Quick and Easy Breakfast

Now that Ingrid is in school and we have to be out the door at 7:30am, breakfast has become something of a hassle.  I want to feed Ingrid a healthy breakfast, but it has to be quick, as she isn't ready to eat until about fifteen minutes before we leave.  Try as I might, she just isn't interested in food until 7am, no matter what time she gets up.  So, off to pinterest I went, looking for breakfast ideas.  I found some good ones, and this weekend I made a couple.

The first were these amazing Blueberry Coconut Pecan Breakfast Cookies. 

I did have to go to the store to get a couple ingredients, but I will for sure make these again, so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience.  Most of the stuff I had on hand. 

1.5 c oats
1 c coconut flakes
1 Tbs flaxmeal
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c chopped pecans
1/2 c dried blueberries (we used blueberry craisins)
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 c warmed coconut oil
1 Tbs agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla



All that mixed up together made a mushy batter that I patted into heart shaped cookie cutters, placed on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 25min. and you get a whole lot of healthy cookies that are perfect for a quick breakfast!  Ingrid is unsure how she feels about them.  She loved the idea of having a cookie for breakfast but then didn't really eat too much of it.  I, however, crammed about five in my mouth!  I love these!

The other recipe I tried was Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars.  These are super easy and have ingredients I pretty much always have on hand. 

1.5 c oats
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Mix dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients.  Mush banana and pb go in at the end.  Spread in a greased 8x8 pan and cook at 350 for 20 minutes.  We just made these today and they are so good!  Just a hint of banana and peanut butter, neither one really jumps out as too strong, which can sometimes be the case.  They are a bit mushy, we couldn't really eat these as bars we could hold, we had to use forks, perhaps I didn't bake them long enough?  But they tasted really good and were a hit with both kids!

There are a couple more I want to try, but for now these two are good to have on hand!  They definitely make me feel better giving this to Ingrid before school rather than a frozen waffle, which is what she usually asks for.  Do you have any favorite breakfast ideas that are quick and kid friendly?

Yum--Cookies

We made cookies yesterday.  They turned out pretty great, if I do say so myself.  And the best thing is, they are vegan, whole wheat, and full of real chocolate.  Here's the recipe-I think I put up a similar one sometime but it bears repeating since I think it is the perfect cookie recipe.

1/4 c. oil

1/2 c. brown sugar

1Tb flax seed meal with 3Tb water, mixed and let sit for two minutes

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c wheat flour (or spelt flour)

1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
chocolate chips or crushed chocolate bar
cherry craisins

I had some crazy good fair trade chocolate that I crushed and added, it made it so smooshy and gooey and got everywhere but it tastes so good!  Even Brendan said the cookies were really good, and he's a hard one to please if it's not a normal recipe...

Ingrid liked them too.  But she likes everything.

High heels and Lentil Chili

They go together like peanut butter and jelly, no?  Okay, maybe not, but that's what has gone on in our house the past couple days.  Ingrid loves shoes and is pretty good at walking in ours, even though they're about five times bigger than her feet.  She found my heels today and it was just so cute!  God knows I don't ever wear heels anymore, someone should get some use out of them...

And the lentil chili is my new favorite veggie chili recipe.  I found it in Better Homes and Gardens, tweaked it a bit, and it turned out great!  I just love veggie chili, it's one of my favorite parts of winter, along with fireplaces and hot chocolate.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup red lentils (although our store only had brown, it tasted fine) presoaked for a few hours.

3 cups water

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 chopped green or red pepper, or half of each like I did :)

1/2 chopped red onion

1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 Tbs garlic powder

4 Tbs chili powder

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 6 oz can tomato paste

Saute onions and peppers with spices, then add tomatoes, kidney beans, and lentils with the water.  Simmer for about 30-45 minutes, then add tom. sauce and paste.  Yum yum yum.  I baked some garlic herb bread to go with it, it was a great dinner and a tasty lunch the next day!   

Yesterday

Yesterday was kind of lazy.  We had "happy pants" on all day (our elastic waist flannel pants.)  We went to the park and swung on the swings.  We made puppy chow, which explains Ingrid's chocolate covered face.  We watched Yo Gabba Gabba, which explains the zombie on the blanket.  I got to sew a little, and do laundry.  Good day.

Puppy Chow Recipe:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup chocolate chips

1 stick of butter

6-7 cups of Crispix, Corn Chex or similar cereal

3 cups powdered sugar

Melt peanut butter, choc. chips and butter.  Pour over cereal, coat well.  Put the powdered sugar in a gallon bag, put in covered cereal and shake until covered with the sugar.  Refrigerate.  Or just eat and get chocolate smeared all over...Your choice!

Black Bean Soup

Yesterday I made the BEST black bean soup ever. Recipe:

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can veg broth

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 red onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

dash of cayenne

Saute the veggies in oil and spices a few minutes, then add broth and beans. Cook on low 25 minutes, then let cool. Puree in blender. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a dollop of sour cream. YUM.

Brendan wrinkled his nose and refused to eat it, but he missed out. Ingrid and I ate two bowls apiece! We made corn muffins to go along and it was a great meal that was really filling. Tonight is lentil stew with homemade bread, another thing Brendan will probably refuse to eat. Please do not pass that on to Ingrid, she is gung ho about eating ANYTHING!!

Here she is eating her soup last night. Bath time was directly after dinner time.