Now that the new school year is underway, my days as a short order cook are over… at least when it comes to breakfast.
This summer, I could have easily earned employee of the month honors as a flapjack flipper at IHOP, but instead chose to use my pancake-making skills to keep my 7-year-old happy and full.
Kids need a healthy breakfast in order for their bodies and brains to function properly. However, during the school year, this important morning meal often gets skipped in the interest of saving time or scoring a few more minutes of sleep. Ironically, eating a nutritious breakfast can save your child time in the long run, as the few minutes he invests in downing a bowl of cereal or a fruit muffin will prove invaluable once he enters the classroom.
During the school year, I don’t make my daughter’s favorite three-course morning meal. Instead, I turn to quick and healthy options to fill her up. The following recipes are some of her favorites. They’re fast, easy to make, and combine several breakfast essentials, so I know she’s getting a balanced meal even if she’s eating on the run.
Fruity Oat Bran Muffins
Ingredients:
2 cups oat bran
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup egg substitute
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the oat bran, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl, and mix well.
In separate bowl, combine the yogurt, orange juice, egg substitute and oil and mix
well.
Add the yogurt mixture to the oat-bran mixture and combine. Fold in the berries.
Spray bottoms of muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray, and fill 3/4 full with the batter.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers and heat up in microwave on busy school mornings.
Makes 12 muffins.
Fruit and Nut Bars
Ingredients:
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apples
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spread nuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Warm honey in a microwave until it’s the consistency of thin syrup.
In a food processor, pulse honey, cinnamon, and oats until oats are coarsely chopped.
Place oat mixture into a medium bowl. Stir in nuts, cranberries, and apples. Squeeze mixture into a ball.
Line baking sheet with foil, and then generously oil foil.
Using damp hands, firmly pat mixture onto foil and form into a rectangle.
Freeze mixture until it is firm enough to cut, about 20 minutes.
Lift rectangle from foil to a flat surface and cut into 16 bars.
Wrap bars individually in parchment paper and hand out to kids as they leave for school.
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