For many of you breakfast is the first of many times during the day when Mommy Guilt steps in.
We feed them and think, ‘That’s not good enough, though it’ll have to do….’ We drop them off at school in the nick of time, you’re all stressed out and we think, ‘They’ll be fine once they get in the classroom…’ We pick them up late, drop them off at home, then head back to the office for a meeting (or to church, or to cook club, exercise class, or run another sibling off to violin) … is this beginning to sound familiar?
I carry plenty of Mommy Guilt for all of us, so I invite you to drop yours right here –> __________.
Yes, please fill in the blanks with whatever isn’t working at the moment about the role of Motherhood, and especially that of feeding your children. DROP IT RIGHT HERE –> ___________.
Here’s a bit more space in the event you’ve really got a racket going –> ____________.
There, I feel better. Do you?
Here are 7 steps to a heather breakfast
Tip #1: Let go of feeling bad, wrong, uneducated, or whatever it is you’re carrying around. If you haven’t done this, see those blank lines ^^up there^^.
Tip #2: If you’re serious about getting a healthier breakfast in for everyone, start with slowly pulling out the sugar. For example, if you’re the cereal and juice family, opt for something like a whole grain flakes and set aside Cap’n Crunch. Keep in mind sugar sneaks in to cereals that look healthy, too (to the tune of 4grams=1tsp), so even though a whole grain flake isn’t that much better, it’s a step in the right direction.
Tip #3: Plug in some protein. Great concentrated sources include eggs and/or meat. Plain whole milk full fat yogurt (or goat yogurt for those who can’t tolerate moo cow yogurt) can work as well, or adding a clean whey protein powder to a smoothie also works.
Tip #4: Look at your carbs. With breakfast our carbs often come in the form of cereals, pastries, breads/toast, waffles/pancakes, oatmeal and the like. Did you know you can switch out those carbs for a more colorful and filling palate? Adding a colorful carb such as fruit or vegetable (sweet potato being our favorite colorful morning carb addition) is a nice way to get that full-up feeling without later noticing bloating or gas.
Tip #5: Switch out your sweets. If you are the pancake/waffle eater, go for a raw honey or real maple syrup topping (far lesser amounts go way further in taste and texture here) and say goodbye to Aunt Jemima. She is full of high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring, which makes us eat more of said food. Real maple syrup and raw honey are still sugars though the benefit is they are a REAL food, not a processed one.
Tip #6: Get creative. Breakfast doesn’t have to mean cereal, eggs, oatmeal, etc. Warm up last night’s soup, stir fry or roasted chicken and veggies. It’s likely to be way more nutrient dense than your current breakfast.
Tip #7: Find healthy alternatives to current favorites, such as these recipes below.
Yummy breakfast recipes to try:
- sweet potato hash/ breakfast sausage from the farm with eggs and onions. For this I brown sausage and sauté an onion from the farm in our cast iron skillet and toss in a back of Stahlbush Organic Sweet Potato Cubes until they are warmed through…then on top of that cooked pile of goodness, I crack a few eggs and allow them to set up a minute or two, then pop the cast iron skillet in the broiler for a few more minutes, scoop and serve.
- homemade gluten free granola is always a huge hit at our house
- this grain free granola is super easy…I bake it in my oven instead of dehydrating it
- these muffins from my friend Kate, the Real Food RN, are a huge hit with our family, and can be used at any time of the day.
- my family’s current favorite grain-free waffle recipe, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside
- a tasty and easy way to use quinoa, a protein packed seed/ancient grain is quinoa pancakes
