Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast

As the cooler weather sets in I enjoy warmer breakfasts and hang up my smoothie routine.  One of my favorites on a cold morning is warmed quinoa with pumpkin.  Warmed quinoa makes such a great breakfast cereal.  It's easy and it's certainly full of protein.

Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast

1 cup Quinoa
1 cup water 
1 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree 
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or to taste)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
dried cranberries (to taste)

Rinse quinoa.  Add quinoa, water, and coconut milk to pan.  Bring to a boil. Reduce eat to medium-low.  Add syrup, cinnamon, and ginger.  Allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove and add dried cranberrries. I will sometimes add a little bit of grass-fed butter!and/or some nuts and seeds.  It's similar to oatmeal, in that you can get so creative.  Enjoy!

Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

This is a great recipe to use up any left over oatmeal.  It also makes for an incredibly easy breakfast for a few days, which I need on those early school mornings.
Recipe adapted from "The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes."

Oatmeal Bars

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup coconut sugar
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins (or any dried fruit)
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped


In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  In another bowl, combine applesauce and coconut sugar until well mixed.  Stir in coconut oil.  Add cooked oatmeal and mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Stir in dried fruit and walnuts.

Spread batter into a lightly greased or parchment paper lined 8x8 pan.  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until the center is set (do the toothpick test).  Let bars cool and then remove and cut.

**My favorite way to do flour these days is grind regular oats and buckwheat into a flour.  I like this simple combo for baking and it feels easy to digest for all of us.  It's also nice because I can buy both of those grains in bulk from Country Life.

Oat Free Granola

Well hello there! I know it's been awhile since I've posted and to be honest I haven't been doing a whole lot of cooking in the past four months. I suppose if you count the newest "bun in the oven" as cooking then I have been cooking 24/7. Other than that I have been a very sick pregnant mama and food  has really been the last thing I could possibly think about with exception of a few basic things that were easy and that I could keep down.  So I figured you didn't need to read recipes about toast and apples. 

The good news is that I am finally starting to feel better and have been doing a LITTLE bit of cooking so I will have some new recipes to share.  Now these recipes are all likely to be VERY simple and quick because....well that's where I am at in life right now. This baby has been wiping me out and I need quick and simple. Anyone else in a stage of life that simple and easy needs to be the answer right now?!?

One thing I have needed is simple breakfasts for both my girls and myself.  I have been buying boxed cereals for the past few months and it has been glorious and easy.  I am not a big fan of the amounts of sugar in store bought cereals (even the healthiest of cereals) and typically try to avoid them but ultimately I was on survivial mode and couldn't think about all the small details. We all survived and are just fine, which is always a good reminder to myself to not get obsesssed with perfection. Feeding a family is hard. Growing babies is hard. Raising little ones is hard.  Remembering grace is important. 

This cereal recipe happened because I was all inspired the other day to make a big batch of granola to have available for our family for the week.  I starting pulling everything out and realized I didn't have any oats. Shooooot!  I was determined to still come up with a cereal so I got creative and this is what was created in my cereal making adventure.

Oat Free Granola

6 Rice cakes crumbled (I had some leftover apple cinnamon flavored ones that were quite tasty)
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 TBS Blackstrap Molasses
4 pitted Dates
1 tsp Vanilla


1. Mix rice cakes, nuts, seeds, and shredded coconut together.

2.  Add coconut oil, syrup, molasses, dates, and vanilla to blender and blend until smooth.

3.  Drizzle wet mixture over dry mixture. Stir until everything is coated.

4.  Spread cereal on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

5.  After cereal is cooled add a bunch of "extras."  I added hemp seeds, chia seeds, and goji berries.

6.  Serve with milk of choice.

**While this cereal was tasty it didn't make a whole lot.  I would probably double it next time or add oats to stretch it a little further. 

**This was also tasty with some chopped fresh bananas and frozen blueberries. 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

Chia seeds. The new health food craze in the past year, and I must admit I've bought into the craze.  A decade or so ago the craze with chia was a cute little tune that went with a funny looking planter.  Now the seed has evolved and become a hit with health foodies all over. 

Did you know that chia seeds contain more omega-3's than any other plant food? These powerful seeds also contain high amounts of calicum, even more so than cow's milk (the saying should be "Got Chia?").  They also rank high in vitamin C, fiber, and iron.  Worth a try for sure! 

