Preparing food with focus on nutrition requires a great deal of trial and error. I’m not intimidated by constructive criticism, even when it’s harsh. I encourage it. It’s the only way I’ll know to make an adjustment.
When I’m cooking for my boys, I know that I’ll get an honest response. I’ve offered them organic oats in the past and generally received a tepid response. I waited a few years and decided to dress ’em up a bit for my 12 year old today.
It started with a simple question. “Dane, I’d like to make you oats today. I’m going to play with some flavors. I’ll throw in bacon, apples, cinnamon and butter. What do you think?’
Kids are the best. No sugarcoating, natural or artificial in his response. “I’ll try it and eat it if I like it.” He wasn’t being a smartass; Dane is ridiculously polite. His tone told the story, not the words. He and I have a deal – brutal honesty (within reason), particularly when it comes to food. The last thing I want is for him to gag as he eats while wearing a counterfeit smile. That wouldn’t serve either of us.
I’m always searching for healthy, blank-palate options for my men that I can spice up with more intense flavors. Oatmeal in its naked form won’t be attractive for most 12 year olds (or, to be honest, most adults), but we know that it has some impressive nutritional chops. These nutrients are not lost as the oats are drawn from the earth. From whfoods.com:
Although oats are hulled, this process does not strip away their bran and germ allowing them to retain a concentrated source of their fiber and nutrients.
Yes, there is some processing that occurs, which is why I can’t give this food an A plus. If everyone was destined for MIT or Cal Tech, who would attend Harvard and Stanford? The latter two are quality universities; minimally processed foods can acquire high marks. More nutrition information from whfoods.com:
Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream. Now, the latest research suggests they may have another cardio-protective mechanism.
Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, suggests a study conducted at Tufts University and published in The Journal of Nutrition.
There is improving healthy news about my son’s forthcoming bowl of warm goodness as my inner taste chemist emerges and I add flavor with some nutty, invigorating cinnamon. From WebMD:
Lab studies have found that cinnamon may reduce inflammation, have antioxidant effects, and fight bacteria.
While Dane’s oats are simmering in the spicy goodness, I fry some bacon until it’s perfectly crisp. My aim is to create a balance of both flavor and nutritional content. The oats provide the bulk of the carbs; the pork handles the majority of the protein and fat.
I chop up a crisp, creamy fleshed Fuji apple and put it aside. From specialty produce.com:
Fuji apples contain vitamins A and C as well trace amounts of folate and potassium. They are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which has been shown to help prevent heart disease and promote healthy digestion. A medium sized Fuji apple contains about 80 calories
The apple sweetens the pot, but I know my son. In order to make the taste buds of a preteen sing, we can’t rely on the sugar from the fruit. I scooped out a few tablespoons of raw honey.
When the flame goes off, the now chopped bacon, honey and apples slink into the bath of oats along with a substantial pat of grass-fed butter.
This is perfect, right? He loved it, I can end this post here, and we all lived happily ever after.
I started this post off discussing trial and error. Well, I described my trial, now it’s time for the error. I salted the water I cooked the oats in. This is generally a good strategy, except I failed to consider the salt from the bacon. Additionally, the butter I use is salted. You start to get the picture.
My man took a bite and said, “Dad, these oats are salty.” He filled his spork a few more times, shoveling them into his mouth, then quit. My creation was in the garbage.
My biggest mistake was that I didn’t taste along the way. From thekitchn.com
We smell our food while it’s cooking and can distinguish a good smell (garlic!) from bad (burning!). We see when the onions become translucent or a soup comes to a boil…..Tasting is just taking this one step further….. Try to zero in on whether or not you like the flavors. If you do, chances are that everyone else will too.
Before Dane experienced his oats, I did not. I should have. Lesson learned.
Now, will I quit? Hell no.
“22, what do you think? You good with me trying this again soon without the salt?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’d like the bacon on the side, though.”
God, I love that kid. Less salty oats, apples, honey and bacon on the side, comin’ up. It ain’t personal, just business.
Kap
Chris says
Kap,
Enjoyed your baseball career and now enjoy your blog, it’s become part of my daily reads. I actually started an all organic / natural diet a little over a week ago (after reading your blog for the first time) and man can I tell a difference. More energy, better rest, and really appreciate food more. I know I’ve lost weight in the first 1 1/2 weeks (clothes are a little looser) but I’m not really trying to lose weight, I’m comfortable with where I’m at… just want to protect my future. Anyways, thanks for you efforts here and sharing your experiences, I’m a father of 3 boys and getting them to follow me away from a processed carb / sugar loaded diet has not been easy! Trial and error is a weekly thing at our house, thank goodness for safe backup plans (apples w/ almond butter, etc) already in place when I fail.
Side note – Are you sure your nickname was “The Body” while you played? I always figured that title would belong to Millar. haha
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks, Chris. Happy for your improvements. You guessed right. Millar was the king. It was the cowboy boots…I kid. That’s my man. Be well, brother.
Dina says
Steel cut oats with fruit and nuts is my absolutely favorite way to start the day. I always toss in a tablespoon of ground flax seed to get a little extra fiber and nutrition. It never occurred to me to throw some bacon in there too!
Gabe Kapler says
Wow, Dina. That’s a strong breakfast. Keep it up.
Ed H says
Trial and error is an interesting concept. It’s great to learn from your mistakes because you learn more…. You learn how to do it right, why and what it looks like when it’s wrong. Much better than just learning how to do it right.
but…. There’s a better way to learn. Learn from the mistakes of others. With the right dialogue we can all make fewer mistakes but be just as educated in the process.
Kap, I like all the wisdom you share, the successes equally with the failures. Keep sharing it ALL!
Gabe Kapler says
There you go, Ed. I’ll make the mistakes for the both of us.
kbeyazdancer says
I like Dane’s honesty and his willingness to give your creation a try. Most kids would look at something different and turn up their noses.
I like my oats with Bananas, cinnamon, and pecans. I think I will try it with some bacon after reading this. Thank you-You got me again love!
Gabe Kapler says
Really appreciate the call on the pecans. Nice.
Jarrod says
Kap, love the blog and in particular this type of story.
I’ve just started getting into the organic/whole food diet so anything that details a meal (like the potato, bacon, yam and fruit creation last week) is really helpful in building my catalogue of good food to eat. The more of these types of posts the better I say.
Cheers
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks very much, Jarrod.
Chris says
Ah! Finally a cinnamon mention! I knew it’d come eventually.
The many benefits are listed on one of your favorite sites whfoods.org
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68
Gabe Kapler says
You knew and so did I. Thanks for the link.
Terri Torrez says
The best thing about steel cut oats is that you can make it ahead and it gets creamier rather than gluey. I make it at the beginning of the week and then flavor it with whatever we have handy each day – fresh fruit, peanut butter, sausage, nuts, etc. my son loves the variety and it takes only a few minutes each morning.