I’ve got a solution for your busy weekday mornings. These grain free pumpkin spice breakfast cookies are so easy to make and loaded with good stuff. Plus kids love them!
*I am working with Perfect Supplements for this post. I have been compensated for my time commitment, but all opinions are my own. Some links are affiliate links. Using the links will not change the cost of anything for you.*
Life is BUSY. And just when you think your current busy situation is coming to an end…something else comes up. Last year we had so many activities. I was driving the kids here, there and everywhere. I hated it.
Fast forward a year. Now we are home a lot more. But we have a baby that requires a lot of my time and attention. It feels just as busy. Just in a different way.
Busy life = less time for making good food.
But I’m not giving up! No way. I came up with the perfect fall breakfast that you can prepare in advance. You can even make a double or triple batch to stock your freezer for weeks. And if you are teaching your kids to cook they can actually make them for you. How’s that for freeing up some time?!
Allergy Friendly Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies
These pumpkin spice breakfast cookies are loaded with nourishing ingredients. Plus they taste great! They are super allergy friendly too. No grains, dairy, nuts, eggs or soy.
There is one secret ingredient that is really the star of the show.
Gelatin!
I love the grass-fed gelatin from Perfect Supplements. There is no strange smell. It gels beautifully. And since I do a lot of egg free baking it is my go-to ingredient.
These pumpkin spice breakfast cookies are also packed with coconut oil for healthy fat. Combine that with gelatin and garbanzo bean flour for protein. Plus tapioca flour for starch. It’s a complete breakfast that you can hold in your hand.
Grab a couple for the road, pair it with bacon and fresh fruit or pack one in your child’s lunch box. You get the flavors of fall in a nutritious cookie.
Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies
2016-10-09 12:58:32
Yields 15
An allergy friendly breakfast cookie loaded with healthy protein, fat and carbs.
1/2 - 1 cup mix-ins of choice: raisins, dried cranberries, mini chocolate chips, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
Instructions
In a large bowl combine the flour, water, collagen and lemon juice.
Mix well.
Cover and let sit at room temperature 7 - 24 hours.
When ready to bake
Heat oven to 375*F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.
Add the coconut oil and pumpkin to the soaked mixture. Stir to combine.
Add the sugar, gelatin, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix well.
Stir in your mix-ins of choice.
Drop by large mounds onto the prepared baking pans.
Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes on baking pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a year.
By Mary - justtakeabite.com
Just Take A Bite https://justtakeabite.com/
Prep Ahead Breakfast Cookies
I soak the seed and bean flours to help with digestion. I also prep the rest of the ingredients the night before. In the morning I just pour, mix and bake. I can have a batch of pumpkin spice breakfast cookies in the oven in about five minutes. Then we can eat some fresh and stick the rest in the freezer for a quick breakfast any day of the week.
Or if you like to do all of your prep work on the weekends that works too!
Add whatever mix-ins you like. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, mini chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries…they’re all good.
My kids LOVE these cookies. I think my toddler ate THREE one morning (yes, the toddler that used to barely eat anything). They are that good.
We also recently tried both the fermented kale powder and the aquatic greens. They are perfect for smoothies. And the aquatic greens are especially great for those with allergies. I use it for my big kids as often as possible.
I could go on and on about all of the great products. But I’ll let you do some looking for yourself.
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Don’t let the busyness of fall derail your real food lifestyle. Use these ten tips for keeping real food on the table to maintain your sanity and everyone’s health.
Believe it or not it is already time for school to start and all of the fall activities to begin again.
Summer was easy. There was time to prepare plenty of good food. Snacks were easy with the abundance of fresh produce.
Now life gets busier and time is limited.
So how do you keep it real?
Here are a few tips to get your fall started the right way and keep your family well fed.
1. Plan, Plan, Plan
One of the most important ways to make sure you are making healthy food is to plan ahead. At the start of each week or each month take a few minutes to plan meals.