Chia seeds really don't have much of a taste.  The beauty of these little seeds is the thickening power they have.  Want to thicken a shake, ice cream, or pudding? Chia seeds could be your solution.  I use chia seeds as an egg replacer for baking.  1 TBS chia seeds to 3 TBS water.  Simply mix the previous ratio together to replace 1 egg.  Allow the mixture to set for a few minutes and then mix in like you would an egg.  Viola'. A vegan, power packed egg replacer.  I have used this in making pancakes, muffins, cupcakes,..... It works wonderfully and because they really don't have a strong flavor it doens't affect the taste of what you are baking. 

One of my favorite ways to use Chia Seeds is to make a Chia Seed Pudding.  It is a bit like the texture of tapioca pudding so for texture sensitive kiddos you might want to introduce this slowly or even blend part of it up.  There are lots of different ways to make Chia Seed pudding but I especially love a chocolate flavored pudding.  I often will do it carob flavored for my girls because they are so sensitive to chocolate (the caffeine keeps them wired for hours and this mama doesn't need her kiddos having any more energy than they already have!). 

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

2 cups coconut milk beverage
1/2 cup chia seeds
6 pitted medjool dates
1-2 TBS cocoa or carob powder
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Soak dates in water for 2 hours or for a quicker version soak dates in hot water for 10 minutes. 

When dates are finished soaking, blend milk, dates, cocoa/carob powder in blender until smooth.    

Add blended mixture to chia seeds.  Stir in raspberries. 

Cover and refrigerate for several hours, until thickened. 

This is great to prepare at night and it will be ready for a super simple breakfast on hot summer morning. 

Crunchy Buckwheat Cereal

I recently tried this recipe from one of my absolute favorite cookbooks.  The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook. I stumbled across this cookbook when I was expecting my first daughter and have consistently utilitzed it ever since. For whatever reason, this particular recipe never caught my eye before.  I recently made the Crunchy Buckwheat Cereal recipe and we all loved it.  Thumbs up from all four family members equates to blog worthy.  So here is a super easy, wholesome, homemade breakfast cereal recipe, straight from The Vegetarian Mothers Cookbook. 

Crunchy Buckwheat Cereal

2 cups raw whole Buckwheat Groats (found at local health food stores or online)
2 TBS sweetener (Raw Honey, Maple Syrup, Brown Rice Syrup,...)
1/4 cup nut or seed butter (almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini,..)

Preheat oven to 300F. Spread buckwheat on large baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Stir buckwheat around a bit and roast for another 15-20 minutes until more golden.  Immediately mix hot buckwheat with sweetener and nut or seed butter until buckwheat is coated.  Cool.  Store in covered jar in refrigerator.  To serve, place 1/2 cup of cereal in bowl cover with milk of choice.  Add fresh or dried fruit. 

Makes approximately 4 servings.  I have been doubling the recipe to stretch it out a little longer and give us several days of easy breakfasts.  I personally like to use homemade coconut milk with this cereal. Oh so good!!

**Buckwheat is gluten-free despite wheat being part of the name.  If you want to learn more about buckwheat this link will be helpful for you.

Ultimate Savory Breakfast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two of my favorite loves when it comes to food are breakfast and ice cream.  Goodness, if I would have ice cream for breakfast I'd certainly be in heaven. Oh my!

One of the bonding moments my husband and I had early on in our dating relationship was when we discovered that we would both rather go out for breakfast than any other meal of the day.  This still remains true after having two kids and being married for seven years.  Birthdays are usually celebrated in our house with breakfasts out and cupcakes later in the day.  It's become a little tradition in our family.  

Now as much as I love breakfasts out, we don't stray far from our favorite restaurant in town. Marie Catrib's is our family favorite.  I think our girls believe it's the only restaurant in Grand Rapids, which is ok with me!  They often request it or point it out as we drive by, which is adorable and awesome.  This recipe is my attempt at re-creating my favorite breakfast dish at Marie's, the K.T. special.  A friend made this a few months ago when we were all spending a weekend together and I was so inspired and had to attempt it at home.  Now I'll be real honest with you.  My girls don't get nearly excited about this breakfast because when we go out they have GF sweet potato pancakes, Vegan stuffed french toast,......they are more into ordering the sweet breakfasts.  But they did eat this at home when those other options weren't available! 

