Healthy, whole grain, protein loaded bites of heaven! These Oatmeal Muffins are like a handheld bowl of oatmeal goodness, all wrapped up in warm pumpkin spice flavors. Perfect for a healthy breakfast on the go.
There's probably an unwritten rule against writing when you're tired and emotionally spent. Regardless, bare with me a moment, while I wear my heart on my sleeve.
The last time I wrote about these Beebo Bites AKA Oatmeal Muffins, I shared a story of my boy being bullied. Today's perspective is a bit different, but still heartbreaking for this tired mama.
Being a kid is hard. Being a mom of a kid going through hard times just might be even harder. My kids seem to heroically bounce back from being teased, while I continue to cry inside and wish desperately I could prevent all these challenges they face.
While I enjoy the peace in my home when my kids are at school, letting them face the real world and battle the challenges of friends, bullies, school work, etc without me is rough. I want to be there making sure they are kind, that they eat something besides string cheese for lunch, that they listen and respect authority, and front and center in my mind today – that they resist peer pressure like the true warriors I tell them they are.
My son shared an experience with me, where he was surrounded by kids nearly twice his age that “double dog dared” him to say all the naughty words that they told him to say. My 6-year-old son, surely flattered by all the attention he was getting, succumbed to their game and relished in the reactions he got every time he did as he was told.
Well, the feeling didn't last and he walked into our home with his head down and tears in his eyes, as he told me what he had done. My initial reaction was to punish him, but as I listened, I realized that how he felt was punishment enough and that he was, in fact, the victim in this situation. I took hope in the fact that he knew he had done wrong and that he wanted to be braver the next time.
Tell me all you wise mamas out there! How do you stand it??? How do you even let your kid out the door every morning???
It hit me harder than ever how important our roles as mothers are. Courage, honesty, kindness, respect . . . it's our job to teach all of these things and what a tough job that can be when kids are often surrounded by examples that are anything but.
As I reluctantly let go of my anger and mama bear reflex to go pound down some neighborhood doors, I realized this situation helped me see that I had failed to fully prepare my kids for the peer pressure they were inevitably going to face for the rest of their lives.
This time it was bad language, but oh how much worse it may get.
The next morning I scrambled to find inspiration for our breakfast time talk. I came upon this short clip about having the courage to stand alone, to make good choices, even when no one else supports you. I got chills from head to toe and tears fell down my face as I realized the goodness that I could create from this incident.
Our talk that morning and the determination I witnessed in my kid's faces is permanently etched in my mind. The realization that they had the freedom to choose their actions and the support of family, friends, and angels to back them up, made them stand taller and more proud than I've ever seen them.
Life lessons are hard. This is surely not the last incident and they will likely become much more serious as they get older. My greatest desire as a mom is that they will take these lessons to heart and when such moments arise, they will remember how it felt to burn with the confidence that I witnessed that morning and be able to rise above again and again.
Let us teach our kids kindness. Let us raise courageous warriors that have a sure-fire ability to make their worlds a better place.
So on that note, let's raise a symbolic Beebo Bite to being the best mamas we can be, to feeding, raising, and teaching our kids with all the love and patience we can muster in our sleep deprived, overworked state. Never was there a better fight to fight!
Shall we talk about this recipe? It would be a shame if we didn't. It's a top ranking recipe in my home right now.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE HEALTHY PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL MUFFINS
- Healthy, whole grain, protein-rich fuel, packed into a cute little portable oatmeal bite
- Chocolate. Glorious, beautiful chocolate
- Pumpkin. Yep, you're eating veggies for breakfast and liking it
- Pumpkin + spices + chocolate = the ultimate trio
HOW TO MAKE BEEBO BITES AKA OATMEAL MUFFINS
- Mix up your wet ingredients
- Add your dry
- Sprinkle in the brown gold AKA mini chocolate chips
- Divide that batter into your handy silicone trays
- Stack mason jar lids on the bottom tray
- Place the second tray on top
- Cook em' up
- Cool em' down
- Bask in all the praise these orange beauties get you
BENEFITS OF OATMEAL
I talked a lot of specifics in this Instant Pot Oatmeal 101 course, but basically, oatmeal is loaded with protein, fiber, and antioxidants which means I'm sending my kids out the door supercharged to conquer their day.
Because I want to serve oatmeal often, I've had to keep it creative: Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal, Blueberry Beebo Bites, Banana Custard Steel Cut Oats (YUM!), Pumpkin Spice Steel Cut Oats, and the famous Mason Jar Oats (plus a bakery flavor version).
FOR THE LOVE OF BEEBO BITES
Enjoy this Pumpkin version of Beebo Bites! May you have feelings of love and kindness fill your soul every time you make them. Thanks for listening! You guys are the greatest!
