A GREAT WAY TO START THE DAY!

My son got some teeth pulled recently and was only able to eat soft foods.  Smoothies started getting old so I searched for something different.  Necessity being the mother of invention, I ended up creating a simple, healthy (and soft) breakfast that everyone loved. I introduce to you:

Gather up your ingredients and let's get started!

Pour three cups of milk in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil, watching it carefully to make sure the milk does not burn. When the milk comes to a boil, add one cup of steel cut oats and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. (You could substitute the milk with almond, hemp, rice milk or whatever works best for you.)

Keep a close eye on your milk. If it starts to foam up and boil over, lower the temperature.  Lower the heat and boil the mixture for about 12 minutes.  You could boil for about 10 if you prefer your oats a little more al dente. We like ours soft.

To puree your strawberries, just pile a couple of handfuls in the blender (I used a magic bullet and it worked perfectly). I made, in total, about one cup of the puree. You may not need as much or may prefer more.  You can adjust to your liking.

Add 3 T maple syrup to your oats.  

This is just a guide to start with but feel free to adjust more or less to your own personal tastes.

You can see that the mixture is done.  It has the consistency of a rice pudding and it's nice and creamy, 

I added about 1/4 of the mixture to a bowl.  Next I added a pack of stevia for a little extra sweetness. I then added 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and swirled it into the oatmeal (If you used a frosting tube, you could really make it look arty.)

I garnished it with a few banana slices and voila!  A hearty and healthy way to start your day!

Enjoy!

Warmly,

Pam