Breakfast Treats

If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that I try to get my kid to eat healthy things all the live long day. But he's in an "I'm-going-to-assert-my-toddler-independence-and-do-the-opposite-of-what-you-want-me-to-do" phase right now, which means many of my attempts are met with lackluster results. I never give in to the point that I offer him marshmallows instead of vegetables (the child has never even had a marshmallow), but there are times when I need him to eat, so I have to offer him something I know he'll go for (i.e. a banana, peanut butter on whole wheat bread, cottage cheese, etc). I recently discovered weelicious.com, which boasts an impressive array of healthy recipes. Some aren't for me - I would never make my own crackers, for instance, but everything I have tried so far has been a winner. I thought I'd share my most recent culinary adventures in the breakfast department: Banana Waffles and Very Berry Muffins.

Breakfast is often Sweets' best meal of the day, so I try to capitalize on that and serve him really nutritious things to start his day right. These two recipes fit the bill perfectly!

First up: Banana Waffles. I made up a batch of these on a Saturday morning when Hubs was out hunting and it was just me and Sweets for breakfast. They were easy, fast and delicious, and the recipe made enough batter than I have a bag of them in the freezer for more quick, healthy breakfasts down the road. I like that there is no added sugar, and they are full of good-for-you fare like whole wheat flour, cinnamon and bananas. I added a sprinkle of wheat germ to ours, and spread them with peanut butter. YUM. We both gobbled them up!

I also tried the Very Berry Muffins and they were like little bites of berry-filled heaven ;) I love muffins because they're so easy to fill with wholesome ingredients, and to grab on a busy weekday morning when we're all running out the door. Obviously my $80 per week grocery budget doesn't allow for tons of fresh berries in the middle of winter, so I used frozen ones instead.

Just as nutritious, and I had a coupon!

These muffins were a huge hit. Loaded with anti-oxident rich berries, whole wheat flour and oats, they tasted delicious and kept us going until lunch time! We ate them up so quickly I didn't have a chance to photograph them, so this is courtesy of weelicious:

And I just wanted to take a moment and put in a plug for one of our other healthy mealtime favorites around here: Chobani Organic Greek Yogurt. Did you know they make a kids' version? They are perfect for a quick lunch or protein-packed snack without a lot of sugar or additives. Since they come in a handy 4-pack, one often appears in mama's lunch as well ;)

Lunch of champions.

This yogurt is Sweetie Pea endorsed.