In honor of National Oatmeal Month, I thought I’d round a few of my favorite oatmeal recipes for you, many of which are healthy, with a couple (or 3 or 4 or 5) being indulgent.  If you don’t follow these blogs, you should definitely add them to your weekly reading.  They tell great stories, share drool worthy photos, and will inspire you in the kitchen!

(all photos belong to the blogs that I linked to)

CRANBERRY APPLE OATMEAL CRISP by Cat

REESE’S COOKIE BATTER by Katie

OATMEAL ALMOND CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES by Katie Goodman

OLD FASHION BANANA NUT OATMEAL

DEE’S OATMEAL PANCAKES by Dee

OATMEAL MUFFINS by 101 Cookbooks

D’oh! by Kath Eats

APPLE PIE OATMEAL by Amy

BABY BLUE CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIE CUPS by Amanda

OATMEAL BANANA BREAD by Sassy

A fresh start means fresh ideas and fresh foods.  I’ve been eating healthier with all my meals and breakfast is no exception.  I know most of us buy the instant oatmeal but try making it from scratch next time!  I promise it will taste great and it’s much better for you because it will not have all that sugar.

This is a very good and healthy breakfast which I am trying implement more and more with my all the family but specifically my toddler. Oatmeal is a good source of fiber and is excellent for the heart! There are gazillions of oatmeal variations out there but today I bring you some simple old fashion Banana Nut Oatmeal!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 c fat-free milk
• 3 TBLS firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 c Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
• 2 medium-size ripe bananas, mashed (about 1c)
• Pecan pieces (optional)
• Dash of Honey:) (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In saucepan, bring milk, brown sugar, and spices to a gentle boil; stir in your oats. Return to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cook 1 minute for quick oats, 5 minutes for old fashioned oats, or until most of liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Remove oatmeal from heat. Stir in mashed bananas and pecans and a dash of honey.

NOTE: The bananas, honey and pecans can be completely optional!! If you just want plain but tasty oatmeal, the cinnamon and nutmeg are quite wonderful.

ENJOY:)

How would you make your oatmeal? Nutrition is so important but don’t forget to get moving!!

Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms as we share our ideas and tips for a healthier you! Walmart has provided me with compensation and gift card in return for my time & efforts to create this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.

In my goal to be fit, not only am I working out to the Your Shape Wii Game, I’m also eating things healthier when I can.  Trying to find healthy substitutions to replace the easy accessible junk food can prove to be difficult at times.  I realized that trying to find prepackaged healthy food was the real problem. I needed to discover ways to create healthy snacks “from scratch”.  So instead of buying granola bar type snacks, I decided to make my own version. Since granola seems to be an ingredients that’s hard to come by around here, I chose to use oatmeal as a substitute but you could use granola (and I recommend you do) to make this recipe.

This is one of the treat recipes that my mom grew up with. They are so easy to make and easy on the budget. They were always a big hit when her Mom made them, and they didn’t last very long around their house. They bring her back such good memories so I’m happy to share them with you in hopes that they bring you the same kind of memories.  After chatting with folks, it seems these were popular for lots of folks. If you try them out, let me know!

Oh, and the pan is the Wilton Bite Size Brownie Squares Silicon Mold Pan. CUTE!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 4 cups quick oats

DIRECTIONS

In a medium sauce pan cook together the butter or margarine, cocoa, milk and sugar until the mixture begins to boil.  Boil for one minute.  Stir frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter. Then add the oats and coconut.
Mix well….the mixture will be thick.  Drop onto waxed paper with a tablespoon and allow to cool.  Cookies will harden a bit as they cool.

Optional: 1 cup shredded coconut and decrease the oatmeal to 3 cups

Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on the size.

You might be surprised to know that there was a time when we had to send our kids off to their grandparent’s due to lack of food and money.  It was hard and I never want to revisit that time again but it did teach me something.  It taught me to stock up on the most important & most eaten things and everything else comes after.  It also taught me that you don’t have to go without flavor just because you’re rationing or because you are trying to be frugal.

I’ve compiled a list of tips to help you cut costs on your grocery bill, stock up and still be able to add some flavor to the menu!

Pantry items to have on hand for flavor!  I buy a lot of this at Sam’s Club in bulk and supersized to save money.  Just be cautious and make sure you’re getting a good deal.

• Ground Pepper  (MUCH cheaper at Sam’s than at the grocery store.)
• Garlic Powder
• Ground Cinnamon
• Chili Powder
• Sugar
• Minced Garlic in a jar.  I know, I know..fresh is the best but this lasts longer and has just as much flavor!
• Oil (Olive & Canola)
• Onions (They last a long time and they are inexpensive)

Tips to help you cut the costs on your grocery bill.

• *Cut the beef out. Fortunately, our beef is supplied as part of our income here on the ranch so we don’t have that expense, but if you want to save some money, buy chicken or even go meatless.  Eat more rice, beans, and pastas.  They are more filling anyhow and and easy on the pocketbook even in their super-size, which I recommend.
• *Buy big and in bulk. Like I mentioned above, a regular size can of pepper runs me around $3.50.  At Sam’s Club, I pay $4.00 for almost 3 times the amount!!!  HUGE savings.  This applies to so many things.  Cereal, milk (I freeze gallons of milk all the time), eggs, rice, and pasta.  I know those Quaker Oats Instant packets are handy but try buying a big container of oatmeal and add your own flavors, using fresh or frozen fruit.  It’s just as easy and you can make as little or as much oatmeal for more than half the cost as buying one of those box of packets!
• MAKE A LIST! Something that has reduced my grocery bill is my handy dandy notebook Smartshopper.  Yes you can use a notebook, and that is perfectly fine but I have to say, I LOVE my Smartshopper.  When I need something, I just record it in and print it out.  Having  a list reduces the chances of you buying items you don’t need or not sure if you’re out of or not.  This  can be a huge money saver.  I find that most people lose their list or forget to write it down because you don’t have a pen or paper handy but with the smartshopper, I walk over immediately and add it to the list.

