With only 2 days of school for Mairead this week (crazy town) we are gearing up to spend lots of time playing outside!  Aaron built a snow fort for Mairead last weekend that comes complete with three doors and tunnels to crawl through!  Luckiest kid on the block.  Because of our -30 climate we’ve been stuck indoors a lot lately and some days, it takes more time to get Mai bundled up in her snow gear than she actually spends outside, but I’ll take what I can get.

Speaking of outside, my garage door is broken (first world problems, I know) so if I want the luxury of not clearing snow and ice off of a windshield I can barely reach, I have to run out and manually open the big door before starting the car.  This morning I put on a pair of slip-on shoes to run out quickly and as I was running back inside I majorly wiped out!  Lying flat on my back trying to catch my breath and pick myself up, I looked up and saw Mairead in the window losing it laughing at me!  Despite my mild concussion and bruised backside, she continued to laugh at me until I dropped her off at school.  I can only imagine what she has told her teacher and friends about my graceful fall.

To soothe my self-pity and warm up when I got back home I quickly threw together one of the most enjoyable breakfasts I’ve had in a while.  I have been making an extra conscious effort to eat healthy lately, but the cravings for something sweet are still very much there.  With our cold, snowy Canadian winters, I don’t eat as much raw fruit & veggies or smoothies this time of year; I find myself reaching for more warm hearty meals.

After finding this recipe from Bakerita, gone are the days where I sweeten my oatmeal with brown sugar!  This breakfast not only tasted good but because I could gobble up that entire bowl guilt-free, knowing that I was filling up on fiber, antioxidants, and protein made it that much better.  I had high expectations for this recipe and I was still pleasantly surprised.  I can’t wait to offer Mairead a bowl of CHOCOLATE oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow.  She will be tripping over herself racing to get to the kitchen table!  We will be eating this again and again this winter.  Enjoy!

Healthy Chocolate Strawberry Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/3 cup steel cut oats*
1 medium banana, mashed
1 cup milk (any dairy or non-dairy will do)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup chopped strawberries
Plain yogurt (optional)

*You can also use rolled oats in this recipe, I just have a deep love for steel cut oats (and they are healthier). If you do, reduce the amount of milk by 1/2 cup.

Directions

In a small pot set to low heat, combine oats, banana, milk and cocoa powder.

Simmer uncovered until oats are fully cooked, stirring occasionally.  Rolled oats will cook in about 5 minutes, steel cut oats may take up to 20 minutes to soften.

Transfer to a bowl and top with strawberries and yogurt.

Enjoy!

By Three Happy Folk

Adapted from Bakerita