Wholesome, Kid-Friendly Breakfast Foods!

I have seen many posts recently about breakfast cereal.  Bottom line is, it just isn't good for our kids, no matter how we slice or dice it.  I will be the first to admit that I allow some organic, gluten free rice krispies and Enjoy Life chia flax cereal into our home for quick breakfasts here and there (no artificial colors or sweeteners and very low sugar - always sprinkled on top of coconut yogurt) but these are still very processed and do not hold my three year old over for very long... he is hungry again well before snack time!

For many of us, especially those of us who are working moms, we need breakfast to be quick and easy.  So, how do we accomplish this in a way that is healthy, wholesome and nourishing for our kids?  First off, we need to be planful.  The three recipes below will need to be prepared ahead of time.  But make a double or triple batch of any of these recipes, stick them in the freezer and defrost as needed and you are good to go for a great breakfast that your kiddos will love.

1.  "Chia Crunch Bars"

I have been working to find more easy, allergy free, grain free snack and breakfast options lately.  This is a new favorite in our house.  I keep these in the freezer at all times now!  You can eat them directly from the freezer - chewy and sweet.  They do not require any baking - they are raw and grain free!  My three year old loves them.  On mornings when we need to be out the door at 7:30, I make him a green smoothie and give him one of these to nibble on and he leaves the house for school ready to take on his busy morning at school!  This is also a great post workout snack or on the go breakfast for you busy moms and dads out there!

I double this recipe and press it into an 8x8 baking pan.  Stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes, pull it out and cut into squares.  Put the squares in a container or Ziploc bag in the freezer (they will not stick together as long as you keep them frozen). 

I add 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and about 1/8 cup (give or take) Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips to this recipe.

Click here for the recipe!

2.  I am blessed to live down the street from a very like-minded mama who is also always coming up with wonderful new breakfast and snack ideas while living with dietary restrictions similar to ours.  It is so nice to be able to exchange food and recipes.  Thanks to her, I have come to love this new breakfast/snack recipe.  They taste like oatmeal cookies but are totally guilt free.  You can easily play with this recipe and add your favorite dried or fresh fruit or seeds to this recipe.



Use an ice cream scoop to make pack a tight, round scoop of the mixture

Oatmeal Bakes
1/3 cup coconut oil
3 mashed bananas
1 cup dried cranberries

Oatmeal Bakes

1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups rolled oats

Mash bananas in bowl. Then add all other ingredients. Mix and let sit for about 15 minutes. Place onto cookie sheet (greased or use silpat or parchment paper) and bake 20-24 minutes or so, until golden brown. Let cool. Makes about 25.

Optional add ins:
Chocolate chips
Diced apples
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Raisins
Cinnamon

If I add an optional add in I take out some of the cranberries.

3.  Quinoa Banana Muffins

I just discovered this recipe (omit nuts if nut free).  It is one of the best allergy free muffin recipes that I have made thus far.  You can do add ins with this one too - raisins, dried cranberries, mini chocolate chips, etc.  Makes 15 muffins.  These are great served with a ham or turkey lunch meat roll-up and a little fresh fruit.  I sometimes add a little sunflower seed butter to the top for an extra filling breakfast!

Quinoa Banana Muffins

I'm back!

I am finally back to blogging!  It has been a long but necessary hiatus with the birth of our baby girl!  It has been an extremely busy few months.  I am looking forward to getting back to sharing my meal plans, recipes and wellness ideas with you!

With two children in the house, a part time job and all of the other normal household responsibilities on my plate, my menu plan strategies have shifted a bit.  A dear friend of mine and I have decided to focus more energy on freezer meals - I did this before the birth of my baby (see my last blog post) and they saved me during my maternity leave!  If all else failed, I could defrost one and pop it in the crock pot.  Preparing them is simple - you add the meat and veggies raw and freeze it, then defrost overnight and pop it in the crock pot for a wholesome meal at dinnertime.  All working parents should invest some time in this.  I made 3 recipes and my friend made 3 - we doubled them so each of us had 6 ziploc bags with the meals inside and swapped so that we each had 6 different meals.  It took me a total of two hours to prepare 3 recipes (6 meals).  So in 4 hours, you could have 12 meals (6 different recipes) to use throughout the month!

So, I will be dedicating some of my blog posts to freezer meals (both for the crock pot and for the stove/oven) and I will add them to my recipes page.  Have any of you made freezer meals for the crock pot or otherwise?  What works for you?  I'd love more ideas!