Ultimate Savory Breakfast

Ingredients

14 ounce package extra-firm tofu

1 small onion

1 zucchini

1-1 1/2 cups chopped spinach

2-3 cloves garlic

freshly minced ginger (to taste)

Braggs Amino Acids or Tamari Soy Sauce (to taste) (start lightly and add more if needed)

Sesame Seed Oil (optional)

1/4 cup Sesame seeds

Directions

1) Saute' tofu with a splash of Sesame Seed Oil.  Saute' until tofu is browned.

2)While the tofu is cooking, caramelize the onion.  

3)Saute garlic, ginger and zucchini until zucchini is soft.  Add tofu, caramelized onions, Braggs or Tamari, and sesame seeds.  Cook for several minutes until well combined.  

4) Serve with potatoes that have been roasted with fresh garlic and a blend of savory spices.  

5) Sit back and enjoy a nutritious, hearty breakfast filled with lots of goodness and love.    

 

Pumpkin Cranberry Pancakes (GF)

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Last week the girls and I were having a lazy morning and I decided to play and create a new pancake recipe. So off to the kitchen we went. I had lots of pumpkin puree in my fridge and thought it sounded great in pancakes with some of the fresh cranberries I had picked up from the farmers market.

This is what I ("we"--I usually have at least 1 helper with me!)came up with. They are for sure a 'hearty' pancake.  My girls love pancake mornings! Why not get some veggies and extra nutrients in them? They gobble them up.  Leftover pancakes make a great snack too!

 Pumpkin Cranberry Pancakes

 Ingredients

    1 1/2 cups milk (coconut milk beverage)

    1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

    1 TBS ground chia seed mixed with 3 TBS water (or 1 egg)
   1 teaspoons vanilla

    2 tablespoons coconut oil (or oil of choice)

    2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

    2 cups all-purpose flour 

    (I used a mix of millet, sorghum, brown rice flour but whole wheat would great and hearty as well)

    2 tablespoons sucanat (or granular sugar of choice)

    2 teaspoons baking powder

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    2 teaspoon ground flaxseeds

    1 teaspoon ground allspice

    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    3/4 cup chopped walnuts

    3/4 cup chopped fresh cranberries

   

Directions

Mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, sucanat or sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground flax seeds, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Gently mix in walnuts and cranberries.

    Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with butter or butter substitute and pure maple syrup. 

****I like to use an ice cream scoop to measure out the batter for pancakes. Makes smaller pancakes which is perfect for small people! And makes a great small pancake for a snack. 

Coconut Almond Granola

I am a huge believer in a good, healthy, wholesome breakfast.  It's literally "breaking" the "fast" from sleeping all night.  Without breakfast it's like driving a car on a low or empty tank.  Not very efficient. Not very good for the engine.  After a while it creates harm.  Breakfast gives you the energy you need to start your day and gives you adequate fuel to make it through until lunch.  It's been shown over and over again that folks who skip breakfast repeatedly tend to overeat at other times of the day, ultimately leading to weight gain.  It's also been shown in multiple studies that those people who skip breakfast tend to be more fatigued and score lower on memory tests.
This is important stuff because one meal has the ability to affect our mood and energy levels for day.  Thinking of this also in context of kiddos who start their day out with a well balanced breakfast.  This sets them up to do better in school.  Along with the ability to have better, more well balanced energy levels (really what parent doesn't want that??!??), and to be more alert, attentive, and less likely to crash from fatigue and hunger.  
Now with all that said, I all recognize the fact that's its not always so easy to make a wholesome breakfast every morning.  My kiddos aren't even in school yet and still I feel some mornings were rushing out the door.  It's nice to have a few easy options that you can do ahead of time to have on hand so when a busy morning presents itself your ready and prepared.  One of my favorite easy go-to meals is granola.  I make a fairly big batch when I make it and store it away in air tight containers and it's absolutely perfect for a morning when you need to get out the door but also need a balanced meal to start the day.
Really making your own granola does become cheaper than buying conventional boxed cereals.  Besides conventional cereals often contain high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, loads of sugar, and GMO ingredients.  These things are often in even the "healthy" cereals.  So it's good to become really consistent with reading labels...being a food detective!
Buying nuts and seeds in bulk makes homemade granola very, very cost effective.  Local health food stores often carry a bulk section for nuts and seeds, as do some of the bigger stores like Costco.  If you can order from a co-op even better deals.  Don't rule out searching online as well for some great deals.

