Who Cares About Oatmeal, Anyway?

Holland has been really wanting oatmeal. He used to eat it for breakfast or lunch or just a snack. But now since he can't have it, we've gotten more creative with his menu. Like this morning, for example. He was in a soccer tournament this weekend. He played two games yesterday and a game today. His lunch yesterday was a handful of almonds and chocolate chips and a juice drink. He said he wasn't that hungry, so I just let it go. When he finished the games, he did eat the rice bar I brought. He did not want the costco chicken that super-hero brought home, so he just had corn for dinner. I think he did eat another handful of almonds later on and maybe some popcorn.

This morning while I was getting the other two kids ready for church, I couldn't find anything to feed Holland. He had poured through the pantry and all he could find was gluten-free gingersnap cookies (which he ate). We are out of wheat-free cereal, out of eggs, can't have toast, forget pancakes. I was just stumped. Then I remembered I had a little bit of sherbet left for a fruit smoothie, so I made one really fast. Lunch wasn't much better. I had to make tacos (again. How many times is that now, in the last week?). He ate one and then went outside to play. Dinner was baked salmon, sticky rice and broccoli with fresh lemon. I really was in the mood for some dessert (we've stopped buying cookies, muffins, etc. We're on the South Beach diet and didn't even try!) I had returned all the gluten-free cookbooks and the boys were on the computer. So I just decided I would find a brownie recipe and make it. A couple months ago I bought two Martha Stewart cookbooks from costco: one is entirely cookies and the other is a seasonal cookbook. I found a brownie recipe, substituted my GF (gluten-free) flour mix I have already mixed up and added a few chopped pieces of Hershey's chocolate bar for a double chocolate brownie. The boys were so excited and I hadn't even told Holland it was gluten-free. I gave them eat a plate with a warm brownie and a glass of milk. He said it was even better than what I usually make, which is the boxed Hershey's brownie mix from Costco. Then I told him it was gluten-free and he couldn't believe it! I also had to tell super-hero to stop eating them and save some for Holland. He said he couldn't even tell they were different!! Wa-hooo!

Forget oatmeal. We have chocolate.