Check your schedule and plan meals that work around your activities. This will also help you when grocery shopping so you know exactly what you need.
If you have to be gone most of the afternoon or everyone has a different schedule, try making a crockpot meal that will be ready whenever you need it. Maybe you’ll be home in the afternoon but won’t have time to cook. Prepare a casserole first thing in the morning so you can put dinner in the oven and go back to your to-do list.
Try planning a few meals that will have a lot of leftovers. Then transform the leftovers into another meal. Roast a chicken one night. Then use the leftovers to make soup or stir fry another night.
No matter what is on your agenda you can feed everyone healthy food if you plan ahead.
As much as you try, there isn’t always time to cook a good dinner. Or maybe for you breakfast is chaotic trying to get out the door on time. The solution is a stocked freezer.
Breakfast foods like muffins, coffee cakes, granola bars and even smoothies freeze very well. Make a few big batches of your favorite breakfast items on the weekend and you’ll have a healthy, homemade grab-and-go breakfast all week.
Another great item to have in the freezer is cooked meat. Tacos only take minutes if you have pre-cooked ground beef. Cooked chicken works well for stir fry, fajitas, sandwiches or salads.
Do casseroles work well for your family? The next time you make a casserole, make a double batch and freeze one.
Stock a few casseroles in the freezer and you’ve got a no-prep dinner just waiting for you. A frozen casserole does not need to thaw. Simply give it a few extra minutes to bake.
Cooking and baking when you have the time and stocking your freezer is one of the easiest ways to keep your family well fed.
3. Stock the Pantry
Maybe you haven’t had time to plan or stock your freezer yet. Now what?
Keep your pantry filled with foods like canned salmon, noodles, beans, rice, olives, dried fruit and tomatoes. A simple pasta dish will come together quickly. Cook the noodles. Add salmon, beans, tomatoes and seasoning. Dinner is served.
4. Stock the Refrigerator
When it comes to simple, a refrigerator filled with fresh fruits and vegetables is key. A salad can be assembled easily when there is plenty of fresh produce on hand. It is very portable as well.
Make the dressing in the bottom of a container and layer the salad toppings. Mix it when you are ready to eat.
Kids are more likely to grab fruits or vegetables to snack on if that is what is available. Nutritious food does not have to be complicated.
You can also keep easy protein sources on hand like nuts, cheese, yogurt and hard boiled eggs.
5. Keep Inventory
All of the preparing and stocking doesn’t do much good if you don’t know what you have. Keep track of what is in your freezer and pantry. Every time you put something in or take something out take note.
A great way to take inventory is with a dry erase board. Then you don’t even have to open the freezer to know what you have.
6. Fill Up At Meals
Snacks can be the most time-consuming foods to make. They are also the most likely sources of junk food.
Make sure your meals are nutrient-dense and filling so you won’t need to snack much. A meal should have a balance of fat, protein and carbohydrates. Figure out what ratio works best for your body. Then stick to it at your meals to feel satisfied.
When you do need a snack something simple like fresh fruits and vegetables will be sufficient.
7. Make Snacks That Last
For the occasions when you do need snacks, make homemade munchies that don’t go bad easily. A batch of homemade graham crackers lasts in the cupboard for a couple months.
Dried fruit travels well and holds up to heat. Homemade fruit snacks or gummies will stay fresh in the refrigerator for weeks.
Put your effort into making food that will last more than a couple days.
8. Don’t Bring Junk Into the House
When life gets busy it is easy to grab convenience foods. But if the food is not in your house, you won’t eat it.
So skip buying the junk food at the store and keep the fridge and cupboard filled with quality, nutritious food.
9. Keep it Simple
Real food doesn’t have to be complicated. Whole milk yogurt mixed with fresh fruit or a fried egg and toast make very easy breakfasts.
Lettuce topped with nuts, cheese, dried fruit and fresh vegetables is a great lunch. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and sea salt on top for a quick dressing.
