4 ms·

Dont feed him processed food for breakfast and pack him lunch.

elliekelly 5y ago
This is one of those things that’s easy to say but way harder for parents to actually do. You’re suggesting someone make time to prepare not one, but two homemade meals as they’re trying to get their kid (and probably themselves) out the door in the morning.
- paulryanrogers 5y ago
  Kids learn quickly which foods have the most sugar and get stuck on them. I tried to prevent ours from ever tasting junk until they had broader palettes, but the moment grandparents have the kids alone or SO has a bad day... it's over.
- slothtrop 5y ago
  Overnight oats take seconds to prepare.
  - handrous 5y ago
    ??? How? I'm looking at a good 15 minutes, almost all hands-on time, from the moment I decide to go make overnight oats, using either of what I'm pretty sure are normal methods (crock pot, boil-briefly-and-leave-covered stovetop). That's assuming I don't discover that something I need is dirty. I'm not saying that's a ton of time, but seconds? Quick oat packets (awful stuff, full of sugar unless you get really expensive ones, cutting it 50/50 with rolled or plain quick oats helps a little and also makes up for the fact that one packet isn't, realistically, an entire serving) aren't even seconds. Talking maybe 2-3 minutes hands-on to lay out a bowl for each kid, rip and pour the packets, set the electric kettle going, then pour some on each when it boils (microwaving it with cool water is even slower once you're past a single serving—kettle saves time)
    - slothtrop 5y ago
      > from the moment I decide to go make overnight oats, using either of what I'm pretty sure are normal methods (crock pot, boil-briefly-and-leave-covered stovetop). This sounds like it's conflating porridge with overnight oats. All you have to do to prep overnight oats is soak them in liquid (and maybe rinse off excess starch). I throw the lot in the fridge at night with chia seeds, consume it in the morning with berries and yogurt.
      - Symbiote 5y ago
        With the finely rolled oats which seem to be the most common ones available in Denmark, I'm even lazier: 1. Put about 1-2dL of finely rolled oats into a fairly wide bowl 2. Dribble over "enough" cold water 3. Add yoghurt, berries, chopped fruit, coconut flakes or whatever
        handrous 5y ago
        I guess my mistake is that I use steel-cut oats when I do overnight oats. AFAIK without boiling they'll still be pretty tough in the morning (else why do so many recipes call for boiling or long-term heating in the crock pot?)
        slothtrop 5y ago
        Ah, yes. They have to be rolled oats for a soak to be sufficient. Soaking steel cut might reduce the necessary boiling time but they still have to simmer quite awhile.
        Symbiote 5y ago
        It seems I didn't know what steel-cut oats were. I've looked it up, we apparently call that coarse oatmeal in Britain, and it's not stocked by the largest supermarkets — only health food shops. Coarse/thick-rolled oats should be fine soaked overnight, or fine/thin-rolled oats for the soak-in-one-minute-in-the-morning way. Both grades are easily available in the UK. I would tend to use the thin ones for breakfast, and the coarse ones for making things like flapjack (similar to a granola bar).
- asdff 5y ago
  For stuff like breakfast it just takes some practice getting the timing right for multitasking. Making eggs and toast is like a full sixty seconds of actual hands on time. You just space it out between heating the pan, cracking the egg and later flipping it onto a plate, and waiting for the toast, and you can totally get other things done in those gaps. Stuff like lunches you can prep in advance, there are tons of recipes these days for quick easy bulk cheap good food.

This is one of those things that’s easy to say but way harder for parents to actually do. You’re suggesting someone make time to prepare not one, but two homemade meals as they’re trying to get their kid (and probably themselves) out the door in the morning.

paulryanrogers 5y ago
Kids learn quickly which foods have the most sugar and get stuck on them. I tried to prevent ours from ever tasting junk until they had broader palettes, but the moment grandparents have the kids alone or SO has a bad day... it's over.
slothtrop 5y ago
Overnight oats take seconds to prepare.
- handrous 5y ago
  ??? How? I'm looking at a good 15 minutes, almost all hands-on time, from the moment I decide to go make overnight oats, using either of what I'm pretty sure are normal methods (crock pot, boil-briefly-and-leave-covered stovetop). That's assuming I don't discover that something I need is dirty. I'm not saying that's a ton of time, but seconds? Quick oat packets (awful stuff, full of sugar unless you get really expensive ones, cutting it 50/50 with rolled or plain quick oats helps a little and also makes up for the fact that one packet isn't, realistically, an entire serving) aren't even seconds. Talking maybe 2-3 minutes hands-on to lay out a bowl for each kid, rip and pour the packets, set the electric kettle going, then pour some on each when it boils (microwaving it with cool water is even slower once you're past a single serving—kettle saves time)
  - slothtrop 5y ago
    > from the moment I decide to go make overnight oats, using either of what I'm pretty sure are normal methods (crock pot, boil-briefly-and-leave-covered stovetop). This sounds like it's conflating porridge with overnight oats. All you have to do to prep overnight oats is soak them in liquid (and maybe rinse off excess starch). I throw the lot in the fridge at night with chia seeds, consume it in the morning with berries and yogurt.
    - Symbiote 5y ago
      With the finely rolled oats which seem to be the most common ones available in Denmark, I'm even lazier: 1. Put about 1-2dL of finely rolled oats into a fairly wide bowl 2. Dribble over "enough" cold water 3. Add yoghurt, berries, chopped fruit, coconut flakes or whatever
      - handrous 5y ago
        I guess my mistake is that I use steel-cut oats when I do overnight oats. AFAIK without boiling they'll still be pretty tough in the morning (else why do so many recipes call for boiling or long-term heating in the crock pot?)
        slothtrop 5y ago
        Ah, yes. They have to be rolled oats for a soak to be sufficient. Soaking steel cut might reduce the necessary boiling time but they still have to simmer quite awhile.
        Symbiote 5y ago
        It seems I didn't know what steel-cut oats were. I've looked it up, we apparently call that coarse oatmeal in Britain, and it's not stocked by the largest supermarkets — only health food shops. Coarse/thick-rolled oats should be fine soaked overnight, or fine/thin-rolled oats for the soak-in-one-minute-in-the-morning way. Both grades are easily available in the UK. I would tend to use the thin ones for breakfast, and the coarse ones for making things like flapjack (similar to a granola bar).
asdff 5y ago
For stuff like breakfast it just takes some practice getting the timing right for multitasking. Making eggs and toast is like a full sixty seconds of actual hands on time. You just space it out between heating the pan, cracking the egg and later flipping it onto a plate, and waiting for the toast, and you can totally get other things done in those gaps. Stuff like lunches you can prep in advance, there are tons of recipes these days for quick easy bulk cheap good food.