7 ways to change up your morning oatmeal

This is a sponsored post written in partnership with Chex. All opinions are my own. 

You may have gathered from our rather extensive breakfast section of recipes that I’ve always been a breakfast person. Always. I get hangry (hungry + angry) right away if I don’t eat soon after getting up in the morning.

My children have inherited the same quality. Magnified. Milo can man-shout “OAT-MEOH!” louder and faster than you can imagine. It’s the second thing he says in the morning (after “GARBAGE TWACK!” of course). Sophie’s got an even bigger appetite these days with school added to her weekly schedule. She’s busier than ever and has to go longer between meals, so I need something more substantial than cold cereal or toast to hold her over in the mornings.

One of the best parenting secrets I was ever taught was this: teach your babies to eat oatmeal and you’ll always have something to feed them. It’s true and it’s served me well! Oatmeal is a quick, easy, nutritious solution to our mornings. Chex just came out with a great line of certified gluten free oatmeal. It’s been such a life saver! On school days, I can have breakfast ready for two children in under 5 minutes. That’s as long as it takes us to pop two bowls of oatmeal in the microwave (we only put it in for 30-40 seconds to avoid overcooking it), top it with something delicious and serve it up with a bit of fruit on the side (bananas and berries are favorites).

We love the plain quick-cooking oats, but but for tighter morning schedules, camping, traveling, and more they also have several varieties of flavored instant oatmeal. The ingredient list is short (5 ingredients or less), sweet, and won’t scare you to death. Bowl for bowl, it’s less expensive than most gluten free cereals on the market, and we love knowing the oats are certified gluten free.

As for toppings, oatmeal sometimes has a bad rap for being bland and boring. But it’s not true at all! There are so many delicious options to keep things interesting. One great way to get your children excited about eating oatmeal for breakfast is to let them choose the toppings. You can even set things up buffet-style and let everyone choose their favorites. To celebrate Chex’s new line of gluten free quick-cooking oatmeal, we’re sharing 7 of our favorite ways to eat it! That’s one for every day of the week, folks. Be sure to scroll through for our favorites + a whole list full of oatmeal toppings you can use to set up your own oatmeal bar.

Sunday: This is one of our big go-to’s. I love using frozen berries on warm oatmeal. You can easily change out the nuts or fruit if blueberries or pecans aren’t your think. To me, it’s a perfect combination and is sweet enough as it is, but a little drizzle of pure maple syrup never hurt anyone 🙂

Monday: It doesn’t get much simpler than peanut butter and honey. A little protein boost from the peanut butter, and just enough sweetness from the honey make it a childhood favorite. Peanut free? Try almond or cashew butter. Nut free? Sunflower seed butter is another great choice.

Tuesday: Strawberries with coconut milk is such a delicious combination. It’s strawberries and cream without a drop of dairy to be found. Frozen, fresh, or freeze dried strawberries all work great here, and I find it’s just sweet enough without anything extra.

Wednesday: This is Milo’s favorite. He eats this most days that we have oatmeal. It’s just hard to go wrong with a shake of cinnamon and a drizzle of syrup.

Thursday: We call this one Monkey oatmeal. It’s a great combination. The creaminess and heartiness of the almond butter, a little sweetness from the banana, and the perfect coconut sprinkle. You can even add a few mini chocolate chips if you want! If your banana isn’t very ripe and sweet, a little honey or syrup will do the trick.

Friday: What a way to kick off a Friday! Raspberries provide just enough tartness to cut through the sweet of the chocolate hazelnut butter. We’ve fallen head over heels for this lower sugar, dairy and gluten free chocolate hazelnut butter. Certainly good ol’ Nutella is delicious here too, if that’s your thing.

Saturday: This is so easy, and it’s one of Michael’s all-time favorite breakfasts. Toast your almonds for a little variety, or try with fresh cherries when they’re in season.

And, just in case you didn’t find something you liked… here are a few ideas for a build-your-own oatmeal bar!

Well, you made it! Those are 7 of our favorite ways to eat oatmeal, and there are so many ideas out there! There are hundreds of combinations out there you can use. You might be surprised what you and your little ones come up with!

Have a favorite? Be sure to leave it in the comments! For more Chex recipes and ideas, be sure to follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.