Ah yes, Saturday morning. That day when, as a parent, you still get excited to sleep in, relax and get a little "break" from the hectic week. That day when your child pokes you in the nose at 6:15a.m. and asks for a "nack" anyway because she doesn't give two toots that it's Saturday, she's just hungry. So what's a mom to do? Well you've got to have a plan. Here we go again, boring fundamentals! But it's true, planning is paramount. Planning will literally make or break you day. "Work smarter, not harder", how many times have I heard that? I promise, it'll be easy.
Let's be real, I wasn't in total shock when I was woken up this morning by a small finger on my nose and the plea for sustenance. This is her M.O., I can't blame her. She's two and has the metabolism of an infant hummingbird (just like her father). I CAN blame the adults in her life for not being prepared, or for getting grumpy when ill-prepared. Buck up, Sam! This is part of being a parent.
So I muster a smile and a little snuggle. I crawl out of bed and head to the kitchen. By now her sister has joined us and while she's not famished like the little one, she is about to burst out of her skin with energy and is clearly ready for the day to begin. Drat! No chance for a quick nap now. I need to channel that energy, or bottle it...but that's a whole other blog, ha! So, I put her to work, simple. I know, how dare I? Nowadays I'm supposed to be her best friend and cater to her every whim. Ha, ha, ha, sorry ladies, not in this family. We learn respect for self and a good work ethic by practice. But, I digress. Back in the kitchen and in reality, my oldest needs a mission.
She can help prepare breakfast. Oatmeal and fruit are on the menu. Watermelon was on sale at the grocery store for $2.99 and it happened to be organic- win, win. Here's where planning came into play. Two nights ago, after I came home with the groceries, I cut up the entire watermelon. If you had told me, even 2 years ago that I would be doing this, I would've laughed at you. But I did do it and it only took me 5 minutes. Once cubed, I put it in a plastic container and stuck it in the fridge. I just ask her to go to the fridge and get the watermelon, and she's able to get it, open it, and start to put it in the bowls. Another trick I use is to store my kids bowls and plates in a low drawer. They are all plastic, so they can't be broken, and it allows the girls to lend a helping hand more easily.
1. Use a large, sharp knife.
2. Cut the ends off on both sides. Make sure to get all the rind off the end, you should see some of the fruit peek out. If you're unsure about it, take off a little and if it's not enough, cut some more. Simple.
3. Stand it up on one end. (easily done because you just made both ends flat)
4. Take your knife from the top of the fruit and cut or "shave" off the rind down the length of the fruit. This may take a few passes, especially on very round fruits, or those with thick rinds. Take your time, it still isn't going to take you that long.
5. Now you are left with the fruit alone, with no skin or rind. Cut it in half, from the top to the bottom. (very large fruits, like the watermelon may need to be cut into quarters, remember the end goal is bite size pieces)
6. Take one of the halves and slice it the long way into 1/4" slices
7. Rotate 90 and chop the slices into 1/4" cubes.
8. Repeat with the other half.
You're done. Throw it into the plastic container or into sandwich bags (for individual serving sizes) and you're set. The watermelon I bought was medium sized and I got 6 full servings from it, and they were big servings, my girls LOVE watermelon. So for $2.99 I got 2 afternoon snacks and 1 breakfast component for BOTH my kids. All I had to do was plan and prep for 5 min.
Onto the oatmeal. My oldest and I are working on using measuring cups and the like so sometimes we'll measure out oats. More often than not, though, it's easier and quicker to have some portioned into single servings. I buy rolled oats in the cardboard carton for dirt cheap. I measure out 1/2 c and/or 1c servings and zip them into sandwich bags. Don't forget to reuse the bags once you empty the dry oats from it. I give my oldest the bags and she works on opening them up and getting it into the bowls (I've gotten down ceramic bowls so we can microwave the oatmeal this morning). I add water, toss them in the microwave and 90 seconds later it's done.
The prep time on this is almost nothing. Measuring out and bagging the oats takes literally all of 3 min. Save the oat container if you can. They come in handy in organization and craft projects. At the very least they always round out cardboard castles nicely!
Nice hot oatmeal, refreshing melon, and a little exercise in independence, all before 7a.m.
Simple City Sam
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