Raise your hand if you’ve watched a weather report and gone back to bed. Or abandoned plans to leave the house when snow began to fall. Canadian winters can be brutal and many of us fall into the trap of staying inside to avoid the elements. Unfortunately, this can result in more screen time and less memory-making family moments.
Getting outside and enjoying activities in the snow is quintessentially Canadian, and the stories families make together each year are enjoyed and passed on for generations to come. Over the Family Day weekend, we travelled to Big White Ski Resort with Quaker Canada to experience the Quaker Oat Lodge. With the notion that the extreme cold shouldn’t keep families inside or ruin a great day on the hill, we prepared for the day with amazing personalized oatmeal creations. Since no two members in a family are the same, no two bowls of oats should be the same either.
The lodge looked like the ones in Hoth in Episode X of Star Wars and made me want to place rolled-up braids on the sides of my head. I couldn’t believe the décor and warm scents wafting in the air. In an air-filled building in the snow!
Oatmeal Breakfast Bar Options
The four (delicious) oatmeal recipe options were:
Bunny Hill: Brown Sugar, Cookie Crumbs, Gummi Bears
First Tracks: Honey, Chia Seeds, Blueberries, Coconut
Bonfire: Chocolate Chips, Marshmallows, Graham Crackers
Apres Ski: Maple Syrup, Cinnamon, Dried Cranberries
My one son is oatmeal-obsessed, but he’d never had it quite like this at home! Gummi bears, maple syrup and chia seeds were only some of the toppings that could be chosen. I’d been exposed to ‘smoothie bowls’ before, but had never considered putting healthy (or not) toppings on oatmeal for an extra nutritional kick to start the day. Customizable topping checklists were available to hand the staff, or you could choose a concoction that had been developed I’m sure by some brilliant chef. I adored the ‘First Tracks’ version, and it fueled me for a full day of champagne powder at Big White Resort.
Quaker has been a family brand for over 100 years in Canada and has always believed in giving Canadian families a nourishing start to their day!
The kids and I were interviewed for this video highlighting our time at Quaker Oat Lodge. I just wish this would become a permanent installation at ski resorts across Canada!
Disclosure: UrbanMommies received compensation from Quaker Canada for this program in the form of travel and a ski weekend at Big White Resort. All opinions and images are our own.
