Kid food: breakfast

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Ah breakfast, we meet again. You're lucky I like you. 

I used to eat as soon as I got up - just like this little girl. Nowadays I sort of need a moment or two to come to terms with such behaviour, but it's a rare day indeed I would actually skip breakfast. Lunch, meh... dinner.... cereal, yeah? But breakfast - do not get between me and my food.

Do not get between this girl and her blueberries. Evah. She might share her peanut butter muffin though. And she likes popping Cheerios in my mouth.

For those of you who have never done the vegemite and avocado thing, get on that train. 

Rye is best. Trust me.

Aw, this one is actually from her birthday back in March. Organic 7-grain waffles with cottage cheese, honey and peaches. She loved this one. 

Peanut butter on wholegrain with steamed apple chunks. I used to steam all her apple pieces until one day she just started eating them whole. I don't bother now! She's tough.

Weekend family breakfast means scrambled eggs on toast and grapes. Occasionally a bit of whatever we're having too, it depends on her mood. 

Hit me up with what your babes eat! 

Father's Day breakfast

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I don't know about the men in your life, but the one in mine loves a weekend breakfast.

I don't really know how it would differ on Father's Day, as this is what dear ole dad is getting. The same thing he has every weekend. Because he wants it!

Normally our weekend breakfast revolves around eggs on toast with stuff. I'm not overly excited about eggs, so I'll have one or none, but they're usually a feature in general. Ever since I figured out how to poach them properly, they have been requested with alarming regularity! I'm still not a pro 100% of the time, but they're pretty impressive usually.

We start with nice bread... often I'll get a loaf of sourdough or ciabatta from the bakery on Friday so it's ready for the weekend. When I'm not a million years pregnant, I'll bake one. When I'm in a hurry it's turkish bread.

Eggs are either poached or scrambled. Wanna know my secrets?

Scrambled eggs: must be scrambled with cream. No exceptions. And more salt than you think you need. Cooked very, very gently and taken off the heat before they're done, as they keep cooking anyway. If they're in separate little piles of egg, you've cooked it too long.

Sometimes I add chives, mixed herbs, tomato, fake bacon, cheese, or a mixture of these things. And pepper.

Poached eggs have to be fresh. A splash of vinegar, a pinch of salt. Boiled water brought back down to a serious simmer. Swirl the water with a spoon, crack an egg into a saucer and add one at a time. Remove with a slotted spoon and pick off the straggly bits.

Tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach on the side. Mushrooms fried in lots of butter, garlic, salt and cracked black pepper (shut up it's the weekend). Cherry tomatoes tossed in for a few minutes at the end, or halved tomatoes face down in the frying pan when you add the mushrooms. Spinach sat on top and everything taken off the heat while I tend to other things. Stir the spinach in when it wilts a bit from the steam.

Sometimes I like to add haloumi, if I have it. Avocado slices. feta scattered over the eggs with a sprinkle of lemon juice and rocket fresh from the garden. Kale with the mushrooms.

Juice, coffee for the man, a pot of tea for the mum.

And butter. Oh god, the butter. I'm so sorry.

Kid food - breakfast

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It has become a bit of a game with me to see what kind of outrageous thing I can feed my kid for breakfast that she will actually eat. Even though my line of outrageous is actually pretty tame, there are things on her "will eat" list that I never even dreamed existed as a kid. Who knows what she will feed her own babes in time? And will there be some left over for me?

Cinnamon-raisin bagels with cream cheese and banana on the side appear to be a consistent winner.

French toast with a wee sprinkling of caster or icing sugar are met with approval. As are a little side made of cinnamon-poached apple cubes.

God that sounds pretentious. The apples were for something else, I didn't solely poach it for her breakfast, I promise!

Our old standby of peanut butter on wholewheat grain with fruit on the side. Kiwi, in case you're wondering...

Roast pumpkin hommus on grain toast with grapes. Highly recommend this one.

Bob's Red Mill organic 5-grain pancakes with yogurt and honey, rockmelon cubes. Very much a win.

And this morning she stole my porridge when I wasn't looking. And made one hell of a mess. And we were in a hurry, so there is a hell of a lot of cemented-on dried porridge to hammer away at when I get home this afternoon, eeeeeeeek!

banana choc-chip porridge

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I love porridge. I really do. I love the warm creaminess, the wintry feel and the way it fills you up for ages. I even have the cooking down to a fine art so I can put a pot on, go and get dressed and fix my face, and come back to creamy oats. It's taken a lot of trial and error (once I left an element on for 12 hours while I went to uni!), but I'm happy with where I'm at! One day when it's more than just me eating it, I'm going to try cooking them in the slow cooker overnight. Yum!