VARIATIONS
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Muffins
- Make sure you are using a certified Gluten Free brand of oats, like Bob's Red Mill, then substitute the wheat flour in the recipe with almond flour or oat flour (FYI: it's cheaper to throw your oats into the blender and make your own oat flour). We prefer the oat flour texture, but the taste of the almond flour version was so yummy!
- Swap out the chocolate chips for dried or fresh fruit. I'm thinking a Pumpkin Cranberry or Blueberry Oatmeal muffin would be so good!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH HEALTHY OATMEAL MUFFINS
- Crio Bru, that is all, no need to consider any other option
- Okay, maybe fruit. Fruit is always great
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL MUFFINS
PrintInstant Pot Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins AKA Beebo Bites
Warm, pumpkin spiced oatmeal muffins perfect for an easy breakfast or for packing in lunch boxes. It's like on the go oatmeal!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add quick oats, flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and chocolate chips then stir just until combined.
- Generously spray the 2 silicone molds with non-stick spray. Using an ice cream scoop (about 1/4 cup), divide the batter into the molds.
- Stack one of the filled molds on top of a trivet. Place 3 – 4 narrow mason jar lids on top followed by the second silicone mold.
- Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker pot and place the trivet and filled silicone molds inside.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Let the oatmeal muffins cool if needed for handling. Using a butter knife or spoon, scrape around each oatmeal bite to release it, then turn them over onto a cooling rack or plate.
- Enjoy warm, as is, with a side of maple syrup, or this amazing chocolate syrup for dipping. Also perfect for on the go.
- Store extras in the refrigerator. Delicious chilled or warmed up. Freeze beautifully, as well.
Notes
- When you first take the lid off the pressure cooker, the muffins are going to appear wet. As long as they don't look like wet, undercooked batter, let them cool on a rack. The extra moisture will evaporate
- Note that the texture of these is not a muffin or a bowl of oatmeal. It's literally like a combination of the two with it being light, like a muffin, but moist and chewy like oatmeal
- I've substituted the flour with both oat flour and almond flour with great results. The almond flour is a bit different in texture but still really good
- Old fashioned rolled oats can also be substituted for quick oats, but will be slightly more dense
Keywords: Instant pot breakfast, kids lunch box, pumpkin spice oatmeal
I lie that they are not so sweet. Used my large mold with the heat resistant covers. Left out the chocolate chips. Nice little treat.
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Made these delightful little bites this morning with dried cranberries–really amazing!
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Karen, I love that addition. My kids will throw a fit if I leave out the chocolate, so I’m gonna try both 🙂
Great post.
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I can make this! So I did, for myself 😍 followed the recipe and turned out pefect! They popped out the mold easily. Taste is not too sweet, used coconut sugar. Nice dense consistency. Happy, thanks Marci.
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Saskia, I’m so glad you liked them! I will have to try coconut sugar next time, thanks for the tip.
Thank you for these recipes, they sound wonderful. I do have couple of questions: 1) do you cover the filled molds – with foil or perhaps with silicone lids that come with them? 2) with regards to the mason jar lids – do mean the rings or the flat inserts? And what’s the purpose?
TIA 😊
Romayne, We love these oatmeal muffins so much around here! I don’t cover them, I want them to be able to rise and the extra moisture doesn’t seem to affect them. The mason jar rings are used to create space between the trays so the bottom muffins don’t get squished. I hope you love them!
Can these be made with regular flour or bread flour? Love your recipes!
Marilyn, yep, that should work just fine!
Has anyone made these with stevia instead of maple syrup?
Linda, I haven’t cooked with stevia in years, so if you try it let me know how it turns out please!
I love the ease of making these. When they came out of the Instant Pot, they tasted ok with an icing top. However, when they had cooled, I thought the flavor blended well and the taste was better. I will certainly try them with more sweetener or dip that is sweet. I haven’t made the blueberry ones, but will make them with homemade applesauce instead of yogurt. I like that they are bite size and made with oatmeal.
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Linda, my kids love these the next day in their lunch boxes as well! You can definitely make them sweeter.
Omg my soul is aching. My 12 year old daughter is getting sexually harassed at school and it feels as if nothing is being done to protect her. I I feel exactly what you are saying. How do we raise our kids to be kind in a world where a lot of kids are truly unkind and mean?? I always tell my kids to take the high road. I know this is right, but do you ever wonder why must my kids always be forced to take the high road. I want to go and sit in my daughter’s class so the boy will not bother her at school. Why should out kids feel safe at school because of mean and unkind kids. Just breaks my soul. Love to talk to you so much more about this as o have had this conversation aloud so many times. Much love and prayers!!! Brandy
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Brandy, my thoughts exactly. On one hand I see that my child can grow from such trials, but the mama bear in me says this is not right, I don’t want my kid to have to go through this. It kills me sometimes to send my kids back to school after a hard experience like these. I do all I can to arm them with what they need and pray like crazy that they can stand tall when they need to. My heart breaks for your situation, it’s not fair at all, I wish there was more being done, but I’m afraid I don’t have all the answers either. Many prayers going your way too!
