Delicious Oatmeal

We are blessed with a wonderful pediatrician. Dr. Herrmann loves to share articles and information on all sorts of parenting topics, including nutrition. A while back she gave us a recipe for quinoa, which I learned is a "pseudocereal" alternative to more common cereals such as wheat or oats. I thought it sounded good, so I went to the Farmer's Market in search of this new grain. I found it without much trouble, but it seemed really expensive, so I decided to adapt the recipe using steel cut oats instead. I also made a few other changes, such as increasing the blueberries and using golden raisins. The resulting purple oatmeal has been a hit with Lily since I first gave it to her.

Delicious Oatmeal

1 c steel cut oats

3 c water

1 c apple juice

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t allspice

1/4 c dried cranberries

1/4 c dried apricots, chopped

1/4 c golden raisins

1/2 to 1 c frozen blueberries (or 1/4 c dried blueberries)

Combine the apple juice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in the steel cut oats, the fruit, and the spices. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until the oats are of desired consistency.

I like to let this cool and spoon leftovers into an ice cube tray to freeze. I cover the tray with a piece of aluminum foil, freeze it, and then dump the cubes into a freezer bag to save for later. I pull out two or three and thaw them in the microwave for a quick and delicious breakfast.