Chicken legs, potatoes and carrots placed in a crockpot in the morning will provide a nutritious and delicious dinner in the evening.
Eating real food is possible even when you only have a few minutes at a time to prepare meals. Just keep it simple.
10. Let Everyone Help
Preparing good food doesn’t have to be left to one member of the family. Get kids involved with simple food preparation at a young age.
Even small children can chop fruits and vegetables, make salad dressing or assemble fruit salads. Older children can help cook at the stove and even prepare whole meals if mom and dad are busy. You can teach your kids to cook using the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse. Check it out HERE!
Take turns planning and preparing meals throughout the week. By dividing the work the food will be prepared faster and nobody will feel the stress of having to do it all.
When life gets busy don’t panic. There are many ways to keep eating quality food and making sure your family is well nourished.
Are you in a busy season? Use these simple tips for keeping real food on the table to make sure you’re eating well even if you are busy.
Looking for easy meal ideas to get your fall started? Here are some of our favorites!
In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. It will not change the cost of any products or services for you.
Pumpkin spice graham crackers are easy to make, allergen friendly and capture the warm flavors of pumpkin pie. They make a perfect after school snack or lunch box addition.
For me there is no better snack than a graham cracker. Crunchy. Slightly sweet. Perfection.
I got hooked on them in college and have eaten more than my share since. Of course they came out of box.
No more boxes here. Now when I’m in the mood for graham crackers I make them!
I have created quite a few versions of graham crackers:
Today I’m sharing my fall version of graham crackers – pumpkin spice.
They are very easy to make and very allergen friendly. Pumpkin spice graham crackers are gluten, dairy, egg, nut, soy, corn and rice free. But nobody will ever know!
You get the mild sweetness and crunch of a graham cracker combined with pumpkin and spice. This is a fun holiday treat for kids and adults. It is like pumpkin pie in graham cracker form.
Let your kids trade in Halloween candy for pumpkin spice graham crackers or add them to your Thanksgiving baking list!
Graham Crackers for Breakfast, Lunch, Snack or Dessert
My kids go crazy for pumpkin spice graham crackers. Though we try not to go overboard, a whole batch is sometimes gone in a couple weeks.
They make the perfect after school snack with a big glass of raw milk. Somehow they make homework easier. But there are many other ways to enjoy them.
Pumpkin spice graham crackers are delicious broken and sprinkled over whole milk yogurtfor breakfast. You can also spread nut butter in between two crackers for a nutritious snack or sandwich alternative.
Kids will love pumpkin spice graham crackers in their lunch. What a fun way to give them a treat that is full of good stuff.
They can be used in desserts as well. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top of pudding or grind them to make the crust for a fall cheesecake.
No matter how you serve them, pumpkin spice graham crackers are sure to be a hit.
Kids in the Kitchen
The next time your kids are begging for a treat make a batch of pumpkin spice graham crackers. But be sure to let them help.
All you need is a bowl and a spoon. Kids can measure, poor, stir and then roll the dough. My kids always have fun making graham crackers. Especially since they have learned to cook using the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse! Learn more about how you can teach your kids to cook here.
You can make it even more fun by using cookie cutters to create different shaped crackers.
The dough is ready to go in the oven in less than fifteen minutes. The hard part is waiting for them to bake and cool.
Pumpkin Spice Graham Crackers Year Round.
One batch of pumpkin spice graham crackers makes around fifty crackers. Keep half in the cupboard and store the rest in the freezer for an easy snack when you don’t have time to bake.
If your kids are like mine you might need to make a double batch!
Not sure what to give your kids when they are asking for snacks? Pumpkin spice graham crackers are just the thing. Healthy fat, vegetables and gluten free grains will give them the energy they need to keep going.
Do you enjoy graham crackers? What is your favorite way to eat them?
Can raising animals help picky eaters? You bet it can! By teaching the new generation about where their food comes from we will raise adventurous eaters and healthy individuals.
