Cook: A Week of Toddler Breakfasts

Here is a picture walk of about a weeks worth of E’s breakfasts.
Some days I really struggle to think of something nourishing and yummy for her breakfast. But she is a big breakfast eater so I try to give her healthy options and lots of variety. I’ve mentioned before that we try to predominantly eat according to the Weston A. Price way but it is difficult at times. I do strive to soak the a lot of the grains that I give her (even though that definitely doesn’t happen all the time because I do give her waffles, pancakes, and the occasional toast that haven’t been soaked). If you don’t know about soaking your grains, here is a good blog post by Nourished Kitchen that answers all your questions about the why and how of it. Basically it is a process to neutralize phytic acid and increase digestibility of the grains, beans, and nuts. We definitely don’t do it all the time (baby steps) but I figure sometimes is better than never.

I also try to give her a good protein and lots of healthy saturated fats at breakfast. If I can add some veggies and fruit then that’s even better!

So here goes:
1.) Mmm, this is one of my favorites.  Smoked Coho Salmon on Sourdough toast with organic cream cheese (homemade, raw is best and pretty easy to make, check this out), and capers with a side of scrambled eggs (pastured eggs are best! Luckily we have our own eggs!) mixed with spinach.  Yum! I also added a side of orange jello made with a quality gelatin.  We use this brand because it is from pastured cows, Great Lakes Gelatin

2.) Next up is an avocado egg and a side of fruit, we had pomegranate (which Eloise LOVES) and an orange.  I usually also give her a side of Ezekiel bread to slather it on to.

3.) Here we have apple slices with a side of almond butter, an Ezekiel english raisin muffin with pastured butter, and a boiled egg with a side of poppy seeds and dill.  E LOVES to dip anything in poppy seeds!

4.) Whole grain blueberry pancakes with pastured butter, maple syrup, and a side of sausage (pastured is always best). 

5.) Side of bacon (pastured, redundant I know!) with soaked oatmeal and blueberries.

6.) Fried egg with a side of hashbrowns.  I will usually add a fruit to this meal too.

7.) Bacon, bacon, bacon, a side of scrambled eggs, tomatoes and mini peppers with a side of Ezekiel cereal with raw milk.

And two extra breakfasts just because we love breakfast around here so much!:

8.) Fried eggs on baby greens, sliced tomatoes, Ezekiel english muffin with a side of almond butter!

9.) And finally, scrambled eggs, with sweet mexican peppers, cheese, and sausage topped with cilantro with a side of figs! Yum!

Some form or variation of these meals are what we normally have for breakfast.  Since she loves to eat in the morning, I make big hearty meals for her.  I am pretty much the opposite and just graze my breakfast.  On days where we wake up late or we have somewhere to be, I make a smoothie or give her a granola bar but since Eloise is such an early riser we usually don’t struggle with pressure to rush in the morning.

What are some of your favorite Real Food breakfasts?

Cook: Chocolate Truffles

We try have been trying to loosely follow the Weston A. Price way of eating. That means that we are cutting out all (most!) refined sugar. I have a major sweet tooth and I crave good chocolate so I have been looking for a delicious but healthy way to satisfy that craving. Cue the healthy chocolate truffle! I have bought similar ones at Whole Foods but they are ridiculously expensive, like 4 for almost $5. We can’t afford that every week so I decided to try to make my own. The ingredients are very simple, not to mention healthy, and the process is super easy.

Here is a list of some of the healthy ingredients:

Coconut Oil – Naturally delicious, slightly sweet and packed full of good fats. It used to be deemed extremely unhealthy but recent research has moved it to one of the healthiest oils. Here’s a good article in the NY Times to read if you don’t know about Coconut Oil. You must make sure that you use the correct type of Coconut Oil because it is not all made the same. Here is the kind I use:
Nutriva Coconut Oil

Cocoa – Now, I wish, wish, wish that I had the good type of cacoa. Many people don’t know that there is a big difference in Cocoa and Cacoa. Cacoa is the raw form of Cocoa, much less processed and much more healthy for you than cocoa. Sadly, it is pretty expensive. I didn’t have any on hand so I had to settle for organic cocao. Next time, I am going to splurge and buy some cacoa.
Cacoa

Maple Syrup- Full of anti oxidents and nutrients, maple syrup is a great natural sugar to use. Here’s a guide if you don’t know the difference between the different grades of Maple Syrup: Maple Syrup Grades

Coconut flakes- We get ours from Whole Foods in the organic section.

Coconut Butter- Sooo yummy. I get this brand: Artisana Coconut Butter

Now for the process.  Just measure all ingredients and mix in a bowl! Okay, so there is a tiny bit more to it than that but I will write all the details in the recipe below.

After it is all mixed, scoop and roll them into little balls, sprinkle with more cocoa and then put them in the freezer for a few minutes! Don’t forget to lick the spoon!

Chocolate Truffles (adapted from Homemade Mommy)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped dark grain-sweetened chocolate chips (optional)
• additional cocoa to coat the truffles

Directions

Mix all ingredients (cocoa, coconut oil, vanilla, maple syrup) in a large bowl.

Add 2 cups of shredded coconut and mix well.

Roll into small balls about 1″ in diameter (or any size that you prefer).

Sprinkle the extra cocoa onto the balls and roll them around.

Place the truffles on a plate.

Put the plate of truffles in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.

They turned out so delicious! The chocolate chips really really made them good.  They are totally not necessary but really give it an extra yummy chocolatey boost!

Everyone in the house loved them.  I even got two thumbs up from my very chocolate picky dad! I will definitely be making these again.