I was recently reminiscing with my husband about some of our favourite childhood foods.  With 5 kids in the house the majority of his school day mornings consisted of toast and jam or boxed cereal.   Occasionally, he awoke to a warm bowl of peaches and cream oatmeal.  He loved those mornings.

Instant oatmeal is still a staple in many households.  Let’s face it, a tear away bag of flavoured instant oatmeal is totally delicious and very convenient.  My favourite flavour by far was Maple and Brown Sugar!

As an adult now, reality does set in however and I can recognize those little bags are not filled with healthy ingredients.  The flavours are mostly artificial.  Instead of maple flavouring, I’d much prefer a real ingredient like pure maple syrup.

We all love tapping into our childhood.  Enjoying some of our favourite childhood comfort foods again does sound great!  Wouldn’t it be so good to enjoy those flavours again but with real, whole ingredients?

The next time I went shopping I looked down the instant oatmeal aisle as I was curious to see if they still sell Peaches and Cream flavour.  They don’t.  It’s officially now a thing of the past.

I wanted my husband to re-experience his beloved peaches and cream oatmeal so I set out to make my own.

I picked up some fresh ripe peaches (which happen to be in season and local at the moment!) and some cream.

I made a version a few days ago and it was a huge hit at my house.  My 6-year-old son loved it. Maybe he will look back on his childhood with fond memories of his mom’s homemade peaches and cream oatmeal.

Here’s the simple recipe!

 Peaches & Cream Oatmeal

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ripe peaches, pitted + chopped
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 cup filtered water
• Additional filtered water up to 2 cups
• 1 cup quick cooking organic GF oats
• 1 tbsp grass-fed butter (or coconut oil for dairy free)
• 1/4 cup full fat cream (or coconut milk for dairy free)
• Additional cream/milk of choice for serving
• 1 fresh ripe peach, pitted and diced*

METHOD

1. In a blender, puree the chopped peaches, maple syrup, cinnamon and 1/8 cup water.  Pour peach puree into a measuring cup.
2. Add additional water to the peach puree to bring to 2 cups
3. Transfer the puree to a medium-sized pot and bring to just the boil
4. Add oatmeal and stir, reduce heat and cook until desired thickness (around 1-2 minutes)
5. Stir in the butter or coconut oil
6. Let sit for a few minutes to cool slightly then add the 1/4 cup of cream or coconut milk (or milk of choice)
7. Fold in fresh peaches and serve with additional milk of choice

*For a smoother textured oatmeal leave out the fresh diced peach.  Some kids aren’t fond of chunks.  I urge the parents to add the peaches though-yum.

Sincerely,

Hollie

P.S Was Peaches and cream oatmeal a part of your childhood? If not, what were some of your favourite childhood foods? Let me know in the comments below!