On Oatmeal Sins and More...

Just once, I slipped into oatmeal convenience by serving my family instant. Had I ruined their palates forever?

Forgive me friends, for I have sinned. It has been three months since I've made my kids a proper oatmeal breakfast with steel-cut oats.

I only meant to do it once. Just once because I was running late. And I wanted the kids to have a nice, hot breakfast.

Who knew those little packets could be so addicting? Just tear, pour in the hot water and voila! Oatmeal at the ready!

I never realized the damage I'd done until yesterday, when I pulled out a new container of Quaker Steel Cut Oatmeal, which made its debut on my supermarket shelf just last week, and started to prepare it.

When I served it to my kids, the oldest said, "This is okay, but next time, can you make it the way you made it yesterday?"

"You mean with bananas?" I asked hopefully.

"No, the other part. It was smoother. And sweeter."

Of course, I knew what she meant. She liked the creaminess and cloying sweetness of the instant. Oh the horror of it! The shame!

What had I done? In just two short months I'd transformed my babies' palates from those that appreciated the chewy natural texture of real oatmeal into palates that craved processed instant. Could they be saved?

I quick pulled out some bananas, walnuts, brown sugar, anything to make the steel-cut oatmeal more palatable to my babes. In the end, the bus came before I got a chance to ply them with ever heftier spoonfuls of brown sugar.

Was the battle lost? No! I refuse to give in. Today I'm making my orange oatmeal cookies -- no wait, maybe the oatmeal chocolate chip cookiess. Or perhaps the oatmeal raisin cookies...Yes, that's it. I can do it. I know I can. As the Internet is my witness, I will not serve my children instant oatmeal again!