This
morning I was rudely awakened by a screaming toddler and Paul lying said
screaming toddler onto the bed next to me, while stating, “I can’t deal with
her right now, I have to get ready for work.” To which I may or may not have
replied with a squinty-eyed look of confusion with a dash of anger at having
been awoken this way; I went to get a bottle and then I changed her diaper and
tried to get her back to sleep, seeing as how it was 6:30 in the morning and I
usually sleep until at least 8. The bottle soothed her, but did not put her
back to sleep, and alas, I was forced to get up, cussing under my breath (or
not so much under my breath) all the way to the bathroom then kitchen.
You’d
think I was used to being woken by a screaming baby by now, but I was just
particularly tired this morning since I’d been dealing with Lily being sick the
last three days, plus all the excitement of Hurricane Irene. Luckily we
were barely affected by the stormy weekend weather, but Hurricane Lily had made
her mark for sure. Anyway, I’d been hoping to get a little more sleep than I
had been, but I quickly got over all my feelings of bitterness and exhaustion after
I had this tasty energy-packed, life-saving (and husband-saving) breakfast!
 |
| Yogurt and granola with raspberries, banana and blueberries topped with flax seed, coconut and honey, plus a few Berry Blossoms courtesy of Lily :) |
Fully
Loaded Yogurt Bowl
½
cup plain organic yogurt
½
cup granola
½
or 1 banana, sliced
¼
cup raisins
Handful
of blueberries and raspberries
1
tbsp flax seed
1
tsp honey
1
tsp shredded coconut
Scoop
yogurt into bowl then top with granola, followed by fruit, honey, flax seeds, and coconut. Mix well if desired or go ahead and eat as is! You can use any
combination of fruit that you like and other add-ins like nuts. I typically
just use whatever fruit I have available; banana with mixed berries is always
good, but peaches and apples are great too. The base of any good yogurt bowl is
the yogurt (duh), granola, and fruit; after that, you can just toss in whatever
you desire.
 |
| The breakfast Lily and I enjoyed the other day. I add coconut milk to my coffee instead of cream for it's natural sweetness and extra calcium. Try it next time and you'll see a pleasant difference! |
It’s
as simple as that! Add a green smoothie or cup of coffee to the mix and
you’re good to go! All clouds of sleepiness will be lifted and you’ll be ready
to start you’re day. And it only takes about 3 minutes to make!
I’d
like to say many people eat this kind of breakfast in the morning, but it’s
more likely that pastries and cold cereal are devoured along with sugared
coffee, if anything is devoured at all since statistics say that many Americans skip
breakfast. I know my husband often does, as much as I’ve begged him to eat
something before heading to work in the past (I have since given up), although
from what he’s told me sometimes he does get an egg sandwich from the deli or a
donut from the office (hence my prior complaint). He is not alone in this world
of 9-5ers who barely have time for a cup of Joe, let alone a bowl of granola
and fruit.
I’ve
always made it a priority to eat in the morning, even if it does have to be
cold cereal (there isn’t anything wrong with that, but it won’t get you through
the morning like a fuller meal will). The fact of the matter is I will be very
cranky if I don’t eat since I get that way when my blood sugar is low. But, if
you are someone who normally doesn’t eat in the morning and doesn't even have 3 minutes to spare on putting something like this together, you can make this
yogurt bowl to-go the night before by placing it in a travel-ready container. I
wouldn’t recommend eating and driving, but while waiting for the train during
your commute, you could probably eat most of it then finish the rest at your
desk!
Lily
is big on this type of meal too, although this morning she was a little picky,
I guess due to still feeling a little under-the-weather, but I did get her to
eat some blueberries and cereal even though she passed up the yogurt and
banana. Your little one will definitely enjoy this breakfast in any
combination and at any age, and can be blended for babies ready for solids.
Please note that babies younger than 9 months shouldn’t eat berries due to
possible allergic reactions, and yogurt should wait until they’re at least 6
months unless otherwise stated by your child's doctor.
I
use flax quite often, although I don’t think I’ve mentioned that here before.
When Lily started eating solids, it was recommended by my mother-in-law and
sister-in-law that I add ground flax meal to her cereal and breast milk, and
I’m glad I heeded their advice. Omegas are especially vital to helping a baby’s
brain development as you have probably read or been told by your child's pediatrician
if you have a good one, so go ahead and pick up a bag and just sprinkle it
right on your baby’s or child’s cereal- they probably won’t even notice a
difference in taste or texture, but if they do, they will get over it eventually.
Save this recipe for your own "too early" mornings, and hopefully it will rescue your husband or screaming child from getting his/her head chopped off ;)
