Smart Money Tuesday: Winner of book,
Fast, good kid breakfasts, save, save, save

By Suzy $mart
KyForward Columnist

Suzy congratulates the winner of the Wildflowers of Kentucky (University Press of Kentucky) book:

All of you who answered the question about that spare $100 are winners. You would all put those dollars to good purpose – whether it’s fixing up that dysfunctional bathroom or repairing something else around the house or spending some fun time with the family (smelling the wildflowers at a state park or taking in the acquarium – or giving it to your favorite charity to help someone else, you know the value of money.

Good for you!

Easy, nutritious breakfasts — fast

Suzy remembers the morning crunch very well – the pressure-packed time when getting the kids off to school and yourself off to work (preferably on time) can be the most stressful part of the day. She remembers more than once getting to work and discovering she was wearing mis-matched shoes. It happens. And it is never funny at the time.

But Circle of Moms (join them on Facebook) shared the following “fast breakfasts” that may help make your mornings more bearable (and get you out the door with two matching feet).

Here are the recipes for a calmer, saner morning:

Microwaved Egg Recipes

For moms who don’t have time to scramble eggs on the stove, microwaved eggs are a quick alternative.  Anne Marie Nichols of This Mama Cooks shares of her egg, milk and cheese recipe: “My family’s favorite is the Coffee Cup Egg Scramble. It’s quick, easy and fun to eat.” Or try the nifty egg-cooking tool Janine White of Eat Something Else! Encouraging the Resistant Eater discovered: “I found these silicone microwave-able ‘dishes’ at my grocery store called Poach Pods. I crack an egg in and zap for a minute.”

Oatmeal With Toppings

Oatmeal makes a great healthy, hot meal for busy mornings. As The Food Allergy Mom shares: “My family’s favorite quick breakfast recipe is oatmeal. To keep the sugar content and food allergens within my control, we use the whole oats (not the cute little flavored packets).” Her suggested toppings include half of a banana and a tablespoon of Sun Butter; a tablespoon of honey, some fruit, and a dash of cinnamon; a dash of brown sugar and cinnamon and a teaspoon of maple syrup; or a tablespoon of your favorite jelly.

Smoothies

“Hands down, our family’s favorite lightning speed recipe is a smoothie!!” shares Sabrina Granniss and Sioux Wimler of Crunchy Bits. Maggie Keegan Gross of Making Me Cranky agrees. Her recipe includes a cup each of milk and frozen mixed berries, 3/4-1 banana, and a tablespoon each of flax seed, peanut butter, and honey.

Frozen Pancakes, Waffles, and Muffins

“I often make large batches of healthy, whole grain muffins or pancakes and freeze them so they can be pulled out when needed,” relays Erica of Healthy Life Lessons. “A minute or two in the microwave is all it takes to have them ready to go.” Other moms, like AllergyShmallergy suggest frozen waffles (particularly Wildberry Buckwheat Waffles by Nature’s Path for restricted diets). The best part? “You pop them in the toaster and they’re done in about a minute. Yum!”

Granola Parfait

“Hands down, this yogurt and granola parfait is my favorite quick breakfast meal,” says Dara Michalski of Cookin’ Canuck, describing her mix of Greek yogurt, defrosted frozen blueberries, granola and agave syrup. “It takes less than 5 minutes to make and is packed with fiber and protein.” She’s not the only fan of granola parfaits. Shannon Hilton of Food Farm Health shared her recipe for homemade cranberry-pumpkin seed granola, which she serves with coconut: “I usually make a batch of this recipe over the weekend in order to have quick breakfast options during the week.”

Breakfast Burritos

“I’m a huge fan of any quick recipe,” shares USA Silly Yaks. “I love breakfast burritos which is simply a warm corn tortilla filled with eggs, cheese, and bacon (can even be that microwaved kind).” 

Saving? Can’t save too much!