Breakfast ideas

When I tell people my kids only eat dry cereal once a week, if at all, they look at me with a blank stare. What do you feed them? Well, I feed my kids a variety of wholesome breakfasts that will give them the best start to their day. That means whole, unrefined foods. It means foods that are full of minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and protein. Here are some of the things we have been eating:

1) Good quality yogurt (farm fresh, traditionally prepared) plain or with sweetened with maple syrup and homemade granola

2) Hard boiled high quality  eggs (from the farm, cage-free, antibiotic free)

3) Grain-free Pancakes from the blog – www.simplybeingwell.com . The recipe on the blog calls for 3 eggs, 2 tbsp. of nut butter and one banana. I have found we like to swap the numbers to 3 tbsp. nut butter (sunflower, almond, cashew), 2 eggs and 1 banana. Loaded with protein! Great for snacks too, or the lunchbox.

4) Gluten-free pancakes from the blog www.cookusinterruptus.com . These are amazing. You just need to soak at night. We do it on Friday to have pancakes every Saturday. The yogurt and oats make these so nutritious.

5) Pecans (done the way from Sally Fallon’s book, Nourishing traditions. Soak over-night with some salt. Then dry in oven on warm for 8-12 hours. The taste is amazing.) We always have on hand and some in the freezer. Serve with some fruit or yogurt and/or toast.

6) Toast with coconut oil on it. Whole grain or sourdough bread. Can use gluten-free if needed. We have been using the chocolate spread lately —  full of antioxidants! Serve with a piece of fruit.
7) Scrambled eggs. (again, a high quality egg)

 8.)  Apples (organic or farmed with minimal pesticides. Hard to find local apples that are organic) with peanut butter or other nut-butter on them. I have cut in half scooped out core, and filled with nut-butter. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with homemade granola.

9) Oatmeal with highquality butter and maple syrup. We use steel cut gluten-free oats. Somtimes we soak the oats over-night with a tbsp. of yogurt and water to add nutrients and beneficial enzymes. (but not neccessary!)

10) Quiche- left over from dinner before or out of the freezer. You can make any variety- but here is one I posted: quiche

11) Healthy muffins of “cookies”. I do not recommend refined grain product often, especially for breakfast. But everyonce in a while it is a nice treat! I try to pair with a protien to balance out the lack of nutrients in a refined grain, and the crash that can come with it. I also add things to the actual baked good to up the nutritional ante. Here are some examples: GF/Egg free oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal carrot cookie, oatmeal cookie, GF zuchinni muffins, GF sweet potato muffins, pumkin muffins.

Yes, we do occasionally serve a high quality cereal (whole grain, low sugar) , a frozen waffle (fewer than 5 ingredients, whole grain, no sugar), or a granola bar (could make your own homemade granola bars. But for the most part it is what is listed above.

**You can pair fresh fruit and/or smoothie with any meal. We often do green smoothies, but have also done yogurt/kefir smoothies with nut-butter and banana on days we need protein (ie toast day?) We also have a good quality bacon or sausage from time to time.

Have fun! There are a ton of foods to feed your kids in the morning that will give them a better shot at getting through the day healthy and happy! These are just a few suggestions.