Coconut Almond Granola

Dry Ingredients

8 cups rolled oats

1 cup chopped Almonds

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup raw sesame seeds

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup raw local honey

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 TBS black strap molasses

1 TBS Vanilla

1 TBS cinnamon
(nutmeg, allspice & cardamon are nice flavors to add a dash of as well for a more fall tasting granola)

Mix dry and wet ingredients together separately.  Add wet mixture to the dry mixture. Spread on lightly oiled baking sheet.  Bake at 300.  Check and stir often.  I usually cook it for around 25-30 minutes.  But it can burn quickly so keep a watchful eye on it.  If it starts to look golden it's done.  It will get more golden after it's pulled out of the oven so keep in mind as you check it.

Store in airtight containers for quick and easy breakfasts!


This recipe typically lasts for at least a week for our family of 4. (Now 2 of those 4 are still rather small so plan according to how "big" your little people are!)
Eat with a milk of choice or yogurt of choice.  I've been really into making our own homemade rice and almond milks. 



You can personalize your granola in so many ways by adding in some yummy toppings once it is cooled.  Some of our favorites:

chia seeds

ground flax seeds

raisins

dried cranberries

diced apples

smashed or sliced banana

fresh or frozen berries

sprinkle of shredded coconut

sprinkle of cinnamon

 Little bowl of hearty goodness for my little sweetie pie!

Apple Crisp

Dessert for breakfast? Yep it's true.  It's apple galore here in Michigan and we cannot seem to get enough.  In fact I currently have 2 bushels sitting on my table waiting to be made into glorious applesauce.  We've been putting apples in pancakes, baked oatmeal, butternut squash soup, dipping them in almond butter, and roasting them with sweet potatoes in the crock pot.  Seriously, we are living up this season of apple love!

One of my favorites is still Apple Crisp.  I love how healthy and wholesome this is.  I am completely comfortable giving this to my girls for breakfast, dessert, a snack, or lunch.  They love it. I love it. Eat it cold.  Eat it hot. I mean how can you not love apple crisp? So this is my twist on the popular fall treat.

Apple Crisp

10 cups (approx. 8 medium apples) cored & sliced

3 cups apple cider

1/4 tsp salt

3/4  cup raisins

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 TBS arrowroot powder

2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

4 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1/2 cup oil (coconut is great!)

3/4 cup maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar, or honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Place apples in 9 x 13 pan.

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine 2 1/2 cups of the apple cider, raisins, salt, & cinnamon. Bring this mixture to boil.  Stir arrowroot in the remaining 1/2 cup apple cider.  Stir the thickened arrowroot mixture into the boiling cider mixture.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour this thickened mixture over apples.


For the topping:  In a large bowl stir oil and sweetener together. Mix in oats, walnuts, salt, and spices. (I sometimes like to put the oats in my food processor to grind them really fine).  Spread topping onto apples.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden.


This would pair wonderfully with a homemade, vegan  Maple-Walnut Ice Cream.

I hope you enjoy some yummy fall goodness for breakfast, dessert, or whenever your in need of some yummy, whole-some goodness!

Gluten Free Apple-Oat Pancakes

I LOVE breakfast!  My husband and I agree that we would rather go out for breakfast over any other meal.  In my previous post I offered a breakfast experiment along with a Baked Oatmeal recipe.  Well I thought if you were going to try the breakfast experiment, I'd offer you another delicious, easy, nutritious breakfast recipe.

The recipe does contain eggs.  I've gone back and forth about including eggs as part of my girls diet.  We don't do meat or dairy and I feel like this is one way for them to get some of the nutrients that they may not otherwise get.  Particularly B vitamins.  We use Brewer's Yeast to add additional B vitamins to our diets, but I hesitate having my little ones on a rigid vegan diet.  There are some drawbacks to that.  There is some controversy about eggs.  My girls enjoy eggs.  I'm taking things like this in baby steps and just trying to be really aware of what foods nourish them and what they do well with.  They enjoy the occasional eggs.  We buy local, organic, free-range eggs.   I'm ok with this at this point.  So with that said, if your not doing eggs yet with your little one or have chosen not to do them, there are ways to substitute eggs.
Egg Substitution:

• 1 TBS ground flaxseed mixed with 3 TBS water (do this for each egg)
• mashed banana
• mashed tofu

I can't take credit for this recipe.  This recipe is straight from Cathe Olson's "Simply Natural Baby Food" book.  It has become a staple in our house.  We all love these pancakes and have lately been making them weekly.  So, so good!

