Studies show that kids who eat breakfast are more alert during the day and perform better in school. Breakfast jumpstarts children’s days, giving their bodies fuel to maintain their energy throughout the morning. With early mornings though, it can be tough to get kids fueled up before they leave the house. These oatmeal cups can be made a head of time and customized to your child’s preferences and dietary needs. Try making a large batch of these on the weekend, and freezing in individual portions for fast and easy weekday breakfast that can even be eaten on-the-go.
Banana Berry Oatmeal Cups:
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats (gluten free if needed)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 mashed bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup milk or unsweetened almond milk
1 cup blueberries
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Combine the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the bananas, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the milk.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir well.
- Gently fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the mixture into the muffin tins. Bake for about 16-20 minutes, or until tops of the muffins are slightly puffed and brown and muffins are cooked through.
- Cool completely before storing. Muffins can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days. After that, individually wrap muffins and freeze. To defrost, either leave at room temperature overnight or defrost in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Amanda Buthmann MS, RD is a pediatric and family nutritionist at Lara Metz Nutrition in NYC. For more information contact her at Amanda@larametznutrition.com, or visit www.larametznutrition.com