Good Press

There's no school tomorrow in our district in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If you want to treat your children to special breakfast, consider this Blueberry & Raspberry Baked Oatmeal. Back in August, for the first day of school, I made this the night before and popped it into a cold oven while she got ready. My girl, not usually a heavy breakfast eater, ate this. And the leftovers were pretty good the next day too. I think I omitted the banana because we don't care for it. This is a good and easy recipe for a school day or a day off. BLUEBERRY & RASPBERRY BAKED OATMEAL makes 6 servings 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, divided 1/2 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon Pinch of salt 1/4 cup maple syrup (I used sugar free) 1 cup milk (I used skim) 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2-3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced 1 cup blueberries...

It's cooler now in north-central West Virginia than this time last week when record-setting heat made my clothes feel like they were plastic shrink-wrapped to my body. This summer we discovered some low-calorie fruit slushes I make to keep cool. It's also a good and easy way to get in an extra serving of fruit. I'll be honest -- I use real sugar, cane sugar specifically, instead of Splenda. A little bit of natural sugar beats anything artificial, modified or engineered any day. Our favorites are the cherry limeade, peach and watermelon lemonade. I love that they're all made with frozen fruits so I don't have to buy and keep fresh fruit onhand worrying if it's going to spoil before we use it up. The most labor-intensive part is de-seeding the watermelon -- don't be fooled, there ARE seeds in seedless watermelon. But one watermelon, once de-seeded and chunked, has lasted me all summer in the freezer. Whipping up the drinks is so easy I can even let 4-year-old...