Freezer meals for this month (I am missing one recipe and will post soon)!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Italian Beef (last recipe in link, other freezer meals posted here too!)

Cranberry Pork Roast (I made this with homemade cranberry sauce and less than half the sugar called for in this recipe - I used sucanat)

Cajun Roasted Turkey Breast

Marmalade Curry Chicken

Pre-Baby Freezer/Bulk Cooking and Baking Plan

I know I have not been extremely diligent about my menu plans lately, for that I apologize!  Life is moving at a fast pace with the baby arriving in 6 weeks.  Whether you will have a new little one in your house soon or if you know you are in for a crazy couple of months with the holidays right around the corner, you may be interested in my plan, outlined below.  Because I have a child with food allergies, I have to be extra planful when it comes to mealtime.  With a newborn, I realize I will not have any time during the first 4-6 weeks to be cooking, so the plan below will help relieve me of my kitchen duties, at least for a little while!  Outside of this plan, I am trying to be conscious as I cook on a day to day basis - if I make a big pot of soup, for example, I freeze and label it to add to my stockpile.  The more bulk cooking I do now, the better off I will be! 

It is critical that I also have snacks and whole food meals on hand to nourish my body, since breastfeeding takes so much effort and energy!  I plan to have nourishing snacks (recipes also linked below) that I can pull out of the freezer to defrost or quickly warm up as I pass through the kitchen. 

I hope this plan helps you and your family during the busy months ahead!

Plan:
Week 1:  Prepare Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Week 2:  Prepare Chickens/Bone Broth
Week 3:  Prepare Marinara Sauce (Use your favorite sauce recipe, freeze in 2 cup portions, easy to defrost and add to bulk sausage, shredded or frozen veggies, etc. to ladle over noodles)
Week 4:  Prepare Sloppy Joes and Chicken Nuggets

Snacks:  Schedule a kid-less day/weekend, dedicated to baking and cooking.
Prepare crock pot meals (add all ingredients to Ziploc bags and freeze) on baking day/weekend 3-4 weeks prior to my due date


Snacks for Mommy

Lactation Muffins (makes two dozen!)
Breakfast Sandwiches (I'll use thin sliced nitrate-free ham to make them a little more compact)
Stock freezer with frozen fruit for smoothies!

Snacks for the Family

Allergy-friendly granola (2 batches)
Pumpkin Muffins 2 batches
Personal Size Oatmeal Bakes (sub with flax eggs) 2 batches

Crock Pot Dinners (freeze, defrost, into crock pot, done!)

Healthy Mama BBQ Chicken
Italian Beef (scroll for recipe)
Flank Steak Fajitas

Other Dinners:
Crock Pot Pulled Pork (separate into two bags, freeze flat)
Two whole chickens, roasted and meat shredded, separate into 2 cup portions (for quesadillas, soup, etc). I'll make two batches of bone broth from the chickens.
Marinara Sauce for freezer
Super Sloppy Joe's
Chicken Nuggets

***Make a list of all of the groceries you will need for your baking/cooking day so you have everything on hand.  Each week during the plan outlined above, make sure you add the things to your list that you will need to prepare the recipes as outlined.

Menu Plan Week of 10/8

It's better (very) late than never!  My little guy's birthday is tomorrow - he will be three years old!!!  I just cannot believe how time has flown by!  It is a time of reflection for me, as it has now been exactly two years since his food allergy diagnosis and about 18 months since his first major asthma episode.  We continue to manage all of this with diet, supplements, and Western medicine as needed.... and he is such a trooper!  I am so proud of him each day - even as an almost three year old he has been forced to process how he is "different" than other kids in so many ways, and he takes it all in stride and uses reasoning skills to do so that put him well beyond that of an average three year old.  He takes his supplements (a 5 minute morning and evening routine) without batting an eye.  And his little sense of humor and constant state of activity keep us on our toes.

I am looking forward to another year of fun and wellness with my little man....  and the little lady that will grace us with her presence come December! :)

Here is our menu plan this week!

Monday:  Butternut Squash and Sausage Soup (DF version with coconut milk, I did not strain it, just used the immersion blender - delicious and tons leftover!  I used Ferndale Market Italian Turkey Sausage - my favorite local sausage!)