Finally, COUPONS!!! I can’t say it enough people.  Even if you only have a coupon for $.55 off, it adds up over the month/year and can reduce your grocery bills by quite a bit.  I always check out Alyssa for updates on the upcoming inserts in your Sunday paper.  She knows the scoop ahead of the time and can help you determine if it’s worth getting a paper at all or getting 3 or 4!  You can always print coupons, just be sure to check back regularly because they are always adding new ones.

Check out womansday.com for more ideas on cutting costs and recipes to help you save money by not buying premade!

You can’t get much more of a hearty breakfast than oatmeal, and I have a great recipe to get you on the right track, Banana Nut Oatmeal, using Quaker Oats of course.  Eating Oatmeal also helps fight cardiovascular disease so it’s a great habit to start.

It’s no surprise to me that Quaker is bringing you this very cool 25 Bloggers, 25 Days contest.  This is such a HUGE event and I am so proud to be one of these 25 bloggers!  Each blogger has been assigned a specific day to share this with you, mine is today.  The blogger who can get most the most votes with valid photo links, will win $5000 donation to their local hunger charity!!!!!  It starts at 9:00am CST and will go for 24hrs.  This is where you come in. Not only will you be helping me win some major bucks for my local hunger charity, you are showing your support for Quaker Oats, who is trying to encourage everyone to eat a hearty breakfast and live a healthier lifestyle in 2009!

HOW TO SUBMIT

• 1) Visit Start with Substance and read the rules.
• 2) Join Facebook.  I’m sorry but  you have to join but you can meet some wonderful people and organizations through it!  You can even friend me if you want!  AND see the photo I uploaded.
• 3) Once you’re a member of Facebook, go to the Quaker Oats Facebook page and become a fan.  This is towards the right of the page.
• 4) Further down below the “become a fan” you will see The Quaker man where you will download his face.
• 5) Download it, print it, take a photo of you or a family member(s) with the Quaker man you just printed out.
• 6) Upload your picture to the Quaker Facebook page and then you need to grab the link for your photo.
• 7) Come back here to this post and leave the URL to your picture in my comments. NOTE: This is the only way they can track how many submissions have come from my blog so it’s very important to come back and give me the URL to the photo!!.

I realize this is a lot to do but it’s for a great cause.  If you get stuck and need a little help, please feel free to email me at lori (at) thecowboyshack (dot) com and put Quaker in the subject.

I encourage you to comment even if you are not entering.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject/cause.  You can also take the UPC’s from your Quaker products and enter them on the same page.  For every one entered, they have to dish out some food to a food bank charity!  So please take the time to do that.

Quick Recap

I have 24hrs to get the most submissions (valid photo links in my comments) in order to win the $5000 donation to my local hunger charity so I can’t stress enough how important it is for YOU to be involved.  It’s such a large amount of money that could really help a ton of hungry people.  This starts for me when the post is published at 9am CST, Jan.23rd thru 9am CST, Jan 24th.  Entries will only be valid during those times.  Only one comment, per email address, per person.

I truly hope that you reach down to help those in need by completing this fun and simple contest because regardless if I win or not, someone will will get to give their local charity $5000 and THAT is awesome!

SOMETHING FOR YOU

Quaker has given me 2 coupons, each for $1 off any Quaker Oats products, to give to you.  And they’re throwing in a case of  oatmeal for my local food bank! WOOT!

I will choose from  the comments below to win the coupon.  There will be 2 winners.  I’ll even give you extra entries in for the coupons if you stumble, twitter, and/or blog about this!!

Thanks!

***Disclaimer:  The Quaker Man logo must remain in intact and may not be modified in any manner. Readers must use the exact download of the image, and all entries need to be wholesome in nature. No nudity, defamation, obscene language or inappropriate, rude behavior in the photograph submitted will be accepted. Compliance with these rules is subject to the sole discretion of The Quaker Oats Company;The photo or video must be taken in the reader’s home with their family member(s) or feature just themselves. All submissions are subject to the Facebook Terms and Conditions.

This entire event ends on Feb.13th so do what you can to support!

This oatmeal cake is the best ever and this is coming from someone who not a big fan of oatmeal.  Not only that, it is very popular among the men.  This was something that I cooked for the cowboys and they would tell my husband how much they enjoyed the dessert.  I personally think it borders the food porn side…..yeah, it’s that good!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cake:

• 1 1/4 c Boiling Water
• 1 c Quick Oats
• 1 stick butter
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 c flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

For the Icing:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 c brown sugar
• 1/4 c evaporated milk
• powered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Mix water, oats, and butter & let stand for 15 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients together in a bowl.  Add oatmeal mixture to the bowl and mix well.  Bake in an 8 x 11 casserole dish at 350′ for 30 minutes.

ICING DIRECTIONS:

Melt ingredients together in saucepan and cool.  Add powered sugar until thick enough to pour over cake.  Pour over HOT cake!  I usually take a toothpick and poke holes throughout the cake so that the icing sinks in…YUMMY!

OH.MY.GOSH…..this is SOOOOOO good!!!  Enjoy:)