Do you have any suggestions for an alternative to chocolate chips? I’m one of the odd ones and really dislike chocolate.
Monique, haha, to each their own! Raisins, pecans, cranberries, blueberries, diced bananas, or just leave it plain even.
Update to my previous post: (I went ahead and bought quick oats, and I’m using oat flour, due to the variety of people I’m feeding. ::grin:: )
I’m using the smaller molds (1.3 oz per cavity instead of 2.3 oz), and was able to get 26 bites out of the recipe. The first batch is cooking now; the second batch is already portioned into molds, and sitting covered in the fridge until I can get them into the IP. Thanks for the awesome recipe (smells great, haven’t tasted yet, but…)!
SuBeth, I hope you love them!
These bites sound awesome. I’m planning to make a bunch of them for a Halloween treat pot luck we’re having at work next week.
Can they be made with old-fashioned oats? That’s what I have in the house (5 lbs of them!), due to using them for refrigerator oatmeal.
SuBeth, I think that’s a great idea! They are a bit heavier with old-fashioned oats, but in a pinch, I’ve done it before.
Hi there colleagues, its fantastic piece of writing on the topic of teachingand entirely explained, keep it up all the time.
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Good morning, I have individual silicone cups, Can I put them in a pan or dish and stack? Or could I put this recipe in a bundt pan? Would the cooking times be the same? This recipe looks amazing.
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Crystal, I think the silicone cups would work great. I’m kinda liking your idea of the bundt pan though. I’ve never cooked this recipe like that, but I’ll bet it would be really good. I cooked a bundt pan of zucchini bread recently for 35 minutes, I’m guessing it would be about the same. Let me know if you try it!
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I love your ideas and I will use them. I will definitely use this recipe too.
First of all … this looks like an awesome recipe! I definitely want to give it a try!
Second … good job, momma! Your ability to calm yourself is to be commended. I struggle every time I watch my First Grader granddaughter get on the bus in the mornings. She’s on the shy side so I pray extra hard each day that she can be strong. It doesn’t end when your kids leave home. Then there are the grandchildren. ♥♥
Tawna, I was such a shy girl and sadly lived in fear of being a target of any attention. Thank you for such kind words, they give me hope! Since becoming a mama, prayer seems to be an all day thing! You sound like a wonderful grandma 🙂
I would love to see a savory version of the Bebo Bites! Like cornbread or … ?? 😀
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MaryEllen, you read my mind! I jotted down 3 ideas I wanted to try earlier this week!
I feel so much the same as you do about sending my kids out the door everyone morning. You mentioned that you do a breakfast talk. How do you implement this with such crazy mornings and how long does it take you?
Heidi, I’ve found my kids listen the best when they are eating. I wake up early so I’ve already eaten breakfast when I’m feeding them. I use that time to read scriptures typically, but to keep them listening I have to mix things up. I show them videos about bullying, peer pressure, etc, sometimes inspirational music videos (they love One Voice Children’s Choir), and sometimes I throw it to them and ask what they’ve experienced at school and then we all talk it through – what to do better next time, what went good, what could have been better, a proud moment where they stood up for what they believed, etc. Right now I’m reading them a book all about good touch/bad touch things. It’s been eye-opening, to say the least. Next, I found a book that goes through different traits that our kids should develop while they are young such as honesty, courage, kindess, etc. I’m going to dedicate a month to each trait and have quick games or scriptures to go along with it each morning. This might sound like a lot but it’s not. Sometimes I get their attention for 5 minutes, on a good day 10. But I think quick and impactful is what they need at this age. Sometimes I’m prepared, but most of the time I’m throwing something out there on the fly. Something is better than nothing!
Oh I need those silicon trays! I love pumpkin muffins and these sound a-maz-ing!
I’m so sorry your son went through this but what a lesson! It brought back all the anxiety and conflicts I faced raising my children. All I can say is it is hard. We handle it the best we can (I think you did awesome!), and pray, pray, pray! I also think it’s harder now than when mine were in school. But we can’t be there or protect them from everything. They must learn to live in this world. Hang in there, mama. Big hugs for you!
Cecilia, I use these trays all the time! You made me cry with hope :). I pray all day long for my kiddos. I can’t be there for every moment so I’ve decided I try to raise them to be a good, kind, honest person and then let them spread their wings. Hopefully, heaven can be there to make up for where I fall short!
Raising them to be kind, gentle yet strong, good and honest will go a long way. It is better they learn how to handle things now while you are there to help them navigate life’s ups and downs. Don’t know how people manage without faith and trust in God. It’s too hard sometimes!
Could I do this in muffin tins? Any idea on temp and time?
Crystal, I believe so. I’d go with 350 for 10 minutes. Maybe 15?