Crockpot Oatmeal
Here is another recipe that my family enjoys when I am willing to get up EARLY to start it.... I have tried to start it the night before - but my crockpot is too hot, and overcooks it. . . . oh the canundrum...
Steel Cut Oatmeal - crockpot style - about 8 servings
2 cups steel cut oats
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
6 cups water
2/3 cup applesauce
3 handfuls dried apple slices - I break them up a bit with my hands
Put all ingredients in the crockpot and turn on high - cook for about 1.5 - 2 hours (at least with my crockpot that is how long it takes!) Just enough time to turn it on, go and exercise - return home to the lovely smell of apples and cinnamon - mmmmm - good morning!
Enjoy with a little milk and ground flax of course!
Delicious
this is one of my kids' favorites!
Happy Feet, Healthy Food
Check out this Book!!!!!!!!
Happy Feet, Healthy Food
Your Child's First Journal
of Exercise and Healthy Eating
A handbook and fitness tracker combined to encourage kids to set goals and reflect on their healthy habits. Used in schools, clubs, and homes around the world.
KEY CONCEPTS: physical activity, running, healthy eating, journal writing, tracking fitness
I bought three books written by this author - and I am so excited about them! They are absolutely perfect for children. The titles of her other two books are:
1. Kids running : Have fun, Get Faster & Go Farther
2. Treasure of Health and Happiness
I am going to buy "Happy Feet, Healthy Food" for each of my children so that this summer our family can start our very own "it's fun to be fit program" What is that you ask? Just something I am making up as I go - but it is starting with this book! Have I said how fantastic this book is yet? I love it, love it, love it!! It is truly amazing. I love that it teaches children about healthy food, and exercise - and trying new things - and how good it feels to be strong and healthy and fit!!
Check out this author's website
I have talked to the library here in Cardston, and they are going to get all three of her books into the library system so that you can borrow them from the library - Nice!
I have also talked to Mr. Prete at the Cardston Book Shop and if you request the book - he will get them in to the bookstore for you to purchase! Yeah!
Summer is coming!!
Hearty Oatmeal
Breakfast - A great way to start your day!
This recipe is a Linda Tolman creation (lifestyles nurse at the Cardston Clinic - so it is healthy:)
she is also running in the Cardston Kids Marathon - YEAH!
Hearty Oatmeal
8 cups oatmeal
2 cups steel cut oats
2 cups 7 grain cereal
2 cups spelt flakes
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
(I have used slivered or chopped almonds, roasted and chopped walnuts, pecans, sometimes a little bit of each - yum yum)
1/3 cup cinnamon
(as much or as little as you like - I LOVE it so I put in ALOT! Original recipe just says cinnamon)
4 Tbsp Brown sugar splenda
(this is on the original recipe - but I no longer add this to the mix)
2 cups craisins or dried fruit of choice
(or add fresh fruit when you eat it). I add 1/4 cup of craisins to my pot when I cook it these days - and none in the mix)
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Microwave instructions: measure out 1/2 cup of cereal, and 3/4 cup of water - put in microwave for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with ground flax when you eat it. Cool it down with a little milk or soy milk - enjoy!
Stove-top instructions: ( I use the stove top these days because I am using large flake oats instead of the quick oats - so it takes a bit longer to cook - but I am loving it cooked on the stove - nice n' creamy - good morning )
Measure out 1/2 cup of cereal, 1/4 cup of craisins and 1 1/2 cups of water or flavoured herb or rooibus tea (that is my secret ingredient these days). Boil on stove top for about 10 - 12 minutes - until it is the desired consistency. Sprinkle with ground flax and about 1/2 cup of lowfat milk or soy milk. Enjoy!
That's my breakfast tomorrow - YUM!
Stop the Pop!
Healthy & Fit Families
Make Healthy Drink Choices
BEST DRINKS
WATER
Offer water instead of juice between meals and snacks. It is a good choice for your child anytime.
SKIM OR LOW FAT MILK
Children between the ages of 4-8 need 2 cups of milk everyday.
Children between the ages of 9 – 18 need 3 cups everyday.
Milk is a good source of calcium, protein, vitamins A & D.
GO EASY ON JUICE
For children under 6 years old, limit juice to 4 – 6 ounces per day.
For children over 6 years old, limit juice to 8-12 ounces per day.
Offer only 100% juice – not ‘fruit drinks’.
Encourage your child to eat whole fruit.
Drinking too much juice may increase tooth decay, diarrhea and weight gain.
STOP THE POP!
Children who have soft drinks, fruit flavored drinks (like Kool-Aid, Hi C) and other sugary drinks every day can:
• Be too full to eat healthy foods at meals and snacks;
• Have trouble keeping a healthy weight;
• Get more cavities.