I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard someone ask if you can’t have eggs because you are dairy free. Let that sink in a minute. Eggs…from chickens. That has nothing to do with dairy. It’s a completely different animal! Unless they know a secret I don’t and can milk a chicken!
What’s really sad is that it is adults asking this. Adults. That don’t know eggs are not dairy. Just because they are close together in a grocery store (as if that means anything about where they come from!). That doesn’t bode well for the future of our children. Food knowledge is not being passed down.
Kids have no idea where their food comes from or why it even matters.
This needs to change. I think food education (about REAL food) should be taught in schools and should be fundamental knowledge. It’s hard to make good choices about how and what you eat when you don’t even know there is a choice to make.
Parents are Responsible for Food Knowledge
It is up to parents to turn this around. Because let’s face it – kids are bombarded with neon-colored packaged junk everywhere they turn. From a very young age my kids help in the garden, planting, weeding, harvesting. They also help in the kitchen (with their skills from Kids Cook Real Food) preparing food from scratch. And they help raise animals.
Right now we just have chickens. We hope to expand to other animals in the future. But for now we are enjoying our little flock.
My seven year old feeds the chickens and collects the eggs every day. All of the kids like to help care for our hens. They are learning by first-hand experience.
It is a great resource for all of your chicken questions. And I love how easy it is to read! Every subject has one page (kind of like a daily devotional). So you can quickly browse the whole book or go right to the topic you want and easily find the answer you need.
Since my oldest two can read they will be reading this book to give them a better understanding of chicken care. We have some chickens that are molting. So I’m going to let my kids use this book to figure out how we can help the hens through it.
Prevent Picky Eaters
Not only does this give them knowledge and a better understanding of how to care for God’s creation, it helps them not be picky eaters.
My kids know all the work that goes into raising healthy eggs. They appreciate the nutritional value. And they know not to be wasteful. For them it’s not just about food on the plate. It’s everything that goes into getting the food there.
The same holds true for our garden produce and our apples. A jar of home-canned applesauce isn’t just applesauce. It’s pruning trees, picking apples, making and canning the sauce.
I hope to instill an appreciation and love for well-raised food in my children. They can turn up their noses at processed pseudo-foods. But when it comes to real, nourishing food they will be the farthest thing from picky eaters.
How You Can Raise Adventurous Eaters
Whether or not you raise your own food or animals, it’s important that your kids know where their food comes from. You can visit a local farm or even just try growing a tomato plant in a pot.
And grab some good books about raising animals like Carissa’s Proven Techniques for Keeping Healthy Chickens. Your kids will learn a lot. And the pictures are so cute. Who doesn’t love page after page of adorable chickens and eggs?!
I did not grow up farming, so I’ve been learning a lot about chickens myself from this book. Even as the one that mostly only deals with the food once it’s in the house. Carissa’s book taught me about how to properly clean eggs to prevent spreading bacteria. I had no idea you shouldn’t run them under water!
Food knowledge is so important for this new generation. And feeding kids real, nourishing food will improve health and help prevent picky eating.
Whether you’re raising your own chickens or you just want to learn more, check out Carissa’s book here.
How much do your kids know about where their food comes from? One simple step you can take today is to provide quality books about real food for your kids to read.
Make meal time or snack time fun for kids with these picky eater approved grain-free meatloaf sliders.
I’m a big fan of meatloaf. It’s so easy to make. And all of my kids will eat it. That’s pretty much the equivalent of a gold medal meal.
I usually cook mine in the crockpot (I like this style). I put it in before we leave for church on Sunday and it’s ready when we get home.
A New Way to Make Meatloaf
Recently I got to review the Paleo Cooking with your Air Fryer cookbook by Karen S. Lee (grab your copy here). When I saw her little meatloaf sliders I knew I had to try them! A family staple in a mini size for little hands? Perfect!
