Fruit-Sweetened Steel Cut Oats

Over Thanksgiving weekend several years back, we spontaneously bought a house just up the road from some friends we were staying with. This launched several extended stays at their house as we went through the process of purchasing and moving to our property that was just a mile away from theirs. The generous German wife frequently made us a sweet and hearty oat breakfast to start off the day. She explained to me how she made this healthy breakfast, and I have been making it for my household ever since.

Sweetened naturally with bananas and apples (and a dash of maple syrup if desired), my kids devour these healthy breakfast oats. I am satisfied knowing that they are getting about as good of a start to the day as possible. The ease of this dish has made it one of my favorites for my kids. It is versatile enough to please my toddlers, and also is mushy enough to feed to an older baby who is used to purees. The oats can be made the night before, so all I have to do in the morning is mash the bananas and grate the apples (or add applesauce -see substitution below).

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Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups steel cut oats (about 3 cups cooked)

• 1 overripe banana (mashed)

• 2 apples (grated)

Add-ins: halved grapes, chia seeds, mandarin orange segments, blueberries, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, banana slices

Optional Extra Sweeteners: honey, maple syrup, or brown sugar

Directions:

1. Cook 1.5 cups steel cut oats per instructions on the package.

2. Mash bananas in a bowl.

3. Grate apples with a fine cheese grater (or slice and place in a food processor) (Note: You may substitute approximately 1.5 cups of applesauce.)

4. Mix grated apples and mashed bananas into a bowl with oats.

5. Mix in any optional add-ins. I like to at least add a good dash of cinnamon

6. Serve hot, or refrigerate and serve cold depending on preference.

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Recipe Notes:

• I like to make the oats the night before and chill in the refrigerator. I add the bananas, grated apple, and any other mix-ins fresh in the morning for breakfast.

• These oats are good in the fridge for a few days. However, the mashed banana will cause it to turn brown so it is best eaten fresh, or the next morning.

• When I don’t feel like grating apples or I have no apples laying around, I substitute with roughly 1.5 cups of unsweetened applesauce.

This recipe is a healthy alternative to processed cereals, and is sweet enough with the banana and apples that no additional sweeteners are needed in my opinion. If you like a sweeter breakfast, a little bit of brown sugar or a drizzle of honey goes a long way.