Oatmeal: An Alternative to Porridge

Edison has been a little fussy with food recently. He doesn’t want to eat porridge, no matter how hard we try. As a result, we have been cooking oatmeal for his lunch and dinner. He seems to enjoy eating oatmeal. Much to my surprise, he can finish one full bowl of oatmeal as compared to half bowl of porridge that he usually eats.

If you are having problem feeding your toddler with porridge, oatmeal is a good alternative for you. Oats are an excellent source of soluble fiber, protein, vitamin B, iron and calcium. It's a good idea to get our toddlers to enjoy oats from an early age, as they play a very important role in good health throughout adulthood too. Regular consumption of oats can reduce the symptoms of asthma, lowers cholesterol, aids in the prevention of heart disease and boosts the body's immune system.

Due to the high fiber content, oatmeal does not cause constipation. In fact, little Edison has bowel movement almost everyday. I would say 98% of the time; he has smooth bowel movement everyday.

Apart from all these nutritional benefits, oatmeal is actually quite easy to prepare. I’m using Quaker Instant Oatmeal. I mix one serving of meat/fish and one serving of veggie/egg in cooking oatmeal for little Edison. Here’s a simple recipe for oatmeal with fish and veggie combo.

Oatmeal with Threadfin and Broccoli

3 tbsp of instant oats (for one bowl of oatmeal)
Broccoli
Threadfin
Bovril (optional)

1. Cook broccoli with boiling water to soften. Finely chopped, then put aside.
2. Cut threadfin into thin slices and remove all the bones.
3. Boil two cups of water in a pot. Cook the threadfin once the water is boiled. Once it is cooked, scoop the threadfin into a bowl and mash it.
4. Don’t pour away the water that we used to cook the threadfin in step #3. Leave it in the pot to cool down for about 5-10 mins.
5. When the water is cooled down, add the instant oats into the pot and cook over small fire. Keep stirring to prevent sticking and clumping. Add the mashed threadfin and chopped broccoli with the oats.
6. Continue to stir and cook until we reach a smooth texture. I normally cook for about 10 mins and the oatmeal will turn smooth and creamy.
7. Finally, add Bovril or Marmite if you want. Turn off the fire and let the oatmeal to cool down for a while before serving.

This is Edison’s lunch of the day. Complete the meal with two teaspoon of cod liver oil.

A yummy lunch to meet his growing appetite!