Oatmeal Cookies For Breakfast?

As adults with busy schedules, we often find ourselves in a hurry early in the morning. Sometimes, this means drinking a cup of coffee on the way to work. It could even mean a morning donut or other pastry from the drive-through bakery. Why not have a more nutritious quick breakfast?

While flour, at least the whole grain, unbleached kind of wheat flour, is good for you, the rest of the ingredients in your morning donuts and pastries are questionable. Grocery store breakfast bars, and even most dry cereals (for those who have time), have ingredients you do not want to put into your body. A good rule to follow is: If you cannot pronounce it, you probably should not eat it.

The following recipe has wholesome ingredients, less sugar than most, and heart healthy oatmeal. Old fashioned oats are a low glycemic food that enters the bloodstream more slowly than instant oats. Cinnamon is known to help control blood sugar. Local honey is helpful with allergies. The egg and milk provide some needed protein. Nothing in the ingredients is unpronounceable or unidentifiable-and most of us have these ingredients in our kitchens. We can even cut down on the amount of aluminum we ingest by purchasing baking powder without aluminum.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies or Bars

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 3/4 cups flour (preferrably whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk

Mix all dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix egg, honey, oil, and milk. Mix all ingredients together. For cookies, place by tablespoonfuls on greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees F. For bars, spread dough in greased 9" X 13" baking dish. Bake at 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until done in center.

Makes 24 big cookies or 24 large bars.

While most cookies would not be appropriate for breakfast, these wholesome cookies would be an excellent substitute for donuts or pastries. They don't take long to make, and keep well for several days in a sealed container. Two to four cookies in the morning are a hit with both adults and children, and provide a solid foundation for a busy day.