Cheater Oatmeal

Some mornings I need the boys to not only eat a good breakfast, but I also need them to eat it fast.  With my guys, this can usually be an issue.  And when there's not time to make pancakes (something they scarf down almost faster than I can make them), I have found that a little healthy cheating on my oatmeal does the trick.

Enter Carnation Instant Breakfast.

I used to buy boxes of these things back when we drank milk.  I personally had one about every week or so when I needed a little boost or a quick breakfast myself.  But for the last 10 months, I've had 2 boxes in my pantry untouched.  That is, until a couple weeks ago when I had this hair-brained idea.  And I'm sure it's been done before, but since I had never ever heard of doing it, I figured I'd share it here in case you, too, were unaware of the magic of cheater oatmeal.

Cheater Oatmeal
1 adult serving (2 kid servings)

• 1 cup old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups water or corresponding amount of water to your liking. 
• 1/2 packet of your favorite Carnation Instant Breakfast (about 2 T worth)
• Milk (if you want it) for the top

-- Make your oats.
-- Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons (or about half) of the packet into the oats and stir until all chocolate/strawberry/vanilla is incorporated.
-- Add a splash of milk, if desired, to gain the right consistency


Now sit back and watch your kids scarf that bowl of oatmeal down with a smile on their face!  They'll think they were just given the best treat ever, and you can rest assured that they're getting extra vitamins and minerals, too!