Summer Porridge / Overnight Oatmeal

My usual weekday morning is pretty slow and relaxed.  Wake up at 6:30am.  Wander into the kitchen.  Let the dog out. Make coffee. Brush teeth. Empty dishwasher.  Prepare mug of coffee.  Load dishwasher. Update my Facebook/Twitter/Blog/Influenster/etc.  Enjoy said coffee. 

But then all to soon Little Man is here.  Then Kidster wakes up and wants “Noh” (her way of saying milk) and banana’s and ‘toons.  So everything goes from relaxing and slow moving to hectic and crazy in less than 60 seconds.  My usual breakfast is the leftover pieces of toast and squished banana.  Not very healthy or filling.

That was until my fellow Mommiester, McMommy, mentioned overnight oatmeal (refrigerator oatmeal).  I was intrigued.  There are so many different recipes but I just wanted the facts, ma’am.  It’s pretty simple.  Equal parts.  Yup.  All those summer porridge / overnight oatmeal / refrigerator oatmeal recipes you’ve been pinning on Pinterest don’t break it down as well as I’m doing here.  Equal PARTS.  EQUAL parts.  Once you get that down the sky is the limit.  Or at least the top shelf of the fridge.  You don’t have to use a mason jar either.  You can use a plastic storage container.  Or do what McMommy does and use the peanut butter jar when it’s pretty much ready for the rubbish bin.  Same goes for jam and jelly jars.  Anything that can be sealed and refrigerated folks.

My favorite ‘recipe’ is what I made the other night.  1/4 cup oats, 1/4 cup full fat Greek yogurt, 1/4 whole milk, a sprinkling of milk chocolate chips, 1/2 T of honey, chopped almonds, and cocoa.  Stir cover and chill for about 12 hours.

My usual suspects. Honey, peanut butter, Trader Joe’s organic multigrain hot cereal, Hershey’s cocoa, Greek Gods yogurt and a mason jar.

Put it all into the container and stir, stir, stir.  Chill for 12 hours.

All mixed up and ready to chill.

The next morning you can take it with you and eat it on the bus or you can do what us mom’s do and take a few spoonful's at a time while the kids are distracted.  Only two bites and you’re full for the next thirty minutes!  I use the Trader Joe’s Organic Multi Grain Hot Cereal but you can use any kind of NON instant oatmeal.  The texture is a lot like rice pudding.  Reminds me a lot of the place in NYC, Rice to Riches.  Mmmmmm, my favorite place when I was pregnant with Kidster and visiting my friend in NYC.  It’s so tasty it could be dessert!

What’s YOUR favorite cold breakfast food?

~Lisa

Frozen Yogurt Drops for Kids

It seems like the 'baby food' aisle is getting shorter and shorter.  The products also seem to be getting more and more full of weird ingredients and preservatives that I can't pronounce.  They are great for 'on the go' and all that but really they seem so expensive for such a small amount of 'food' for Kidster and Little Man.

I came across the idea of making 'frozen yogurt drops' somewhere on the internets, possibly late at night very likely Facebook or Pinterest.  The exact 'recipe' evades me but no matter because it's very simple.

Buy greek yogurt, the full fat kind if you're feeding it to little ones or a lesser fat kind if this is for you. It must be greek yogurt because it tends to hold its shape for a little while.  You really don't want a runny yogurt for this project. Place yogurt into small plastic baggie or frosting bag. Cut small hole in bag corner.  Squirt onto a small pan that will fit in your freezer, I used a large plastic storage container lid.  Make sure the drops are about the size of a nickel.  It they are too small they melt too fast.  You can make them larger if they are for an adult treat.

Freeze.  This only takes about an hour or so.  Then using a spatula scrape them into a baggie or small container.  Store in freezer.  These come in really handy when your little one is teething and refusing to eat anything except a bottle of milk.  These also come in really handy when the grown ups are trying to lose a bit of weight and are really hankering for some ice cream!

I've tried to blend other fruits or peanut butter into the yogurt to make these have a bit more nutrition but alas, it just ends up way to thin and wont hold the shape long enough to freeze.  I bet I could make it in a small sheet pan like the old school Jello Jigglers idea but it just seems like too much work.

Yummy frozen yogurt drops!

I just realized I have silicone muffin 'papers' that I could use if I blend together fruit and yogurt.  I will be attempting this next!

What is YOUR favorite frozen treat?