Apple-Oat Pancakes

• 1 3/4 cups rolled oats (purchase gluten free oats to make them truly gluten free)
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 eggs (or 4 egg yolks or egg substitution)
• 1 1/3 cups milk (we do non-dairy but you can do whatever your kiddos are used to)
• 1 apple grated

Grind oats and nuts to powder in blender or food processor.  Pour oat mixture into a large mixing bowl and stir in baking powder and cinnamon.

Beat eggs and milk together.  Grate apple in food processor or my hand.  Add the egg mixture and apple to oats.  Stir until just mixed.  Let batter sit 5 minutes while griddle heats.

Bake pancakes on a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat.  Use approximately 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Turn when top is bubbly and edges are starting to dry.  Cook for 3 to 5 more minutes.

Yields approximately 12 pancakes.

We like to top ours with raw almond butter, a little pure maple syrup, and some fresh fruit.




Enjoy a delicious, healthy breakfast to start your day!

Baked Oatmeal

What's your breakfast routine like? What about for your kiddos? Do you mix it up? How do your kiddos respond to breakfast? And you for that matter? Do you eat breakfast????

I know it's one of those things said over and over "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." We get used to hearing it and it becomes very cliche. But really it is a foundational meal to set up our day. The term literally means to break the fast. Your body has been essentially fasting since the evening before and breakfast is the time to add fuel to your body and set up a foundation for a healthy, energy filled day. When we skip breakfast or eat a lot of sugary sweets for breakfast it puts our blood sugar on a roller coaster for the day. The idea is to eat something satisfying enough and filling enough to make it to lunch, or at least for adults. Now this may or may not apply to kiddos. Every kiddo is different and some may or may not need that mid-morning snack. Listen and observe your kiddo to begin to learn what they need. Does breakfast satisfy them? What are they having for breakfast? Are they hungry relatively soon after breakfast? How does a mid-morning snack affect them or their lunch? How is their behavior an hour or two after breakfast?

There's a great experiment you can do. Try doing something different for breakfast each morning for a week or maybe at least for 5 days. You could start with yourself and then also do the experiment with the kiddos. Plan out your breakfasts for the experiment so you can grocery shop and prepare. This way you know what you'll do each day. Then write down what your breakfast was that day. Also make note of how you feel right after your meal and then again 2 hours later. Do you notice differences in energy levels? What about your moods? Notice any physical symptoms that you might have that may correlate to what you've eaten. This is a great way to tune into your body and to listen to what works for you. Everyone is different. Different foods affect us differently. What works best for you? What breakfast helps you feel your best and kick start your day? After you get an idea for yourself, experiment with the kiddos. You might be surprised what you learn.

Baked Oatmeal is one of my girl's favorite breakfasts, especially on a cooler or rainy morning. And I have heard we have a few cooler mornings heading our way!

This recipe is a blend of some of our favorite things and a combining of baked oatmeal recipes I've seen over time. I like to take a recipe and add my own touches, or modify it to what I have on hand. So feel free to experiment a bit and add your own touches to make it something personalized for you and your family.

Baked Oatmeal

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup honey, pure maple syrup, or agave (other options for sweetners are applesauce or mashed banana)

3 cups oats (I prefer organic rolled oats) (gluten free oats are available at health food stores if your are working with gluten intolerances)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup milk (I prefer rice or almond milk but you can use any milk that your family normally uses)

1 cup of additional goodness....raisins, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, blueberries, peaches, bananas, chopped apples.....whatever you and your kiddos love!


Preheat oven 350

Grease 8 x 8 pan

Combine oil and sweetener in one bowl. In separate bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Add oil and sweetener combination to oat mixture.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

For this particular time I lined the bottom of my pan with some frozen peaches. I then spread the mixture in the pan. I stirred in chopped walnuts, frozen blueberries, raisins, and then added some sliced bananas on top. Yummy! But again customize it to your family or to what you have available.

