The strangest thing happened this morning. The boy asked me for oatmeal for breakfast.

That may not seem like a big deal to you, but since I’ve long given up hope that I’ll hear the words, ” Can I have more broccoli please?” that when my kid asks for something as healthy as oatmeal my heart does a little flip.

So I made him a nice big bowl of Quaker Oats with the smallest amount of sugar that I could get away with sprinkled on top. Since I have two small kids to feed and keep alive, and several posts that needed writing this morning I decided that the best of use of my time this morning would be to eat oatmeal too. You should know in my quest for weight loss and staying fit and getting back into my pre-baby jeans I often eat a different meal than my family. Or at least a few things substituted in the meal. Like vegetables instead of pasta or fruit instead of toast.

I was excited that I was going to be able to kill two birds with one oatmeal so I got out the pan and made a big pot of Growing Oatmeal. This way of preparing oatmeal is both cost and calorie effective.

You simply measure out how ever many servings you want to make then just double the amount of liquid called for.

For example 1/2 cup dry oats cooked with 1 cup water and 1 cup skim milk. I cooked mine over medium heat for 10 minutes.

The finished product is at least twice as much as making it the usual way which is a major cost savings and of course you get to eat more for the same amount of calories. Bonus!!!!

The only drawback is that you do have to cook it twice as long, but ten minutes spent cooking one pan of oatmeal makes more sense than making egg mcmuffins for one person, oatmeal for one person and pancakes for another person. Yes I do that sometime just to keep the peace.

I say this every time but this is definitely my favorite low cal dieting recipe. It’s not really South Beach friendly because of the sugary Hoisin sauce..but I only add 2 tbsp in the entire recipe and I think the 80 calories is totally worth it.

By using pre-packaged chopped cabbage (coleslaw mix) you save valuable time and MAJOR carbs and calories.

Tip: Make the same recipe for your family but steam them some brown or white rice. Easy way to stay on plan and enjoy dinner with your family. Also…add more Hoisin sauce to the family dish if your crew needs a bit more sweetness.

You Need:

At least one pound ( I usually make extra) or ground turkey or you can sub chopped chicken breast or even lean steak

At least three bushles of green / spring onions – chopped

1 jar hoisin sauce (found next to soy sauce on Oriental isle at grocery store)

Spray oil

I bag cabbage / cole slaw mix

And Then You:

In one pan spray with cooking oil and brown your meat of choice…add onions and cook until soft. For Family -  When near done add hoisin sauce to taste and cook for about 5 min on LOW heat. The sugar in this will burn so be careful. I usually take out an good size amount for me before I add the hoisin sauce and then add to my cabbage with only the 2 tbsp of hoisin.

In another pan spray with cooking oil and wilt the cabbage/ cole slaw mix. Can add soy sauce if you like. Add one or two tablespoons of hoisin sauce and then mix in your meat and onions.

A few crushed almonds on top of this meal and you are in Chinese heaven without the MSG hangover!!!! And you can eat the entire bag of cabbage for under 80 calories!!!!! Can you say Volumetrics??????

I hate to admit this because so many other moms I know have had so much trouble losing baby weight, but when I really get serious about it … it happens.

Admittedly, it’s harder this time around because Kid #1 is almost 5 now and takes up all the free time I have when Kid #2 is sleeping. So that means getting in workouts is dang near impossible but I’m working on it. Add Thanksgiving, Christmas, snow days stuck at home and a big family trip to Disney World in the mix and my progress is just not acceptable to me at this point.

When I got home from the hospital with Kid #2 I weighed in a whopping 190 pounds, which is NOT cute on a 5’6″ medium frame chick. Flash forward five months to the day forward and I am now clocking in at a respectable, yet slightly chubby 155. S0 35 pounds gone and 20 more to go to get back to my fighting weight.

With Kid #1 I weighed less than I did when I got pregnant when he turned 6 months old..not gonna happen this time but hoping to be back in my skinny jeans by Spring time.

The Easy Way to me means simply this. Just Do It. Nike is right. There is nothing else to do it but JUST DO IT.

So stocking up my fridge this week with boiled eggs, celery sticks and lots of veggie burgers and low carb tortillas. Getting rid of all the junk Kid #1 is not going to eat and might find it’s way into my belly and pulling the “I have the kids all day you can watch them one hour a day” card on the hubs to make sure I get my workouts in.

So..need to lose a few? Join me…leave me some comments on your get back on track tips and I’ll post. Drop some knowledge on your fellow moms!