I really can't do microwaving. It explodes everywhere and I get a hot sticky mess every time I do. I've tried every way known to man but it's just not happening for me.

While I never thought I'd deviate from my original porridge formula, I soon got hooked on my apple pie version. Such a handy way to get a bit of extra fruit and fibre in your diet. I thought I'd mix it up a bit because I struggle eating bananas on their own, but can usually handle them in other things. Thus the banana-choc-chip porridge was born. It's a little bit fun.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water or milk (I do a combination)
pinch salt
sweetener to taste (I used honey)
1 small banana, mashed
1 tablespoon choc chips (I get sugar- and dairy-free ones from the bulk bins at the health food store)

Directions:

1. Mix oats and water/milk with the salt in a saucepan and place on low heat.

2. Simmer 10-15 minutes until oats are creamy, adding more liquid as necessary.

3. Add banana, taste for sweetener. Sprinkle with choc chips.

Kid food: Breakfast

Another couple of breakfasts the little miss has been loving lately. Dinner is a bit more difficult as there seems to be stuff she's just not interested in. But I've never seen her not eat breakfast!

Grapes have been a mainstay, she's been ignoring the peaches after preiously loving them. Will keep on trucking and offering her bits and pieces. The farmer's markets turned up mandarines this week, so will try those, de-seeded and de-membraned.

I fricken hate juice and getting sticky, but I will do it for this precious little pie. If she doesn't eat them, I may never forgive her though.

ate the cheese from the top. threw the rest away.

english muffin with jam and peaches with a side of bed hair.

peanut butter on wholegrain with grapes. peanut butter produces no reaction, thankfully.

vegemite and cream cheese on rye with grapes. cheerios to tide her over while it cooked.

avocado on wholegrain and blueberries. favourite.

what do your little ones like to eat?

Apple Pie Oatmeal

I think autumn has arrived. Or maybe it's just the rain making everything colder, but this morning I rugged up in jeans, cardigan AND a scarf for work. Is Queensland not aware it is, in fact, Queensland?

Not only that, but I was getting quite cosy under a blanket with my knitting last night. A blanket. Unbelievable.

I normally can't do oatmeal/porridge in summer, which is a shame because I really like eating it. I guess I just don't like it when it's already hot at 7am and I'm wondering how long I can last before putting the airconditioner on.

Even if this weather is a fluke and tomorrow it will be hot and sunny, it is still a really good cold-morning excuse to revisit an old favourite. It has evolved over time from porridge, milk, white sugar DO NOT MESS WITH THIS COMBINATION EVER to the rather more delicious version it is today.

I once knew someone who had butter and brown sugar on their porridge. Needless to say, we don't talk any more.

I've been known to brown-sugar-cinnamon it from time to time, but butter? WTF is that?

Do you have butter on your porridge? Am I missing something? What DO you have?

Well, I have apple. Sometimes blueberry, but I use frozen ones and it turns everything purple. I've not taken the leap to dried fruit or compote or other quite terrifying toppings just yet, but that's ok because apple is working very, very well for me.  The day I also added a sprinkle of cloves was the day I felt like Benjamin Franklin probably did when lightning hit that key that time. Or the dude that said "eureka" when he spilled a bit of of bathwater. Archimedes? Was that him?

Anyway, 8th grade science memories aside, It added that little something that turned it from good into ohmygod.

Excellent for a day when your toes are as cold as mine.

Serves 1

Ingredients1/2 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup water
1/4-1/2 cup rolled oats (I should use steel-cut but sometimes I get quick-cooking. sue me!)
pinch each salt, cinnamon and cloves
milk of your choice
raw sugar to taste

Directions

1. Add the apple and water in a small pot and boil 2 minutes until apple begins to soften.

2. Turn heat down and add oats, more water if needed and a little milk. Sprinkle salt, cinnamon and cloves.

3. Cook gently until thick and oatmeal is soft. Add milk to get your consistency. Sweeten to taste.

Vegan Banana French Toast

Sometimes French toast is a little too eggy for me - I have a real rocky relationship with eggs. We're not good friends, more acquaintances you think you want to see, then when you do you spend the next two hours nauseous and deeply regretting you ever wasted your time. Hidden in things like quiche I don't mind, but outright... not so much.

This vegan French toast is lovely - sweet, silky and tastes like bananas (which I also don't like, but will save that story for another day!) Topped with maple syrup and a dusting of cinnamon, I'd find it hard to say no.

The recipe comes from the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart meal plan from last year, so if you're following my plan for this week, it's a bonus surprise. 'Tis good.

Ingredients
2 medium bananas
2/3 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4 slices whole-wheat bread
vegetable oil spray

Directions:

1. Blend bananas, soy milk, syrup and cinnamon until smooth.

2. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side.

