aka “Earning Desserts as a Five-Year-Old”
I always ate my three daily servings of fruit as a kid. I drank my “crazy drink” (OJ + fizzy water) through a straw at breakfast, munched on apple slices at lunch, and popped grapes like candy as an after school snack. But vegetables?
Totally different story.
Sure, I’d crunch on a few carrots at dinner if Mom promised me a cookie for dessert. Or I’d stab at a few green beans if she gave me vanilla pudding. But I much preferred my main entrée of fish sticks or grilled cheese over those pesky veggies!
I’m a big girl now, and I’ve realized that vegetables are good for me. Still, it’s hard to consciously choose broccoli over brownies or cucumbers over chocolate when my stomach starts rumbling!
Instead of forgoing treats in favor of produce, I’ve devised a few clever ways to sneak more veggies into my diet. I’m starting the day off with this carrot cake oatmeal. It’s sweet, spiced, and—dare I say it—even nicer than a slice of the original cake!
Feel free to add raisins or walnuts or any other ingredients you like in your carrot cake! Just stir them in along with the spices after cooking the oatmeal.
- In a medium bowl, combine the carrots, oats, sugar and water. Microwave according to the package’s directions. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg, and let the oatmeal thicken for 1-2 min before eating.
Other Sweet and Sneaky Veggie Treats:
caramelized onion breakfast muffins
I love oatmeal, and I’m always looking for variations 🙂 This looks fabulous.
Thank you! Mixing the two textures and flavors together just seemed to make sense… I’ve considered adding in raisins or some cream cheese on top too. I hope you enjoy it!
I am going to jump on this recipe as well. Thx u
You’re welcome, I hope you enjoy it! I usually end up scraping the bowl clean because it tastes so good…
Do you have the nutritional info to this lovely dish?
This is the Nutrition Calculator that I use, if you’d like to know what the nutritional information is for this oatmeal. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it if you try it Adriana!
Looks great! I don’t have a microwave.. How can I make this on a stovetop?
Yes, you easily could Rachel! Just follow the instructions on your oatmeal package on how to cook the oats on the stovetop instead of its directions on how to make them in a microwave. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of the oatmeal!
What a great idea! I love a good, hearty bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, but have never thought of adding carrot! One addition that I made was adding half of an apple (diced small) into the pot (oh, and I made it on the stove – boil the water, add everything in and then cook on low for 8 minutes). I topped it with some pecans, raisins, and maple syrup (I omitted the sugar). It was so good! Thanks for the great suggestion!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the oatmeal Sabrina! I love your tweaks, especially the apples and raisins. I need to remember that for the future! 🙂