Breakfast on the cheap

{image from skinnytaste.com}

On weekdays we try to make a concerted effort to have breakfast as a family before Trey heads off to work.  In the morning rush of getting ready, the thought of getting breakfast prepared and assembling everyone at the table can be daunting for me.  The most obvious solution, cereal, is costly and never seems to fill anyone up.  To add to that, eating wheat-free has meant a lot of other traditional breakfast foods were off the table (literally).  Our happy solution for the past 5 months has been oatmeal (Smith Family Budget Reduction Strategy #2).  It takes 4 minutes to heat up in the microwave -- enough time to brew a pot of coffee for myself and steep a cup of tea for Trey.

Why it works for us:

• Our morning bowl gives us 8g of dietary fiber and 10g of protein
• Breakfast for the entire work week costs us less than $2.50 (50 cents a day!)
• The kids love the predictability and routine, so much so that when Chandler wakes up he immediately launches into a chorus of "Eatmeal, Eatmeal, Eatmeal!" 
• If we want to change things up, we can always add in extras from our pantry like craisins, walnuts, or even a tablespoon of peanut butter at little cost to us.

Ingredients:
Old Fashioned Oats - around $2 *Aldi
Brown Sugar - $1.19 *Aldi