3. Transfer carefully to a vegetable oil sprayed skillet. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, and cook second side til browned.

Banana waffles and butterscotch sauce

Waffles were definitely something I never ate until I was an adult. That whole small-town girl thing, supermarket didn't stock such nonsense, and people definitely didn't have their own waffle irons. I'm not entirely convinced they were even available in Australia.

My mama bought me one for Christmas when I was about 23, and I was far too excited than a normal person would be at the prospect of making my own waffles. My only problem was I didn't have any kind of electric beater (or even hand-cranked one) with which to beat my egg whites, as the recipe suggested.

That so didn't stop me. I sat in front of the tv with a big bowl, some egg whites and a whisk and beat them by hand until they were firm enough. No kidding. It took me about an hour and I never, ever did it again. That poor waffle iron got put back into the cupboard until I could afford electric beaters!

I still don't have electric beaters, or a mixer of any kind. but I DO have an electric whisk attachment to my stick blender! Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Some people still look at me incredulously when I tell them I beat my butter and sugar by hand. I like to think it's because I'm old-fashioned and I enjoy having one bicep bigger than the other, but it more truthfully is because I'll never in my whole life ever be able to afford a KitchenAid mixer.

For these waffles, I used the basic waffle batter recipe that came with the waffle maker (whoa, extreme! I know!), except I added mashed banana to it. Easy peasy.

The butterscotch sauce is even easier. You have butter, sugar and cream? you have butterscotch sauce!

You got a door? You got a gym!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cream
3 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. Bring all ingredients to a boil in a saucepan, then let simmer, stirring, two minutes until thickened.

Jalapeno Bagels

Bagels. They just remind me of New York City. In my mind I'm sure people eat them during their morning commute with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. If this assumption is incorrect, I don't want to know!

Bagels aren't big in Australia... there is a perfunctory offering in supermarkets of either plain or cinnamon raisin, and they can be hard to find. Why? I've no idea. Bagels are amazing. Bagels are crunchy and chewy and delicious with cream cheese and should be delivered to my door in a variety of flavours on a regular basis.

The humble jalapeno bagel entered my stratosphere when we went to visit Veggie Dad's brother in Vancouver. The jalapeno bagel entered my mouth one morning and I did not want it to leave. I envied those that could easily purchase the gigantic bag that from the nearest Safeway and pop them into a toaster without a care in the world, ready for breakfast any time. 

When we stopped in New York on our whirlwind North American adventure, I ate bagels. I ate a lot of bagels.



I could have eaten them at the top of the Empire State Building.




I could have eaten them in Central Park.




I could have eaten them in Grand Central Station.




I could have eaten them in Times Square.




Me and Teddy Roosevelt could have eaten them at the American Museum of Natural History.



I could have eaten them while looking at the Statue of Liberty.



I could have eaten them at the New York Public Library. Would probably get thrown out though...




I could have eaten them on Broadway.



I could have eaten them on the Staten Island Ferry, looking at the New York City skyline.

When we got home, the first thing I did was make a batch of jalapeno bagels. And they go a little something like this. (And are way easier than I ever imagined!)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup lukewarm water

1/2 teaspoon dried yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

5 cups flour

1/3 cup jalapenos

Directions:

1. Mix water, yeast, salt and sugar. Add flour and jalapenos and mix into a ball.

2. Knead for 10 minutes. You may need to add more flour if necessary, until dough is stiff. I use jalapenos in a jar and they can be a bit damp, and need more flour. You could also press out the liquid with paper towels.

3. Let dough rest 10 minutes, then cut into 12 pieces.

4. Roll each into a sausage shape. Overlap the two ends and make sure they stick, turning them into little rings.

5. Cover with a damp towel and let rise 1 - 1.5 hours.

6. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place bagels in boiling water until they float to the top - about 20 seconds.

7. Remove, draining all water and place on a greased tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Now I can eat jalapeno bagels in my own kitchen. And back yard. And dining room. And bedroom. And anywhere I damn well please! They also freeze well, but you might want to cut them in half first.

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes

Please don't be frightened.

These are honestly the best pancakes I have ever eaten, and I'm a stickler for traditional recipes.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup soy milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil.


METHOD

1. Combine the four dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Add soy milk and vegetable oil, stir until mixed. I used half regular, half vanilla soy milk. If you don't have vanilla, you can add a splash of vanilla extract.

3. Heat a pan over medium heat, and grease.

4. Spoon mix into the centre of the pan, and sprinkle on a few blueberries. or cooked apple pieces. or strawberry. or whatever the hell you want!

5. Flip when you see bubbles appear, and the underside is brown.


They are honestly so good, and have no cholesterol. You can also keep the batter in the fridge for fresh pancakes every morning!


Recipe from here