My twinkies love oatmeal, particularly the flavored instant oatmeal sold in individual packages. There is a lot of unnecessary junk in those, however. Oatmeal made from scratch is nice, but I was striving for something with more rounded nutrition. Some kind of whole grain. I did some research and found out that just 1 cup of quinoa has 8 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar and only 3 grams of fat.

I’d never cooked quinoa totally from scratch before and wasn’t sure if I could make it work for breakfast. After all the quality they most like about oatmeal is how creamy it is. Quinioa has never been described as creamy. Pleasantly chewy, they say.  I have heard of quinioa taboule, quinoa pilaf, and quinoa salad – they compare quinoa to couscous… but I have never heard of creamy quinoa.

You know I love a challenge! This turned out fantastic. I used Bob’s Red Mill Quinoa (it is pre-washed and pre-soaked) and prepared according to the package directions. Delicious! And oddly enough, slightly creamy. hmm. Then I added in some healthful and tasty fruits and veg that I had lying around. I can conceive that just about anything your kids like will mix well into this recipe to change it up. Letting them choose will increase the chances of them trying it and loving it.

NUTS and BOLTS

• 1 cup Quinoa
• 2 cups Cold Water
• Pinch Salt
• 5 oz Dates, Chopped Finely
• 1/2 cup Stonyfield Farm Organic Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 Banana, Mashed
• 5 oz Mashed Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Puree from a Can

WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL

First, heat 2 cups cold water to a boil, add 1 cup quinoa, bring back to a boil and cover. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 12 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

While the quinoa is cooking, mince your dates (or any other dried fruit) and mash the banana and sweet potato. When the 12 minutes is up, fluff the quinoa with a fork and stir in your dates. Cover and let set for 15 minutes. This was my husbands brilliant idea and it worked so well to rehydrate the dried fruit.

Dump the quinoa/date mixture into a bowl and add 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (or any flavor you want). Stir well. Add your banana and sweet potato and mix to combine. That’s it! So simple and so good the babies wanted 3 bowlfuls!

Please make this. You’ll love giving a sweet treat to your kids and rest easy in the knowledge that it will power them (or you) through til lunch. Bonus: it reheats like a dream. Just add a splash of milk or soymilk to loosen it back up if it gets thick.

MONKEY METER

The twinkies LOVED it! Not as fond of it day 2, but they weren’t terribly hungry when I tried. I’ll say 4.5 of 5

The eldest gave it a 3.5 of 5. Not sold, on the texture, but she has texture issues.

My husband and I loved it as well. We will definitely make it again! 5 of 5