Green Options

What do you like in your oatmeal? Today I like thin sliced almonds and dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries, golden raisins and a twirl of honey (shown below). This tastes delicious with my black-cherry tea.

Depending on your current breakfast cereal buying, I’d be willing to bet you’ll save between half and three-quarters of your current spending, and get a breakfast granola that’s tailored to your own preferences.

Granted, winter squash isn’t typical breakfast fare. But when you’re in need of a creative new way to use that pile of butternut, acorn or any other varietal, try this out-of-the box quiche.

For quiche newbies, this is an ideal, simple recipe to start with since there is no crust. Plus it is an easy recipe to experiment with as pretty much any type of winter squash will work, including pumpkin. I’ll often steam several cleaned and cut-up squash at once, puree in the food processor and freeze in one-cup allotments in plastic bags, making for easy meal prep.

Recipe after the jump . . .

I usually feed my children oatmeal and hot chocolate for breakfast, but on occasion, organic cold cereal is a quick solution on a rushed morning.  We have tried Envirokidz organic cereal, and my favorite flavor is the gluten-free Gorilla Munch.  Nature’s Path has just introduced two new flavors of Envirokidz: Leapin’ Lemurs and Penguin Puffs.

The Story Behind Nature’s Path

The story behind Nature’s Path is kind of interesting. In 1971, Arran Stephens and a business partner opened LifeStream, Canada’s first large organic supermarket.  This store quickly expanded into a natural food line founded on the principle of “wholesome foods grown and processed in harmony with nature”.  Ten years later, an awkward partnership led to the sale of the company to Kraft/Philip Morris.  In 1985, Arran and his wife Ratana started Nature’s Path, which quickly grew to the point that they built the first third-party certified organic cereal plant in the world in BC.  Arran and Ratana were even able to purchase Lifestream back from Kraft, something you don’t usually hear of happening when giant corporations buy out smaller health food companies.

Parenting is a juggling act.

We’re trying to balance our kids’ needs and our own time, our budget and our health, our relationships, our jobs, and our sanity.

It’s not simple.

It’s not really hard, either, but there are some tips and tricks to keeping your parenting fun, healthy, and inexpensive. Feeding your little people on a budget can be challenging, and making time to prepare whole foods seems impossible for parents on the go.

When we were oh, so young and unattached, with no dependents, and the robust health of youth, we could eat pizza and ice cream every day, live on coffee and granola bars, go out to eat for lunch and dinner, or let the pantry stay empty for weeks.

Then along comes baby. Big change. We now need to make sure the fridge is full and the cupboards are stocked. And we don’t want to feed our children junky stuff, no matter how cheap it is. We are what we eat, the saying goes, and our children learn about food by watching us shop for, prepare, and eat the family meals.

My day never begins with a leisurely breakfast in bed. Likely because my spouse is not a morning person, and the only other morning person around is under four, and she wakes me up daily before seven. However, the Kiddo makes some tasty scrambled eggs as long as I do the stove part and raw egg part. And, I have my hopes up for the years to come.

In the meantime, I will share a few favorite breakfast dishes that you moms could, say, print out, circle in great big red ink, and leave out on the counter just before hanging the “Do Not Disturb Until 9:30, or My Breakfast is Ready” sign on the bedroom door. I will live vicariously through you.

Best French Toast Ever, Shirred Eggs, and Breakfast Panini recipes after the jump.