Three Delicious Oats Recipes From A Dietician For Proper Childcare

Oats are among the healthiest grains on earth. It is a type of cereal grain that has innumerable health benefits. It is a great source of fiber, phosphorous, thiamine, magnesium, and zinc. Oats are incredibly nutritious for growing children. Excellent balance of carbs, fiber makes it healthy for kids, enhances their strength, and heals constipation which is a common problem of most of the American children. They also contain more protein and fat than most grains. Oats are loaded with important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants plant compounds.

Oats are available in the market in a variety of forms depending on how they are processed. The variety of oats is — oat groats, oat bran, Irish oats, Scottish oats, rolled or old-fashioned oats, and instant or quick oats. All types of oats are nutritious what varies is their cooking time. Quick or instant oats are the most popular type of oats as it takes the least time and can be added in your breakfast menu when you are in a hurry to make your children get ready for their school and at the same time you for the workplace. But, many brands of instant oats contain artificial sweeteners and flavor. Check it before buying it.

Apart from various types of readymade oats, you will get various foods — biscuits, cookies, muffins, cakes that are made from oats. Your children will surely like it. But according to a Childcare caregiver, it is always better to make some homemade food with oats for your children. At least that food will be healthy preservative-free and artificial taste enhancer free.

A nutritionist in a workshop in a Childcare in Walnut, CA advised parents to include oats in breakfast, lunch, and dinner as much as possible. Here are some oats recipes that do not take much time to get prepared that may help parents.

1. Oat porridge: boil 1 tablespoon of oat bran in a cup of milk to make porridge. Oats itself have no taste. To make it sweet you can use honey or chopped dates. You can also chop some sweet fruits like mango, banana, pawpaw, etc., and add these to the oats according to the taste of your child. It will be a nutritious breakfast and will keep their stomach full for a long time.
2. Oats Pizza: Grind some instant oats to powder. Add two eggs, some finely chopped vegetables like onion, ginger, carrot, cabbage, bell pepper, and chili. Add salt to taste. Beat well, if you need you can use milk in the time of beating to make it fluffier. In a pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter and pour the beaten product. Lower the flame and keep the lid on. Cook it for 5–6 minutes. Place a cheese slice on the pizza and again keep the lid on for a minute so that the cheese gets a chance to melt. Sprinkle some herbs like oregano or allspice before serving it. It is a heavy breakfast. You can also give a portion of pizza to your children as evening snacks.

Oat Mishmash: it is a tasty as well as a healthy dish that may be served in lunch or diner. Soak the required amount of oat groats in hot boiling water the previous night to get soft. The next morning in a pan melt some butter and add different types of vegetables like potato, pumpkin, broccoli, sweet potato, etc. cut in medium size. Add some pieces of chicken. Add onion, ginger, and garlic paste to it. Stir well to cook. Add water according to the consistency you need and keep the lid on for faster cooking. When the vegetables and chicken pieces get soft, add the overnight soaked oats. Cook it for a further three minutes. Instead of oats groat, you can also use oat bran or quick oats. But, groat contains more fiber.