Simply Smiley: No Cereal Breakfast

Good morning happy boys!

What a fun way to greet my happy guys in the morning.  This breakfast is extremely simple and fun.

1 bagel (we used blueberry)

a hand full of grapes

a slathering of honey nut cream cheese

a dozen or so pieces of spinach

What makes your breakfast happy?

Warming it up: No cereal breakfast (er - kind of)

Okay, so this is hot cereal, but it's not boxed junk filled with sugar and other weird things that give you all kinds of ridiculous health problems that I just don't even want to think about my kids having...

Fruity Oatmeal

This is not hard folks - if you don't know how to make oatmeal, buy a canister and read the package.  Then chuck a bunch of your favorite fruits in it.  It was too hot for the boys, so I added some yogurt (seemed like a good change from milk).  I also had some leftover banana puree, so I put that into the mix.  Mama's oatmeal had peanut butter and banana, no other fruit or yogurt.

What a great way to start the day!

Do you like hot cereal?  If so, what do you put in it?

Spliting Up: No Cereal Breakfast

Oh yes, the breakfast BANANA SPLIT!

I could tell you how much my boys begged for more, but try it at your home and see how it works out for you.  I've actually served this one to them before, but they don't remember - and I'm glad.  The last version had chocolate drizzle on it - while that was certainly tasty - this was healthy and they loved it just the same.

My recipe for the day

1/2 banana, split down the middle

1/2 apple thinly sliced

1/2 prune plum thinly sliced

1 hand full of cranberry raisins

1 sprinkle of grape nut cereal

(okay, so it wasn't entirely cereal free)

makes 1 breakfast

This tasty breakfast varies with the seasons and sales.  We were out of oranges or they definitely would have had some.  Peanut butter would be a fantastic addition as well.

What are your favorite banana split toppings?

Up & At'em: No Cereal Breakfast

Baked Oatmeal Muffins

We are getting creative as a family as we look for solutions to meals on the go and no-cereal breakfasts!  Last weekend we experimented with baked oatmeal together.  As a family we worked together to create 4 varieties of baked oatmeal muffins.  Below are recipes for our baked oatmeal.  Please understand that if you are the type of person that needs specific measurements for cooking, this recipe will not appeal to you.  I do not bake with measuring cups, rather with what looks and tastes just right.

The boys loved helping to pour, mix, smell, taste, and sample our baked oatmeal muffins as we tested out a variety.  We made approximately 2.5 dozen muffins in a very short amount of time and with very little material.  Just start thinking about what you like in your oatmeal - mix and bake.  We baked at 380 for about 20 minutes - or until the muffins were dry and stuck together.  Recipes for our muffins are below Azariah.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Pie

Oatmeal

Applesauce

Chocolate Chips

Canned Pumpkin

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Apple Pie

Oatmeal

Finely diced Apple

Applesauce

Cinnamon

Brown Sugar

Clove

Ground Flax Seed

Banana Dream

Oatmeal

Pureed Banana

Unsweetened Dried Coconut

Chocolate Chips

Walnut Chunks

Pumpkin Pie

Oatmeal

Pumpkin

Pureed Banana

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Get'em Moving: No Cereal Breakfast

By now you know I'm weird.  There's no doubt about that.  Among my weirdness is a desire to teach my children not rely on cereal for breakfast.  Quite honestly it has taken more training for me than for them.  Cereal is easy, and we received WIC for quite a while, which provided WAY too much cereal and made it very easy to slip into the unhealthy trap of serving it every morning.

We have been working on modifying diet at our house, and breakfast has been a big part of that.  In fact, I would say that breakfast tends to be the most tricky part for me.  Why?  I'm diabetic, so I prefer low-carb meals.  Cassius is allergic to eggs and peanut - that knocks out most granola bars, waffles, and pancakes.  So we look for other options.  I've decided to spend a few posts sharing some of our favorite non-cereal breakfasts with you.

Graham Cracker Sandwiches got my boys moving this morning.  Literally.  Manasseh was snuggled up in my lap, he did NOT want anything to do with waking up.  I told him what his brother had gotten for breakfast and he jumped up and began to follow instructions immediately.  So here they are:

Graham Cracker Sandwiches

1 Graham Cracker

Peanut Butter (or other nut butter)

Craisins (or raisins)

Banana slices

Seriously - it's that simple.  The boys at them quickly and felt satisfied when they were done.  They had fruit, protein, and a bread.  They ate them with a side of almond milk.  A complete breakfast!