cookies in the morning

This breakfast cookie is one of the best I've tried. It's an adaptation from the Sneaky Chef. We eat them more as a mid-morning or after-nap snack, but they are great to grab on your way out the door to eat on the go (and much safer than the usual bowl of cereal in the car trick my husband likes to try).

And of course you can mix up what you add in. We like dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. You could try raisins, apricots, coconut, almonds, pecans - or nothing at all! Play around with fun combinations.

So, here it is.

3-4 cups whole grain cereal flakes (like Total)
1/4 cup wheat germ or oat bran
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Use a rolling pin or mallet to crush the cereal in a plastic bag. Or just stick it in the food processor. You should have about 2 cups of coarsely crushed cereal when you're done.

Mix together cereal, wheat germ or oat bran (oat bran has a more appealing flavor for kids), flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, stir together egg, sugar, oil, vanilla and cheese. Combine the two mixtures.

I like to make bigger cookies, so I use about 1/4 cup per cookie and flatten them slightly on the cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes, until the edges are just slightly brown. Let them cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Enjoy... And let me know if you come up with any noteworthy combinations!

breakfast sandwiches...

... are one of my favorite ways to start my day.  And they keep me full a lot longer than a bowl of cereal, which is good when you've got little guys running and crawling around, needing you most moments of the day.  Plus it comes together in just a few minutes!

Here is one worth trying.  Bonus: sneaking in an extra serving of vegetables for the day.

I used cracked wheat sourdough, but use what you've got - don't forget your whole grains!  If you have a toaster oven, top the bread with an ounce of reduced fat cheese.  Right now I have havarti, and it is so good on this sandwich! If you don't have a toaster oven, just grate the cheese into your egg and throw your bread in the toaster. Now chop up one broccoli floret and microwave it for about 45 seconds to soften it. Scramble up an egg with the broccoli, and a little salt and pepper (and the cheese if that's how you're doing it). Now make yourself a little sandwich and enjoy! And feel good about it.

a new treat for the boy

If there is one thing that I could get him to eat everyday, it's yogurt.  Up until now, it's been Yo Baby, which he absolutely loves and I feel pretty good about.  It's organic, so that's a plus.  The drawbacks, two years into his yogurt eating, is that it's pretty pricey and has 13 grams of sugar per serving. 

So this week I tried something new.  I bought my favorite yogurt, Nancy's Honey Yogurt.  It's made with whole milk and has less than half of the sugar of other yogurts.  It is not at all sweet, so for my little one, it needs a little doctoring.

I add less than a teaspoon of blue agave syrup (use honey if you'd rather), and 3-4 large strawberries, chopped finely, to about 1/2 cup of yogurt.  You can use any fruit your kiddo prefers.  If they like yogurt, they are going to gobble it up, and it is sweet enough without being overly so, and has half the sugar of any yogurt you'll find on the shelf.

Want to make it a meal or an extra special treat?  Add some plain cheerios (I used the generic Trader Joe's brand).  That is a favorite breakfast around here.

Got any other mix in ideas - let me know!

baked oatmeal

I don't know if you all have heard about the CrockPot Lady, but her blog is pretty amazing.  She has been making something new in her crock pot every day this year and from what I have seen, it all looks super healthy, and tasty to boot. 

I was browsing through it tonight and came upon this recipe for baked oatmeal,  which I am going to try this week.  As if oatmeal could be any easier, she comes up with a very convenient way to prep it for the week.  And she says it tastes like cookies, so really, how could you go wrong?

Shall we try it together?  Let me know what you think if you do try it.  I know one kid who is going to love it.

12/14/08 update:  LOVE IT!

healthy breakfast = scones?

Yep.  These little babies are good for you.  And they have less calories than the new mini scones they offer at Starbucks.  Seriously, I got one of those, thinking, "Well, it is petite".  Yeah, not so petite in the calorie department.  Anyway, here is a healthy and tasty alternative.  Have them for breakfast, have them for tea, have them whenever - they're good.

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 egg, beaten until kinda frothy
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/3 cup skim milk
• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper (or just spray it with some Pam). 
• Mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, and dried fruit. 
• Make a well in the center. 
• Add butter, milk and applesauce to your frothy egg (sorry, I know that sounds a little unpleasant).  
• Pour into the well, and mix until you have a soft dough. 
• Pat into two 1/2" thick circles and put them on your cookie sheet. Score 8 wedges into each circle. 
• Bake 15 minutes until they rise a bit and turn golden. Split them into wedges and serve.  

And be proud of yourself when you eat them!  My kiddo loves these "cones" - I hope yours does, too!