- toasted coconut
- maple syrup
- additional brown sugar
- additional coconut milk
- additional butter
Blueberry and Grilled Peach Quinoa Parfait
Directions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Lay each peach half on the grill, with cut side down, 5 minutes. Flip over and grill until caramelized and juicy. Take it away from the grill and cool inside the refrigerator.
- Remove the peels and slice them into about 1/2 inch cuts.
- Put about two tablespoons of quinoa in the bottom of the jar.
- Top it with about an eighth of the peaches, two tablespoons of blueberries, half a teaspoon of maple syrup, two tablespoons of yogurt, and half a teaspoon of pecans.
- Reprise the layers, then top it all off with a few more peach slices or some more blueberries for garnish, if desired.
Bacon and Eggs in a Jar
- Stir in eggs, a bit of salt and pepper, spinach, and the cheese together in a small bowl.
- Pour the mix inside the jar.
- Cook it for about 2 minutes inside the microwave.
- Top it off with some bacon crumbles.
Blueberry Pancake in a Jar
Directions
- Mix in flour, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl, and stir them in until mixed completely. Add some melted margarine and a bit of milk in the mix until it forms a batter.
- Put the blueberries on the bottom of the jar.
- Fill the jar halfway with the batter.
- While you cook, the pancake would rise. Microwave this for about a minute.
- Let it cool down before topping it with more margarine, some blueberries, and of course the syrup.
Breakfast Jar Parfait
Directions
- Prepare this the night before: Mix oatmeal, milk, chia seeds, vanilla, and a bit of cinnamon in a bowl. Cover it up and leave it inside the fridge overnight.
- When you get up in the morning, prepare this over the mixture: ¼ cup of yogurt, ¼ cup of strawberries, ¼ cup of blueberries, some oatmeal, a bit of peanut butter, ¼ cup of yogurt, ¼ cup of strawberries, and ¼ cup of blueberries.
- And top it all off with granola.
Cherry Chia Overnight Oats
Directions
- In a small container, mix rolled oats, cocoa nibs, cinnamon, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and chia seeds together and refrigerate the mixture overnight.
- In a small mason jar, layer the mixture and garnish it with chopped cherries and almonds.
- Store inside the fridge.
Chocolate-Almond Skinny Smoothie
Directions
- Combine 1 cup almond milk, 2 tablespoons of almond butter, 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa, half-sliced banana, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and two cups ice in a blender.
- Blend until smooth and serve. Add additional chocolate drops if desired.
- ADD Coffee & Banana to kick it up a notch!
