This week was all about breakfast and trying out some new things. Some were successful. Some were not. One was so good that we also enjoyed it for dessert. Owen is now feeding himself well from a spoon and a fork. He needs some help with scooping and stabbing, but the rest is mastered. Wyatt is just starting to be willing to even hold the utensil for a few minutes of a meal. Both boys enjoy drinking water straight from a cup and getting about 5% in their mouths and the rest down the front of their shirts. This is a great outside summer activity!
Food Description
Eggs and healthy grains are a great way to start out your day. Add in some fresh fruit and vegetables and you’ll really be off to a great start. We find breakfast an important meal in the day and really enjoy this time together before we all go about our days.
Process
Easy Breakfast Frittata
INGREDIENTS
1/2 onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 tomato, seeds removed and diced
4 large eggs
splash of milk
3 T fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cook onion over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes or until translucent and soft.
Add garlic, mushrooms and saute for 2 min. Add tomato, salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Stir well.
Beat eggs well with a splash of milk and season with salt and pepper. Mix in basil. Pour eggs over veggies evenly and turn heat to low. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until firm. Cut into wedges and serve.
Cinnamon Sugar Muffins
adapted from Muffins that Taste Like Donuts
INGREDIENTS FOR MUFFINS
1 3/4 cup Spelt Flour (or whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/3 cup Coconut Oil
3/4 cup Rapadura (or sugar)
1 whole Egg
3/4 cup Milk
INGREDIENTS FOR TOPPING
1/4 cup Butter
1/3 cup White Sugar (I used Rapadura)
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
DIRECTIONS
Grease one standard size muffin pan with butter or coconut oil.
Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Mix together oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.
Fill standard sized muffin tins with the 1/4 cup batter per muffin.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes.
Melt the butter in a bowl. Combine the Rapadura (sugar) with the cinnamon in another bowl. Shake muffins out of pan while still hot. Dip muffin tops in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix. Let cool.
Makes 1 dozen.
German Pancakes
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat, but bread flour may rise more)
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Melt 4 TBS butter in 8″ or 10″ cast iron skillet in oven to while preheating to 400°. (9×9 pan will work as well, or double recipe for 9×12 pan)
Mix all ingredients together.
Pour into hot pan, allowing butter to rise to the top.
Bake for 20-25 mintues.
Serve with pure maple syrup or your choice of toppings. Consider fruit or cinnamon in the mix or on top.
What I Learned
Breakfast has always been a favorite meal of mine, but I realized recently that we were having scrambled eggs and fruit way too often. It was time to change it up a little. Variety is good and breakfast is yummy.
Reaction
Both boys enjoy most everything at breakfast, so these have also been a big hit. The German Pancakes and Muffins were a true highlight to our week. We even enjoyed the rest of the muffins for a few after-dinner desserts the rest of the week.
Summary
These foods have been added to the weekly rotation as Jonathan would say. When I get that comment, then I know it’s good.
Tags: breakfast, egg, family, omega-3, recipe, whole grain
We keep breakfast simple around our house. My husband often comments about how “routine” it seems to be with the boys, but it makes it easier for me first thing in the morning and they sure don’t seem to complain.
A typical breakfast now at almost 14 months and since, well for quite a while now is the following:
- oatmeal + apples + cinnamon
- cut up banana pieces
- milk
Steel cut oats
are the best as they are not processed as much as rolled ones. I would suggest not using quick cooking oats and you might want to try organic. We sometimes get wild and crazy and do something like oranges or kiwi and may add something like toast. I also will add scrambled eggs and I really love these healthy pancakes with just butter when I have some pre-made.
Even though we are kind of boring with our breakfast, I thought I would share some fun links I’ve found in the past and may try in the future.
Please share your thoughts and ideas.
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Tags: breakfast
This has been a great post-birthday week. The boys have been a little wacky on napping, but we really are enjoying our second year! They’ve added wheat germ, tomatoes, and pancakes to their list of firsts this week and liked every bit of it.
FOOD DESCRIPTION
I finally put the ingredients that I bought for healthy flour to work this week and made some whole grain pancakes. I didn’t introduce syrup or any toppings although real maple syrup, butter, fruit jellies, peanut butter, and other spreads would be great. We also didn’t do these for breakfast, as I’m not so inclined to get up that early yet, but rather had them for lunch. I some times get the question about “when” and I will tell you that I always think ahead when planning my day, or especially something new. I put the boys down for their morning nap and went right to work making pancakes and preparing other small fruits and vegetables for meals in the refrigerator and freezer.
PROCESS
- Whole Grain Pancakes I made the pancake recipe from page 330 of Ruth Yaron’s book Super Baby Food, including the Super Flour mix from page 289. It was an easy recipe, mixing dry ingredients and adding eggs, milk and oil. I followed the recipe exactly and made them four at a time on my skillet. I moved them to cool on wire racks (after tasting one for myself, of course). Once they were cool, I kept one aside for lunch taste test and packaged up the rest with wax paper in a freezer bag. Be sure to let your pancakes bubble all the way on the first side before flipping. Also, watch for your skillet to get too hot as you’re cooking. It’s often the right temperature to start, but soon gets too hot and your pancakes will come out looking brown. Don’t mash them down or keep flipping them over as they will get tough.
PANCAKES
Mix in this order:
2 cups Super Flour
2 teaspoons baking soda (or baking powder)
2 lightly beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons oil (or melted butter)
Healthy Extras (I did not add any, but plan to next time around.)
SUPER FLOUR
2 tablespoons soy flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
(put all of the above in a two-cup dry measuring cup)
Top off the measuring cup with whole wheat flour.
Don’t overbeat the batter. Heat your skillet until hot and just a few drops of cold water jump and sizzle. You don’t want them to just lie there or evaporate instantaneously. Pour about 2-3 tablespoons of batter on the pan. Cook until the surface is filled with bulbbles. Flip and cook the other side 1 to 2 minutes more. Do not continue flipping or press down on the pancake or it will be heavy and tough.
- Spinach & Tomato Sauce With the addition of tomatoes this week, I decided to blend some together with spinach and garlic powder. This made a yummy sauce that I’ve served as a puree on a spoon and plan to mix with some whole wheat pasta for a single dish meal as well.
WHAT I LEARNED
A great way to have pancakes ready for breakfast is to make a batch ahead of time and freeze them for up to 3 months. They can heat in the oven or toaster oven for just a few minutes or just a few seconds in the microwave. To keep them separated and fresh when frozen, I placed 3 of them on a folded piece of wax paper. I had 4 of these groups to freeze, making 12 total pancakes in my freezer bag. See the example below.
REACTION
The pancakes were a great finger food addition to lunch and provided a nice, healthy alternative to bread, bagels, or crackers. I felt great about the ingredients and both boys liked the taste and texture.
SUMMARY
I’m excited about these new pancakes and look forward to thawing and serving for breakfast with a yummy topping soon!
Please share your thoughts or ideas.
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Tags: breakfast, flour, recipe, tomato, whole grain