Take the CHALLENGE - Drink more water every day
Mark (X) the actions you will do so you and your children can stop drinking pop & drink more water this month.
Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator.
Offer water at meals with a splash of lime or lemon juice for flavor.
Serve water at snack time or whenever your child is thirsty.
Buy fewer sugary drinks like pop, fruit drinks, fruit punches, lemonades, and Kool-Aid.
Breakfast Cookies!
This is a favorite recipe of ours - we happened upon it - found it on the back of a bag of
Porridge Oats Breakfast Cereal - of which we found at Walmart, but have since noticed that it is also here in Cardston at IGA! Yeah!
We use the breakfast cookies for a quick breakfast (choir days), after school or lunch box snacks - and we think they would be a great treat on the soccer field!
Hope they keep you running!!
Porridge Oats Breakfast Cookies
...wholesome and delicious for a quick breakfast
or for a healthy snack anytime!
1 cup Rogers no additive whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups Rogers Porridge Oats
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Combine flour, baking soda, salt, allspice, cinnamon and ginger; stir well and set aside.
Place eggs, vegetable oil, unsweetened applesauce and brown sugar in a large bowl and beat together well. Add orange rind, vanilla, porridge oats, chopped almonds and sunflower seeds and stir until well combined. Add flour mixture and stir well. Add dried cranberries and stir until well distributed. ( they are quite wet - but they work!)
Using about 1/4 cup of cookie dough for each cookie, place on prepared cookie sheet and press down with a form to form a cookie approximately 3.5” (9cm) in diameter. (I made some smaller than that for snacks but made them big if they were having it for breakfast!) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on the cookie sheet before removing.
Yield: 20 - 24 cookies
Cook it in a Cup
For Easter this year, our kids got a cookbook called:
Cook it in a cup!
Quick Meals and Treats Kids Can Cook in Silicone Cups
by Julia Myall
( It came with 6 fun colored silicone cups too!)
So far they have made . . .
Easy eggs - pg 10
rated by kids 5/5
rated by mom 5/5
(cause they make their eggs by themselves, and clean them up too! YAY!)
Banana Chocolate chip muffins - pg. 12
rated by kids 6/5 - I think it was the chocolate chips
rated by mom 6/5 - because my 12 year old only put in 1/2 of the sugar and 1/2 of the chocolate chips that the recipe asked for!! She thought that was too much sugar and chocolate chips. ( a mothers proud moment) Dad said that the muffins tasted like grandma’s crater cake - which is an old family favorite! Good substituting WOW!
Chicken Pot Pies - pg 28
rated by kids 5/5 - that is from the kids that were willing to try it! Ha Ha!
rated by mom 5/5 - cause my 12 year old made them all by herself, and I think they were a pretty healthy dinner!
I am going to share the recipe if you are interested ( we doubled it - and had 4 little pies left over after feeding it to the children)
Chicken Pot Pies
Ingredients for 6 pies:
1 small carrot
1/4 yellow onion
3/4 cups cooked chicken, chopped in pea-sized pieces
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Pinch thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock
Pinch of garlic salt
1 Tablesoon butter
Flour for work surface
1/2 pound puff pastry, thawed according to package directions if frozen
(we didn’t have any puff pastry so she made up a batch of baking powder biscuits)
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. With adult help, cut the carrot and onion into pea-sized pieces and put them in a medium bowl.
3. Add the chopped chicken, peas, flour, thyme, stock, garlic salt, and butter to the vegetable mixture and stir.
4. To prepare the crust, sprinkle flour on a work surface. Then unfold the puff pastry so it lies flat.
5. Place a cup upside down on the cough and use a butter knife to cut around it. Repeat to make 12 disks total. These will be your top and bottom crusts.
6. Place 1 disk in the bottom of each cup. Press down to mold the disk to the shape of the cup.
7. Spoon 2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture into each cup, on top of the pastry.
8. Place another pastry disk on the top of the chicken mixture to make each pie. You don’t need to press the top and bottom crusts together. The top crust will just float on the filling, which will allow steam to escape as the pie cooks.
9. Put the pies in the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. This helps firm up the dough, so it will keep it’s shape better when you bake it.
10. Place the cups on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until you see bubbles on the edges of the pies
11. Cool the pies for 10 minute, then us a spoon to scoop the pies out onto plates. Serve warm!
Note: Instead of cooking all of your pies right away, you can freeze some. Then you can pop them into the oven whenever you need a quick snack. Cook them at the same temperature and for the same amount of time as the unfrozen pies.