Nuh-oh is so good for you

My youngest's love for oatmeal cannot be denied. It is a love that is all encompassing, and it is also a love that keeps him regular - win/win! It started with my oldest, in fact, who started eating some of the oatmeal my mom would make for her own breakfast, and then it became a ritual. He outgrew his love of oatmeal but once my youngest started eating it, he was hooked.

Because of his autism, my little boy was slow to speak, and when he wanted his favorite food, he couldn't say oatmeal, so he settled on "nuh-oh". Now he has no problem saying oatmeal but he still prefers to call it nuh-oh and I think it will be nuh-oh until he's all grown and out of the house.

My mom uses the packaged instant oatmeal but I've switched to the quick 1-minute oats that come in the big tubs. And I know, I know, everyone knows how to make oatmeal, but I just wanted to share what I do to make my boy's breakfast as nutritious as possible.

This is about twice the amount that would be in an instant packet

The gorgeous canister label is from Leen's shop, I love them.

We use rice milk because of my son's (and my) allergies

Trader Joe's has the cheapest price in rice milk, and since my son eats oatmeal 3 times a day AND drinks it as well, I make sure to stock up.

After two minutes in the microwave

I add a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter for some good protein.

The bulk oatmeal has a lot less sugar than the instant packets, but I do add some honey

both for flavoring and because it helps his allergies.

The last touch

is a bit of cinnamon, yum yum.

I usually add a sliced banana, but the ones I had were super green, so this was Sunday's breakfast for my little guy:

Warm, hearty, flavorful, and it fills his belly with lots of goodness.

It's so good that I've been known to make myself a bowl to warm up on a chilly morning. I usually skip the banana, but it gives me a good start to the day. As I was editing this post, my son came over and smiled as I showed him each picture in sequence. When I showed him the last one, he threw his hands in the air and said, "nuh-oh!". He REALLY loves his oatmeal.

BTW, have you heard that peanut butter prices are going up? I've stocked up, just in case!