Penny Pinching Peach

For the semi crunchy, homeschool friendly and totally frugal!


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My Kids’ Favorite Oatmeal

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Oatmeal

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Oatmeal

If you are one of those moms who just wants to quickly throw something together to feed the ravenous hordes in your house, but would prefer that something be healthy as well as faster as a wink and kid approved….this is the post for you!

My five year old long ago declared that she hated oatmeal, it was disgusting and slimy, and she would never, ever like it, no matter what. Challenge me, do ya, kiddo? Alrighty then! Challenge accepted! 😉 Guess what? She likes oatmeal. “But only the good kind you make, Mommy, not that other stuff, so I still hate that!” The following concoctions are the few approved by my resident oatmeal snob and the rest of the family.

This is my kids’ favorite oatmeal- and one of their most requested breakfasts. It’s Mommy and Daddy approved, too! My husband has me pack the ingredients for him at the fire station sometimes, because it sticks with him pretty well.

Take 1-2 packs of plain instant oatmeal and prepare according to package. Chop

Strawberries and Cream

Strawberries and Cream

up 1-2 bananas, according to taste and the number of people eating (2 packs and 1 banana is okay for just me and my two small children). Mash it into the oatmeal, along with a generous dollop of peanut butter and a sprinkling of chocolate chips. Stir and serve. Delicious!! The bowl in the

photo was immediately prepared and dished out for my munchkins and I, who were quite annoyed when I paused to take a photo of their breakfast while I was making it. 🙂

Another winner is one I call strawberries and cream. You can use chopped strawberries with milk and strawberry jam or chopped strawberries with cream and honey or chopped strawberries and strawberry yogurt. All of them give a yummy effect, so use whatever works in that category. Just strawberries and milk wasn’t nearly sweet enough, and the same with the cream, so the jam and honey helped with that. If you can’t tell, I’m the queen of kitchen improvisation.

Lastly, we have another super simple selection that is kiddo approved. Simply mix in a scoop of peanut butter and a dash of cinnamon, with or without honey or a smattering of chocolate chips. Similar, but mentionably different, from the first flavor.

Simply Sweet

Simply Sweet

I love meals that can be made quickly, cheaply and healthily from ingredients I normally have hanging around the house, anyway. These definitely fit that description, so I hope y’all enjoy them, too.

Does your family like oatmeal? What are their favorite flavors? If not, do you think any of these could possibly convert your own personal oatmeal snobs? It’s worth a try! it worked on my little princess picky pants, so it might work on yours, too. 🙂

Want another great recipe using oatmeal? Try my family approved Completely Healthy Cookies for an easy peasy snack that is both healthy and delicious.


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Completely Healthy Cookies?? Yes, Please!!

Chocolate chip and cinnamon craisin

Chocolate chip and cinnamon craisin

I’ve been on the search for a cookie that had no sugar, no flour and only healthy ingredients I would have readily available, while still being the yummalicious treat that a cookie is meant to be.

Tall order? Yes, indeedy! Did I try a few oh-so-healthful recipes that didn’t cut it on the yummy side of things? You betcha! Have I finally tweeked and experimented until I came up with a sugarless, flourless, healthy handful of all things gooey and scrumptious about cookies? Yeah, buddy!!! 😉

These oatmeal banana cookies are extremely healthy, sweet, moist and delicious! I made them in two varieties- cinnamon raisin/craisin and peanut butter chocolate chip. (Okay, so there is a little sugar in the chocolate chips, but that hardly counts, right? ;))

These babies passed the husband test and the kid test with flying colors and were super easy to make. They also use only ingredients that I normally have on hand, and all of them are extremely inexpensive. I am just pleased as peaches to share this recipe with y’all!! 🙂

Peanut butter chocolate chip

Peanut butter chocolate chip

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Yummy Oatmeal Banana Healthified Cookies

3 bananas, extra ripe
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir in oil, peanut butter, milk and vanilla extract.

Next, mix in oats and chocolate chips until well coated.

Lightly spray cookie pan with cooking spray.

Drop dough by heaping spoonfuls on the cookie pan. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Variations: Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 cup craisins or raisins in place of the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Add coconut and/or walnuts with or in place of the chocolate chips and peanut butter.

Makes about 16 cookies.

Enjoy! If you have any left by the time they cool, you could store them in an adorable cookie jar like this chalkboard cookie jar!

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This is a delicious cookie by regular standards. I won’t cook “health food” that tastes like crud on a stick, so trust this southern gal that these are yum-yum-yummy by the standards of those of us who are not well adapted to cookies tasting like tree bark. 🙂 You don’t even miss the sugar at all. It’s also such a simple enough recipe to whip up that it’s a great choice for cooking with kids. That’s huge for me, since my 4 year old loves helping Mommy whip up some goodies to share.

If you’ve been on the search for a kid approved, man approved, southern fried chick approved treat that happens to be extremely healthy and penny pinching friendly, this is the recipe for you! 🙂 What kind of goodies do you wish you could find a healthy and delicious version of? Are there any that you have tested yourself that passed the taste test as well as the health test?

Peanut butter chocolate chip close-up

Peanut butter chocolate chip close-up

Cinnamon craisin close-up

Cinnamon craisin close-up

Want more ideas? Check out my ideas for some fun Healthy Snacks and After School Snacks!

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