Fast Breakfast: Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats

Good morning!  I wanted to share a recipe I sometimes make for our family:  Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats.  I found this recipe from Biochemestia (she's studying to become a PA and posts a lot of healthy recipes)

This is definitely a recipe I would make the night before going to the gym or if we had a busy day planned.  Not much mess to clean up, and breakfast is served as soon as you wake up!

I altered her recipe just slightly:

1 1/4 cup steal cut oats

1 can pumpkin (pure pumpkin, not canned pie filling)

3 cups water

2 cups Milk (I've even used Almond Milk)

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

2 pinches sea salt

Sweetener (Use maple syrup, or Sucanat, or brown sugar) 

Instructions:  Mix all your wet ingredients together.  Then add your Steel Cut Oats and mix until combined.  I usually add my sucanat in the morning to my own bowl. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  If it's too dry in the morning, mix in a cup of water. (I've never had a problem with it being to dry)

I love this recipe because it's super easy.  You basically dump all the ingredients into your crockpot the night before, set it on low for 6-8 hours and wa-la!  A warm, healthy breakfast in the morning!  Plus, there are some great health benefits to eating steel cut oats and pumpkin!

This is what Steel Cut Oats look like

Steel Cut Oats:  Are considered a "power food" because of their excellent source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals such as iron and calcium.   (read more at livestrong.com)

Pumpkin:  Helps with Diabetes prevention (it increases insulin, which lowers your blood sugar) as well as heart and cancer protection.  It also contains fiber, antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, B-vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium and phosphorous.  (read more at livestrong.com)

Her recipe makes a lot of oatmeal.  You can reheat the leftovers the next day, or throw it in a smoothie. 

Lesson Plan

Hi All!

I'm going to attempt to come up with some lesson plans each week for Little Man.  After I planned this one I realized how time intensive it is to plan these lessons out!  I'm sure as I start planning more lessons it will get easier (I hope) because I'll find some great sources for ideas and inspirations. 

This is the first lesson plan I've created ever.  I have absolutely no background in Childhood Education (my B.S. was in Criminal Justice) but I figured I go for it.  I feel like this may be too much to try and get done and should probably scale it down.  We'll see. 

This plan is for next week.  Since next Saturday is St. Patrick's Day I picked a "green" theme and went with the color green and frogs.

I'll try to post each day next week and let you know how things are going.  I've never read any of these books before, so I'll let you know if any of them are keepers :D  

Monday:
Book: Mr. and Mrs. Green by Keith Baker  (This book was more like a chapter book.  Nice pics though)


 Froggie went a-courtin by Iza Trapani

Art:  Color a Frog 
Exercise:  Hop like a frog
Activity:  Talk about the frog. What does the frog say?  What does the frog do? What color is the frog?  What does the frog eat?

Tuesday:
Book:  Leap Back Home to Me by Lauren Thompson

Song:  There was a frog which swallowed a......
Exercise:  Hop like a frog
Art:  Water and Marker Painting
 
Wednesday:
Book:    A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson

Green:  Seeing Green All Around Us by Keith Baker

Activity:  Discovery Bag (Put green objects into a pillowcase, let the kids take the objects out and explain the color and shape of the objects)
Activity:  Odd Color Out (Use objects from the discovery bag but add new color.  Tell him the color of the "odd" object.  Put the "odd object" next to the green objects and have him pick out the "odd" colored object)
Song:  Five Little Speckled Frogs

Thursday:
Book:  Little Green by Keith Baker



Tuesday by David Wiesner


Activity:  Color Flashcards (use colored paper to explain colors to your child)
Activity:  Show Little Man Colored frog.  What does the frog say?  What does the frog do? What color is the frog?  What does the frog eat?

Friday:
Books:  Pick out our favorite and read them again!
Activity:  Pick out our favorite activity and do it again!
Exercise:  Hope like a frog!

Shared With:
ABC and 123