Breakfast at our House

Don't you love days when you have time to make and eat a good breakfast? L and I are both breakfast eaters. I've heard her say many times that she can't believe how many kids at school don't eat any breakfast, and how in the world do they make it until lunch? Although I don't do new year's resolutions, I did work last year on going to work later---which had the added benefit of giving me time to make a more substantial breakfast many days. I like the idea of my little baby girl (don't tell her I said that) running off to the bus with a full tummy. And since I've become a whole wheat pita nut, nothing is easier than throwing an egg inside along with some lettuce and tomatoes and whatever else---but always with a good shake of Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. Today's filling was chopped up Morningstar Farms "sausage" patties and fried eggs, mixed up with lots and lots of Dijon and Spicy Brown mustard. We each had a clementine with it.

You know what they say: The most important meal of the day.

Oatmeal Muffins

Penny, I think you would like these. And a shout-out to Sharon Baker---these have your name written all over them. Bake them once a week and keep on hand (I store mine in the fridge in a flat Tupperware thing). A great grab-and-go breakfast, especially if you add a dab of peanut butter. Good snack any time. We only have these 3 left, so I'm making another batch tomorrow for the week but instead of the banana I'm going to add 1/2 cup applesauce and grated carrots, so that it's kinda like a carrot cake. I'll be sure to add some fresh nutmeg to that one, in addition to cinnamon spice blend. You could also use a cut up apple....whatever you like. Oooh, Libby, I think they would make a great healthy kids snack, too, since little chubby fingers tend to like self-contained things like muffins they can grab themselves.

But in thinking about what makes it easy for me to just whip up a batch of these whenever I want, it's cuz I have the tools that work and make it so easy. This is not an advertisement for my Pampered Chef business, but these things really make all the difference for me. My muffin-making kit includes a Batter Bowl with lid, Large Scoop (perfect size for muffins--you want them uniform so they all bake at same time), Mix 'n Scraper, and Muffin Pan. This muffin pan is new, and I love it so much. Great for mini meat loaves, my mini quiches, etc. It's professional quality aluminized steel and cooks beautifully, then the clean-up takes 2 seconds at the sink and it's done. In case you're a piglet like me (well, granted, nobody is a piglet quite like me) muffins are built-in portion control for anything you would normally bake like a cake or bread. If you decide you need any of these tools, just holler or go here: www.pamperedchef.biz/susanmurray

Oatmeal Muffins

2 c uncooked oatmeal (old fashioned or quick)
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 c fat free skim milk (or what you want)
2 eggs (or ½ c egg beaters)
1 mashed up banana

1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I use P Chef Cinnamon Spice Blend)
1 tsp Canola Oil

Preheat oven to 350. Spray muffin tin – makes 8-9 large.

Combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients. Spray muffin tins, or coat with Pan-Eze. Bake 35-45 minutes (until golden brown)

You can change these muffins up; use 1/2 cup applesauce instead of the banana (probably increase sugar to closer to 1/2 cup if you use unsweetened applesauce); 1 pureed unpeeled apple. Another variation - Along with the applesauce, add 1 small dry package of either vanilla or banana instant sugar free fat free pudding mix. This is also good (I’ve been told) using pumpkin pie filling (unsweet) or just pureed pumpkin in place of the applesauce. Be sure to spice to fit whatever add-in's you're using.

Make ahead, nutritious, low-fat...What more is there?

The night before:

Mix a cup of your favorite yogurt with a half-cup of old-fashioned oatmeal---uncooked. Cover and leave in fridge overnight.

In the morning:

Throw in a handful of your favorite fruit, and maybe even top with a Tablespoonful of crunchy granola.

If you're having or going to a brunch, mix up a bunch of it in your most beautiful trifle bowl. For a 4th of July brunch I put a few blueberries in the bottom of the bowl, used lowfat vanilla yogurt mixed with the oatmeal, sprinkled more blueberries in the middle and then added the rest of the yogurt-oatmeal mixture. I covered the top with strawberries in the very center and blueberries to cover the rest of the top. It was beautiful, red-white-and-blue, and everyone loved it. Too bad it was the day before I started my food blog, or I would have had a picture of it. So, you make it and send me a pic of yours, ok?

For my everyday recipe, I use nonfat plain Greek yogurt and sometimes add a tiny bit of vanilla extract. I'm lazy/late in the morning, so I often cut up half a banana and mix it in the night before. If Lucy hasn't eaten all the blueberries, I love just a sprinkle on top. Between the Greek yogurt and the oatmeal, it's 28g of protein before you ever walk out the door--keeps you nicely filled up until lunch. Sometimes I eat it at night for dessert or a snack. Reminds me of the yogurt parfaits we had in Santa Fe at the market cafe on the Plaza. Enjoy!

Holiday Breakfasts

Don't you love weekends and holidays when you don't have to get up early and go to work? It means more time for breakfast! Possibly my favorite meal of the day, at least right up there with lunch, dinner, and snacks. Today being a no-work day gave me the chance to make my famous tah-dah Breakfast Potatoes. At least, they're famous to Lucy and me. She sometimes sits up like a little doggy and begs for them (homage to Joni and how she used to make babies and toddlers Nora and Mad beg for things----disgusting). My bfast menu for today was a 3-egg omelet (actually 1 egg and 1/4 cup egg beaters since the eggs are running low; I prefer 1 whole egg and 2 whites) stuffed with sauteed mushrooms, sauteed spinach, fresh tomatoes, and fat-free sharp cheddar cheese---yeah, I know, I know, fat-free cheese is a tool of the devil, but Lifetime from Whole Paycheck is at least edible and using it keeps me from having to count any Weight Watchers points for this opulent breakfast, so well worth it for me---Breakfast Potatoes to die for; canadian bacon; and a steaming hot cup o' joe straight from the coffee press. Not working is most civilized. Lucy slept too late for an omelet, but I fried up an egg and toasted a bagel for the little Princess. The kid is a good eater, albeit a veghead. I'm going to try to show both the omelet and the potatoes in their skillets, and a finale of my plate. After that, I could be found with my head on my plate and eyes rolled back in my head----like Randy used to do after a big bowl of ice cream! p.s. The gilding of the lily on the omelet is A-1 sauce: You can take the girl out of the country, but....