Tuesday:  Chicken "Hurry" with green beans (Use just 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey, no sugar.  I also only use 1/2 cup of  organic ketchup.  And bone-in chicken breast)

Wednesday:  Birthday quesadillas with raw veggies

Thursday:  Baked Oatmeal

Friday:  OUT

Saturday:  Birthday Party leftovers (grass fed burgers, grass fed beef hot dogs, potato salad, corn chips and salsa, fruit, veggies)

Sunday:  TBD (I have all eyes on the birthday party, can't really plan past Saturday!) :)

Menu Plan Week of 9/24

It is a busy week (as usual these days) in our house, so it is critical for us to plan our meals ahead of time.  I am loving this fall weather, so a roast is definitely in order.  I have a couple new recipes to try thanks to some Facebook feedback, but I am going to try the one linked below first, with a few substitutions.  It looks so delicious and comforting for a fall day!

I realize I did not post a menu plan last week, so to make up for it I am posting the easiest, most delicious chili recipe that I whipped together last night.  See below the menu plan for all of the details.  It was SO good and the best part - you can put it together in one pot in about 15 minutes, let it simmer for another 45 minutes and it turned out so flavorful!  Add some organic blue corn tortilla chips on the side or crumbled over it - the perfect fall/football watching dinner!  This would also be a great freezer meal - defrost and warm up in a pan before serving!

Monday:  Hot dogs, kale chips, gf bread (Mommy is out!)

Tuesday:  Crock Pot Beef Roast (no steak sauce, I'll add raw cane sugar for the 1 tsp. called for)

Wednesday:  Crock Pot Risotto (this is definitely a meal to make on a day off, as it only takes a couple of hours, but lots of hands-off time which I love!)

Thursday:  Leftovers

Friday:  Quesadillas (with leftover roasted chicken from the freezer and lots of grated veggies, use Daiya dairy free/soy free cheese if needed - we use Food For Life Brown Rice tortillas).

Saturday:  Simple grill out

Sunday:  Out


Quick and Easy Veggie and Turkey Chili (adapted from We Are Not Martha's blog)
Servings:  4 big bowls!

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 C onion, chopped
1 C carrot, grated
1 C zucchini, grated
1 jalapeno, chopped (seeds in or out, depending on how spicy you want it)
1 clove garlic, chopped
2.5 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 tsp salt
1 lb ground turkey (pastured preferred)
2 T organic tomato paste
1 can organic black beans, drained & rinsed or 1.5 C frozen pre-cooked black beans
3 C organic vegetable broth (I use Pacific brand)

Melt oil.  Add and saute onion, carrot, zucchini and jalapeno until soft.  Add garlic and continue to saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add spices, saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add ground turkey and saute/break it up until cooked through.  Add tomato paste and mix.  Add broth and beans.  Bring to a boil and then down to a gentle simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The chili will thicken up significantly during this time, but continue to simmer until desired consistency is reached.  Serve with your favorite toppings!

Menu Plan week of 9/10

I have been away for quite awhile and hope to be back almost every week with menu plans for the new school year! 

We are expecting a baby girl in early December, which means life around here has become pretty busy.  So I will do what I can to keep up with posts, as I know many of you value the menu plans to make your lives a little easier this week!

I will also be posting my prep plan for freezer cooking before baby arrives.  I am 100% dedicated to keeping nutritious, whole foods on my table even in the crazy month or two following the birth of our child, especially since we will be in the midst of cold and flu season.  I'll be checking the co-op for specials on meat so that I can stock up and plan around the deals for my freezer/batch cooking! 

If any of you have great recipes that can be frozen and then defrosted or placed right in the oven with delicious results, please let me know!  Also, please check out my recipes page - I have updated it with dinner ideas, some new baked goodies and breakfast recipes!



Here is our menu plan for this week!

Monday:  GF/DF Chicken and Veggie Nuggets with sweet potato fries and greens

Tuesday:  Out

Wednesday:  Leftover Chicken Nuggets with salad (before swim lessons!)

Thursday:  Crock Pot Beef Stew (I make this without the potatoes) with rice

Friday:  Pizza night with salad

Saturday:  Crock Pot Chicken with veggies and corn on the cob

Sunday:  Grill out!

Menu Plan week of 7/25

Menu for this week!  Easy and lots of leftovers, great for busy summer days and evenings!

Monday: Out!

Tuesday: Super Sloppy Joes (decrease sugar to just a couple tbsp, I use rapadura)

Wednesday:  Leftovers

Thursday:  Baked Chicken with Summer Veggies (sub chicken broth for wine) served over pasta or rice

Friday:  Quesadillas using leftover chicken from Thursday, salad

Saturday:  BBQ with friends

Sunday:  To be determined (hope to make it to farmers market on Saturday for inspiration!)