It does take a while to bake so if time is an issue in the morning bake it the evening before and then just heat it up in the morning. So so good!

Green Smoothies

Green smoothies are a staple in our house. My girls love them as much as my husband and I do. When Sydney hears the blender she comes running (toddling) into the kitchen as fast as she can just smiling. Norah loves to push a chair up to the counter and help. Her favorite role is tearing the kale off the stalk and adding (and eating) the blueberries. She loves being involved in the creating process, which I love as well. When she's involved she loves eating what she helped create.

Smoothies are so great because you can get so creative. There are so many possibilities. Amazing ways to increase veggies and fruits into your little ones diet. My girls both starting drinking smoothies well before they were 1. We just modified them to incorporate foods we had already introduced. Plus they make a great lunch or addition to a lunch on those days your playing at the park, doing a picnic, or eating out and want a healthy alternative for the kiddos.

Every summer we head out and pick lots of fresh fruit to freeze for smoothies throughout the year. We freeze all this yummy goodness and store them in our deep freeze. This is great because you are using fresh local fruit and it's much easier on the budget as well. Those little frozen bags of fruit at the store can get expensive if you start doing lots of smoothies. So just a little thought to think about as summer approaches. We actually just finished our last bags of strawberries and blueberries that we froze last summer. It was a sad day for my sweet Norah when I told her the blueberries were all gone.

The quite delicious smoothie above consisted of:

~ avocado
~ banana
~ kale
~frozen strawberries
~frozen peaches
~ground flax seed (done in a coffee grinder)
~ground sesame seeds (also done in a coffee grinder)
~a splash of Black Strap Molasses (good in iron & calcium)

It was so good! I love the creaminess that the avocado adds, not to mention all that super good for you fat. Use less kale if you are just starting out with green smoothies and not adapted to the "green flavor" quite yet. Then as you continue to experiment with your smoothies increase amounts of kale. One side not is that sesame seeds are moving onto the top allergens list so make sure you are in communication with your health care provider to know when you want to introduce seeds and nuts to your little ones diet.

Some other things I like to add to our smoothies:

~frozen or fresh fruit (almost any fruit is great!)
~brewers yeast (we eat mostly a vegan diet so we add this to help with B vitamins)
~parsley
~swiss chard
~spinach
~ground almonds, walnuts, or cashews
~ground sunflower seeds
~homemade almond milk
~chia seeds
~raw cacao (I don't add this in our girls because I've learned they don't tolerate the caffeine well)
~coconut milk

Get creative and find which combinations you and your kiddos enjoy!

And a last word on serving your little foodie his or her smoothie. You may have to get creative on the sippy cup. These smoothies can be a bit thick and don't always come out easily. I've found sippy cups with a straw make this a lot easier. I prefer to keep the water bottle sippy cups  for water so they don't get any funky smells or taste, and so the girls know those are their primary beverage. These are extras. As much as I'm not a big fan of plastics these little cups work great and clean well, and are easy for them to drink.

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So enjoy your green smoothies! If you come up with a combo that your little one really likes please do share!

Easy Baby Cereal

Ever find that sometimes you just need something easy to grab in the morning for breakfast? I don't know about you but there are mornings I just need food to be easy because it's been a rough night, were in a rush to get out the door, or I just simply need it to be easy.

Well here is an easy as can be way to make a wholesome baby cereal ahead of time for those mornings. Grind up some oats (you can use gluten free if you are a GF home or wanting to be pure GF with baby) in a blender, food processor, magic bullet, or whatever you have. You can throw in some sesame seeds (these grind best in a coffee grinder) or sunflower seeds. Grind everything up well and store in a glass jar. When it comes time to need an easy meal, just scoop some of your mixture into a bowl and pour some hot water over top. Stir up well and serve to baby.

This is great if your eating out because you can just ask the server for a glass of hot water and an extra bowl. You can whip up your homemade cereal right at the table.

There are endless things you could add to this if you'd like to give it a bit more flavor. A mashed banana or avocado is nice and travels well. (can you tell this was one of my go to meals when we were out and about??) Homemade applesauce is nice and sweet. Coconut milk. Veggie purees that have been frozen in ice cube trays and stored are nice as well. You can throw one of the veggie cubes in when you add the hot water and this opens all kinds of doors for getting a variety of veggies into the diet. Also makes it easy to become a lunch or dinner too.