I’m not much of a breakfast person usually, but this recipe is fast, hot, and filling.  It’s good for you, and sure to please even the smallest ones in your family.  My boys were skeptical about the cranberries at first, but after trying one bite, they were hooked.  We used to buy Costco’s individually packaged organic oatmeal packets, but since one package wasn’t filling up my boys, the cost is more than bulk quick cooking oats, and we usually all have the same breakfast in the morning.  I quickly cooked up a yummy oatmeal dish that we all enjoyed.

Cranberry Maple Oatmeal

The basic parts of this are in bold, so if you want to mix it up a bit, add in your own fruit/nuts/sweetener to create a custom oatmeal your family will enjoy.  One that we do for special occasions is chocolate chip oatmeal.  All I do is add a little sugar to the oatmeal before serving, then top with a few chocolate chips.  My boys love mixing them in and watching their oatmeal change color.

Ingredients

2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup maple syrup
milk for consistency/quick cool down

Directions

1. Boil water and salt in a medium-sized pot
2. Once it reaches a full boil, add oats and cranberries – turn off the heat and stir.
3. Once oats are stirred in, remove from burner and let stand for 5 min.
4. Stir in butter, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
5. Serve and top with more syrup (if desired – taste before doing this!).

Happy Cooking!