Smoothies are great, you can add whatever you want to them and the more you add the more of a complete meal it can become. The kids here love smoothies… so it is an easy and fast breakfast to make and it always feels like a treat…  Since I got our new blender I  have been making them almost every day…

A while back (before my old blender broke) I decided to try oatmeal in our smoothie to make it even more complete. It took a few tries but I finally figured out the perfect way to do it.

First put some dry oats (about a cup) in the blender and make process them until they are a like flour… it is OK if it has a few lumps but you don’t want many.

Put the Oat flour into a saucepan, turn the heat on and then add fresh juice or milk (about 2 cups) You can add whatever juice or milk you have on hand… soy/almond/coconut etc… and cook the oats for a few minutes. I have also used apple cider in this step and it was delicious!

Add the oat mixture back to the blender and add about a cup more of liquid (milk, yogourt, juice etc ) and blend for a few seconds until it is thin and smooth.I also add some vanilla at this point and any other ingredients that I want to blend very well (like the handful of spinach I put in it today and/or banana, fresh strawberries etc)…

Then add a few handfuls of frozen fruit (melons, bananas, berries, grapes etc) and again, blend until smooth. If you want it a bit thicker add some more frozen fruit and it will become nice and thick. More liquid like make it thinner.

Though the Oatmeal is there, you don’t notice it in the finished product but it adds so much to the drink and helps to keep you full for longer.

(I keep on forgetting to take a picture before I actually finish it… it is so yummy)

Oatmeal Smoothie