For anyone who doesn't want to have to think about what to make for breakfast in the morning, and yet want healthy and inexpensive options, here's our favorite breakfasts, listed in a logical order. These serve 4-6.

Monday:     Oatmeal: In a pot bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, pour in 2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats. Turn heat to low while stirring. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a consistency you like. We prefer it not to become mushy, so I only simmer for 1-4 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add a generous 2 Tablespoons or so of butter; stir until it melts. Sweeten with brown sugar or real maple syrup to taste. Serve hot.

Tuesday:     Oatmeal Pancakes: We always have about 1 cup of leftover oatmeal. If you don't have at least 1/2 cup, then pour 1/2 cup of rolled oats in a cup and cover with hot water; let sit for about five minutes. For the pancakes, in one bowl mix together 2 cups of flour (I always mix half whole-wheat with half white flour), 4 Tablespoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. In a blender whip up 2 eggs. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of leftover oatmeal (or soaked oats). Add 2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Slowly mix the two mixtures together, and cook on a hot oiled pan. Add several frozen blueberries to each pancake after you've poured it into the pan, if you wish. Serve with pure maple syrup. These are hearty pancakes and will last you until lunch.

Wednesday:     Eggs & Toast:  Fry up eggs, sunny-side up, or make Cheesy Scrambled Eggs (scrambled eggs with 2-3 slices of American Cheese melted in while cooking). We eat Alverado Street Bakery Sprouted Whole Grain Breads, and they make for the absolute best-tasting toast ever. I have my kids eat one piece of toast just buttered, then a second piece can have jam or honey on it.

Thursday:     Cream of Wheat:  This hot cereal is a good source of iron. I get the one that takes the longest to cook--I think it's labeled at 2-1/2 minutes. Bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Slowly pour in 3/4 cup of Cream of Wheat, stirring all the while to prevent lumps (although I leave a few as my kids love the lumps). Turn the heat down to low; simmer for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Once it is of a consistency you like, turn off the heat, and add a generous 2 Tablespoons of butter; stir to melt. Sweeten to taste with either white sugar or honey. This is really good served with toast. I follow my mother's example of placing a spoonful of cream of wheat (or oatmeal) onto a bite-size portion of toast, then bite off that portion. They go really well together!