I don’t know about you but mornings during the week are CRAZY in our house! For me it’s three breakfasts, three clothing picks, three hair do’s, oh and don’t forget the shoe choice?! So, breakfast for my kids has to be simple but I still want to pack them with as much nutritional punch as possible. One of the main goals I’ve had over the last year is really trying to eliminate main stream cereals. Have I been successful? Not entirely, but it’s baby steps right? I’ve created these three simple recipes with my kid’s taste buds in mind and my want for a nutritional start to the day.
Breakfast Cookie Cups
These breakfast cookie cups are just plain fun! They are cute, don’t require utensils to eat and can be customized to each kid’s taste buds. They are packed with fruit, a little hemp protein and a whole lot of good old fashioned oats (you can also make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free oats). I love the hemp seeds in this recipe, there are so many good things to say about hemp but the number one thing I love is the protein quantity and quality. The hemp seed is 25% protein, about 30% oils (good ones) and the rest is made up of fiber, vitamins and minerals. (1) You honestly can’t go wrong with hemp seeds. These perfect little breakfast cups have just the right sweetness plus you can add any topping you see fit: yogurt, nut butter, fruit, jam and the list goes on. Turns out these are also a great Mom snack as you are running out the door!
Click here for the Breakfast Cookie Cup recipe.
Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats
Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats
Chocolate coconut overnight oats are an easy sell in my house. These can be super fun because your kids can help make them. Overnight oats are easy, can be customized by child but does require you to think about it the night before. The one ingredient I love in these oats is Cacao. Cacao packs a ton of great antioxidants and it is the natural sugar free state of chocolate. You may ask, what’s the difference between cacao and cocoa? Well, it’s simple, cacao is a less processed form of cocoa. Cacao powder comes from cold pressing unroasted cacao beans, this keeps the living enzymes and removes the fat (cocoa butter). Versus cocoa which is the result of roasting cacao beans at high temperatures, unfortunately this reduces the enzyme content and lowers the overall nutritional value. In my books, use cacao powder in place of cocoa powder whenever possible!
Click here for the Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats recipe.
Creamsicle Smoothie
Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
This orange creamsicle smoothie just sounds yummy doesn’t it? This is one of my “go-to” smoothies at home, it’s light, refreshing, creamy and packed with vitamin C. During the fall and winter months, I find this smoothie brings a little sunshine to our morning and my girls never complain about drinking it. You can substitute any type of yogurt or kefir, the key ingredient is really the oranges and honey to round out the sweetness. I have recently discovered Camu Camu Powder, which has 40 x more vitamin C than one orange, packed in one serving! I add 1 tsp to this smoothie recipe and the kids can’t tell the difference. It does have a fairly strong taste so don’t go overboard! This is the perfect smoothie to fight flu season!
Click here for the Orange Creamsicle Smoothie recipe.
- Callaway, J.C. Euphytica (2004) 140: 65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-004-4811-6
