August 11, 2015

Back to school with Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups

August 11, 2015

As any parent knows mornings on a school day can be very hectic. So many things happen on school mornings, it’s amazing how it just repeats no matter how hard I try to take care of the issues. The run down on school mornings

 

#1  Waking the kids up- Suddenly, after an entire summer of them waking up with energy bursting out of them left and right, they can’t even open their eyes. You could blow a fog horn to wake the up and somehow it doesn’t even affect them. Me? Oh I’m wide awake and ready to go! Mama loves ( hates) school! 

#2 Getting the kids to dress for school- Ah, those mis matched clothes, strips, polka dots, sweaters and tee- shirts, skirts over jeans- Yeah my youngest does that all the time. While I love they have their own sense of fashion, this is a process in which takes forever somedays, redressing, and approving outfits before it’s time to tackle the hair. Up or down, braided or pony tail, whatever it may be, it must be knot free! This tends to end up in chasing the kids around , the capture, and the wild fight to tame those snarls while the kid snarls at you. Not fun. ( it’s not that dramatic, but it sure feels like a battle when I doing it) 

#2.5 This is when Breakfast is supposed to happen. I am busy putting together school lunches, calling out who’s got socks on, who’s dressed and telling them to stop arguing over who’s got the most knots in their hair – I mean really? Moving on, lunches are packed, we are almost there! 

#3 The not so fun game of – ” Where’s the homework, where’s the backpack lost shoe? ”  We have a shoe rack, cubby, coat rack. Seems really simple yes? I mean they hang their coats up, shove a lunch bag into the cubby- yeah. So this amazingly helpful organizer should be where everything is. How, I mean how does one lost shoes during the middle of the night? This happens each day! It’s a mystery, kinda like the missing socks from the washer. Either way, this “game” tends to end up in tears as someone thinks they’ve just about died because of a single missing shoe which was somehow – and no one knows how it got there- was in the bottom of their backpack. Objects found, one step closer to that door! 

#4 We are ready to- “NO! We are not ready because no one ate breakfast like I told them too segment of the morning!” It never fails. 

 “I’m starving!” Say what? You were supposed to eat 30 minutes ago. By the time food comes into the equation we’re already close to the time we need to be out of the house. No matter how I wake them up, an hour before we need to leave or such, it always runs into the last 10 minutes of free time. I don’t know how this happens! It’s been recreated, it’s been planned, this way that way- nope always comes down to the last 10-15 minutes . Kids need to eat, kids need to get those shoes on, backpacks packed, warm the car up! Mama needs that coffee she made an hour ago and got cold!  

 In this house a sit down breakfast on school days just won’t happen, I have accepted this and so breakfast ideas have become grab and go. Something I can make quick, possibly even the night before which means one quick warm up, or a quick baking meal the kids can literally grab and go with. While it doesn’t stop the missing single shoe, or mismatched fashion show that happens each morning, it does cancel out that sudden panic that my kids will start the day hungry. I will not allow that to happen. It’s important to get the kids ready for the day, good sleep, and fuel to get them going till lunch. 

Great perfectly sized oatmeal "muffins" Let them cool just ten minutes and they are ready to be grabbed on the way out the door

Great perfectly sized oatmeal “muffins” Let them cool just ten minutes and they are ready to be grabbed on the way out the door

 Today’s recipe is sugar free, kids don’t need sugar to start the day. My kids couldn’t decide if this tastes more like apple pie or banana bread, a mix of both they approved and it’s quick to make! Easy on the parents, feeds the kids on the go.  It’s a sure win. Can make a great snack as well, usually I take the left overs and let them have it for school snack, and or just save for the afternoon, there are never left overs that’s for sure! 
muffins2

Grab and Go Apple Cinnamon Cups
Serves 12
Warm oatmeal and fruit breakfast "muffin"
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups old fashioned oats
  2. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  3. pinch of salt
  4. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  5. 1/2 cup milk *
  6. 1 egg
  7. 2 small mashed bananas
  8. 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375F,
  2. Mix all the ingredients together except the apples and bananas. Make sure it's all mixed together well before mashing in the bananas, makes it easier , plus this way you get nice chunks of banana. Add in the apples and mix in. Spray a muffin tin with baking spray and fill each with about 1/4 cup of the mixture ( I used an ice cream scoop) Bake for about 15-30 minutes or until slightly browned around edges and firm in the middle.
Notes
  1. *My kids drank the regular milk during this baking experiment, so my last two batches used heavy whipping cream, worked great! Not sure how skim milk would work but I don't see a problem
It's My Side of Life https://itsmysideoflife.com/
 If you like oatmeal, you will like these, it’s got milk, and fruit no added sugar but I bet sprinkling some brown sugar on top would taste really yummy! I use the title “muffins” loosely because if my kids knew they pretty much had fruit and oatmeal they’d gag. That’s what this is honestly, oatmeal cooked in a muffin tin. I’m a sneaky mother, what can I say? 🙂 

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