Breakfast on the Go

Before I was a mom, I rarely ate breakfast. I would rush off to work and end up snacking on junk food mid-morning to hold me over until lunch. But just like so many other aspects of my life, my sweet peanut (a.k.a. my darling 13 month old daughter) changed my routine. So skipping breakfast is never an option anymore - and if she's going to eat, you can bet I’m going to eat too!

I still work outside the home two days a week and on those mornings breakfast is always hit-or-miss. We just recently moved into a new house with a large kitchen, so I have run out of excuses for not making a healthy breakfast. Here are two of my favorite quick, healthy breakfast ideas for the days when you just don't have time to spend 30 minutes in the kitchen.

Bake ahead. Most muffins freeze really well and they are an easy option for busy mornings. I pop a couple frozen muffins in the microwave for 20 seconds or so and presto! Breakfast!

This is one of my favorite muffin recipes, an online mom friend shared it while I was pregnant with Peanut and I froze a whole batch to have on hand for after her birth. I ate them for months! They are very low in sugar and packed with fiber! Add some nuts for some extra protein and raisins or dried fruit to suit your taste. Yum!

Bran Muffins

Notes: Makes 5-6 dozen muffins. The batter keeps covered in the fridge for up to 6 weeks if you prefer to make fresh muffins, but they keeps frozen for up to 3 months.

1/2 c. old fashioned oatmeal

2 c. bran cereal

2 c. shredded wheat

2 c. boiling water

2/3 c. canola or olive oil

1 c. light brown sugar

1 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 c. all purpose flour

3 c. whole wheat pastry flour

5 tsp. baking soda

1 TB ground cinnamon

1 quart reduced fat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400f. Line muffin tin as desired.

In one bowl, combine oatmeal, bran cereal and shredded wheat. Add boiling water and stir, set aside to cool.
In another bowl mix the oil, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the cereal mixture (once cool enough NOT to cook the eggs).
In another bowl combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to the oatmeal mixture alternately w/ buttermilk, stirring only until combined. Pour batter into muffin tins.
Bake 20 min or until lightly browned.

Smoothies. Actually, when you consider the time it takes blend a smoothie, it's not THAT fast, but the bonus is that you can actually take it "to go". I like to whip up a smoothie with the fruit I have on hand and stick it in the fridge until I'm ready to walk out the door. Peanut even gets her smoothie in a sippy (try a Nuby brand cup, they have a wider holes in the spout) to drink in her carseat.

My favorite smoothie recipe is very simple:

2 or 3 frozen bananas (freeze them when they are almost over-ripened for a sweeter taste)

1/2 cup of frozen strawberries

1 cup of plain yogurt

Add milk or water for desired consistency

What are some of your favorite on-the-go breakfasts?

The Beginning

As a child I was force-fed all kinds of revolting foods my mom called “healthy meals”*. I specifically remember my older sister and I having a conversation about how we would never feed our children these horrid things. Now, here I am - one husband and a baby later - starting a blog about doing exactly what my mother was trying to do with us - trying to live life a little more naturally.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, my life took a unexpected turn back to my roots when I decided to give birth naturally - totally drug-free. Hey, if my mom did it eight times it can’t be that bad, right? This interest in natural childbirth (which is another topic for another time) renewed my interest in all things natural. Healthy foods, natural medicine and herbal remedies were just a few of the things I suddenly found enormously appealing. One of the especially interesting things that I found was that there was very little exposure to the benefits of a natural lifestyle. In my personal life, I found a disturbing number of mothers who were completely clueless when it came to daily choices that affected the health and wellbeing of their children. I saw blatant disregard and willful ignorance to facts that make a huge impact on their family’s lives.

I’m beginning this blog with the hope that it will encourage parents to start taking steps towards a more natural way of life. I’m just a normal mom with normal struggles (when it comes down too it, I’ll choose ice cream over an apple any day of the week), but I’m doing my best to make smart, healthy choices for the good of my little family.

Molly

* I feel compelled to add that my mother also fed us plenty of yummy healthy foods…the yucky stuff just stays with you a little longer.

Contact Me

I just love hearing from my readers! Since I check my email way more often than a normal person, chances are you'll get a response pretty quickly.

mollyr02@hotmail.com

All about me

If you haven't already figured it out from the title of my blog, my name is Molly.

I'm the daughter of two amazing parents, and sister to seven awesome sisters. Yup, I'm one of eight girls. Nope, no brothers. My sisters and I blog over here.

I was homeschooled from k5 - 12th grade and even though it had it's ups and downs, I wouldn't trade my experience for anything.

I've been married my Justin, a hard-working, farm-loving, computer challenged, funny man since August 2005.

We welcomed Peanut, our adorable, feisty, charming, loveable little daugther in February 2008.

I'm a christian and I take my faith very seriously. I believe the Bible is the absolute authority on every subject.

My little family lives in the country where our next-door neighbors are chickens, our backyard is a corn field and depending on the time of year we can see either a field of beef cows, soybeans or corn from our front porch. Did I mention my husband is into farming?

I'm obsessed with all things natural. Natural childbirth, extended breastfeeding, organic foods, natural remedies are just a few of things you'll often find me blogging about. If it's super crunchy or just slightly off the beaten path, I'm probably into it.

Have more questions? Please email me !