Breakfast of Champions

I've never been big on breakfast. Growing up, that meal usually consisted of over-cooked scrambled eggs drenched in ketchup, greasy bacon, and those awful frozen hash brown potatoes. Blech.
So, obviously I didn't have a great representation on how good breakfast could be.
Since having kids, I have found out how important a good start to the day really is.
I cannot send my kids to school with a sugar-heavy "granola" bar in good conscious.
Within an hour or two, they'd crash from the sugar high and be starving and tired.
So, I try to send them off with something a little more nutritious than just a bowl of cereal.

Today, we had homemade Banana Bread & scrambled eggs with sauteed garlic & zucchini, topped with salsa.
It was simple & delicious and the kids ate every bite.

Now, I don't want to get all preachy about what I think kids should be allowed to eat & drink, but come on, folks.  You can't feed your kid a Pop Tart for breakfast & a Fruit Gusher for snack every day and be surprised when he ends up with 9 cavities and diabetes.
Kids can be picky, I know. My 2nd youngest has PDD-NOS and is very particular when it comes to what and how he eats, so I totally understand how hard it is to get kids to try new things......especially green, healthy things. But that is why it's SO important to start when they're young, when they first begin to grab for food off your plate, shove the beets in their direction instead of the mashed potatoes.
Don't get me wrong- a treat every now & then isn't going to kill anyone, but doesn't it make that treat more exciting when it's reserved for special occasions?
Even I, the completely pastry obsessed, know that you can't eat a cupcake every day and not pay the consequences.

Ok, now that I've ranted a bit, I'd love to hear from you.
I've altered my banana bread to contain less sugar & oil than the original recipe but I'd like to see your tried & true healthy version.
So please, send in your recipes! You can click the "Contact Me" link at the top of the page or simply post it in a comment below.

Easy Curried Veggies recipe

Sometimes I'm in the mood for something a little different than boring old steamed veggies.
Like today, I had been craving Indian food, but didn't want to spend the money to eat out, so
I took a basic recipe I had for Potato Masala and made a bunch of changes to make it my own.
This recipe is totally easy to make, I promise you cannot mess this up.

Ingredients:
1 lb cauliflower- cut into florets
8 oz potato- cubed
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic- minced
1/8 t ground ginger
1 t salt
1 14oz can diced tomatoes with liquid
2 t Curry powder (or more if you'd like but don't over do it)

Directions:
Heat oil in large pan on medium heat. Add garlic, ginger & salt.
Stir about 30 seconds (don't you burn that garlic, you hear me?!)
Add tomatoes, cook for about 1 minute.
Add Curry powder.
Add potatoes & cauliflower.
Stir so everything is incorporated well.
Bring to boiling, then reduce heat to low.
Simmer, covered for about 30 mins. or when veggies are tender (but not mushy!)

You could add tofu or chickpeas to make it more of a complete meal if you'd like, or prepare it as an accompaniment to your main course, or just do what I did & eat it the way it is.
Yummy!

Oatmeal PB & Banana cookies (vegan)

(Re-posting from an old blog. these cookies are so good, it was worth posting the recipe again here!)


Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal cookies (vegan)

Having family members that are vegan means that I've been having to teach myself how to adapt recipes to make them vegan & yummy. Being vegan doesn't mean anyone should have to be left out of the fun when it comes to eating desserts (or any other food for that matter!). I'm no expert when it comes to vegan cooking, I'm just a beginner.
But these cookies turned out amazing, if I do say so myself :)
Enjoy!


Ingredients:
3/4 cup smart balance, softened
1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup smashed banana
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large mixing bowl beat Smart Balance and peanut butter about 30 seconds or until combined.

Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.

Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Beat in banana and vanilla until combined.

Stir in flour a little at a time till it's all mixed in.

Stir in rolled oats.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake about 10 minutes in preheated oven or until edges lightly browned.

Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.

Whole grain, low fat, vegan chocolate cake!

Just because we're trying to live a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean we should have to miss out on all the yummy baked goods the world has to offer.  I don't know about you, but I LOVE to bake.
I bake a few times a week.  I must be lucky because none of us has suffered any real consequences, though now that I have turned 30, people keep assuring me that my metabolism is going to come to a complete halt and all those cupcakes & cookies I've been eating will come to haunt me.
So, I figured the smart thing to do would be to try to alter some of my recipes.
That way, we can enjoy our baked goods with limited amounts of guilt.

Today I altered a one-bowl vegan chocolate cake recipe that gets rave reviews.  Using the vegan recipe over another was a no-brainer. 
It already omits eggs so by leaving out the oil, it's cholesterol free.

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350
lightly spray 8 inch round cake pan

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour 
1 cup sugar 
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp salt 
1 cup warm water 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 
1 tsp apple cider vinegar 


In large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa powder, salt & baking powder.  
Sift whole wheat flour TWICE before adding to dry ingredients (cake will be really dense if you don't do this)
Lightly stir all dry ingredients & create well. Add warm water, vanilla, applesauce & vinegar.
Combine but be careful to not over-mix- you want a little air in the batter.


Bake for aprox. 25 mins. DO NOT OVERBAKE. You know your oven, if it's a hot one, watch it.


Let cool for a couple of hours, then dust with powdered sugar or glaze.

I glazed mine but you're not getting my glaze recipe, haha. It's a secret and one of my only claims to fame.


I will tell you this though- if you accidentally over-bake your cake (it's easy if you're baking with whole grains for the first time) then pouring a glaze over it & letting the cake soak it up is a great, easy fix and no one will be any wiser.