Here in the DC area this past February was the coldest February in 36 years. And now we are bracing for another snowstorm. It has been quite a long haul, for this region (although nothing in comparison to Boston!), and so I have felt the need to change up my regular winter breakfast routine. One way that I have been doing that is by playing with the toppings on my oatmeal. I have tried defrosted frozen blueberries, mango chunks, chopped up apple, apple sauce, every nut you can think of, and the list goes on. They have all been tasty, but the biggest hit in our house has been what we are calling “Oatmeal Cookie” Oatmeal….
7-Minute Granola
As I have mentioned on the blog before, I avoid eating wheat at breakfast and lunch. I have found that I have much more energy and no longer get the 2pm slump. This has changed my life for the better in so many ways, but it has also posed some challenges. I love baked goods—muffins, scones, and bagels for breakfast and sandwiches on really good bread for lunch are my faves. One of my go-to breakfasts since this transition (along with baked goods made with spelt flour like this one and this one) has been granola. I make a batch pretty much every week. I love that it is quick and that I can mix in lots of fruit, have it with some protein-rich yogurt, and be good to go for the whole morning. The only problem is that sometimes I don’t have time to bake that next batch and then I am left struggling to find a quick breakfast.
Well, no more! I have recently discovered skillet granola and my life is forever changed! Yes, I will still bake big batches. But for those times when I need some quickly, this skillet granola that takes only 7 minutes to make (including chopping up nuts!) is a delicious alternative! And when you eat it right away it has the added perk of being warm, but not hot like oatmeal. I’m in love and I think as soon as you try it, you will be too….
Homemade Chai
It is official: I am sick of winter. I know that many, many others feel the same way as I do and many of you have had a much tougher time of if than we have here in the DC area. But, man! It has been a long one. One of the saving graces, though, has been my homemade chai. It has kept me warm and been the thing I look forward to on many a cold morning this winter. …
1-Minute Dessert: Sweet Yogurt Dip
This recipe starts with a story. One day over the summer I desperately needed to go to the grocery store and I needed to do a real shop, not just pick a few things up, because our pantry was incredibly bare. Unfortunately, though, school was out and camps had not started yet, which meant I had two boys with me who had no interest in going grocery shopping. What’s a mom to do? Bribe. So I did. I bribed them with a treat each if they would help me out and not beg and plead for each thing that caught their interest. They agreed. So in we went.
We had made it through the produce section and were entering the bulk foods when my little one cried out, “YOGURT PRETZELS!!” And then my older one cried out, “YOGURT PRETZELS!!” These two kids could not be more different in their taste in food- my younger loves all things protein (read: meat) and my older is a vegetable addict- so this was a rare moment. I was about to say, “Great! Yogurt pretzels can be your treat!” When a little voice inside my head said, “But what is actually in yogurt pretzels?” I had looked it up before and deep down I knew the answer: Not yogurt. Yogurt pretzels do have a tiny, tiny bit of dehydrated yogurt in them, but mostly the coating is confectioner’s sugar. So really what they were asking for was candy and I wasn’t a big fan of that idea. But inspiration struck and I said, “what if we made our OWN yogurt pretzels?!” Luckily they loved the idea….