Since my kids have done the Kids Cook Real Food eCourse I actually let them help me make these fun meatloaf sliders. Everything goes in one bowl. My kind of prep work!
My kids are used to eating their burgers without a bun. So that’s what we did. But it would also be fun to make some mini buns or use a lettuce wrap. Or if your kids are like mine they love anything served on a stick. I like mine on a big salad! Top it with some avocado. YUM.
I love that these meatloaf sliders are free of grains/gluten and dairy. If you can’t have eggs I bet they would work fine without. We are nut free, so I swapped a little more coconut flour for the almond flour.
I served our meatloaf sliders with cauli-bites, also from Karen’s book. I skipped the buffalo seasoning since my kids are not big on spice. But I bet it would be delicious!
Do You Need an Air Fryer?
Now you may be thinking, “These look good…but I don’t have an air fryer.” Well, I don’t either! Though I may have to put one on my Christmas list now. All of the recipes can be adapted for the oven by using a wire rack on a baking sheet. Simple.
If you do have an air fryer I’d love to hear what you think of it!
Even if you don’t have an air fryer I highly recommend Karen’s book. The pictures are gorgeous (my favorite thing about any cookbook). And the recipes all sound delicious. PLUS they are all paleo recipes and easy to adapt to your dietary needs.
I had to steal the cookbook back from my ten year old. She was drooling over every page.
Divided into eleven chapters, Paleo Cooking with your Air Fryer includes crispy and flavorful dishes for every meal and snack, including desserts. Karen’s nutritious and delicious air fryer recipes will turn her family favorites into your family’s favorites, including Healthy Korean Chicken Wings, Filet Mignon with Herbs and Roasted Garlic, Not Your Gramma’s Fried Chicken, Fish Tostadas, Fancy Pants French Fries, Simple Chocolate Mud Cake and Pumpkin Coconut Crème Brûlée.
Dr. Karen S. Lee is a retired Doctor of Chiropractic and Acupuncture Fellow, who helped thousands of patients with emphasis on holistic therapy, ergonomics, nutrition therapy, and mind-body medicine. She is the founder of www.drkarenslee.com, a blog dedicated to holistic health, real food recipes, and lives in Westchester County, New York with her family.
Grain Free Meatloaf Sliders
Karen has graciously allowed me to share the meatloaf slider recipe with my readers! It’s great for little hands. And it’s definitely picky eater approved! Especially if you let them help cook. Something about helping prepare the food makes it so much more appealing.
Enjoy this super fast, super delicious, super kid friendly recipe. We eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Recipe reprinted with permission from Paleo Cooking With Your Air Fryer by Dr. Karen S. Lee, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018. Photo Credit: Donna Crous.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Make patties that are about 2 inches in diameter and about 1 inch thick. If you want to make thicker or thinner patties, make sure all of them are similar size, so they cook properly at the same time.
Place the patties on a platter and refrigerate for 10 minutes for the flour to absorb the wet ingredients and the patties to become firm.
Preheat the air fryer to 360*F or the oven to 400*F.
Place as many patties as you can fit in the basket and close. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Check the patties halfway through. When the timer goes off, take them out, place on a serving platter and cover until all the patties are cooked.
If using the oven, place patties on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through.
As parents, especially moms, we are wired with the desire to nourish and care for our children. But when your child has feeding challenges it can create a lot of parental stress that is hard to handle.
I spend a lot of time on the couch nursing baby number four these days. And I can only look at my phone or stare at the wall for so long. Which means I’ve gotten back into reading! It’s been great to actually have time to read again. Even if it’s usually short intervals because I get sleepy or lose focus. Postpartum sleep deprivation will do that.
Recently my husband suggested a book he bought called “Boys Should Be Boys” by Meg Meeker, MD. Sure, I thought. I’ll give it a look. After all, we do have two sons! And a pediatrician should have some good advice.
I felt encouraged that a lot of it was right in line with how we raise our children – don’t overschedule, let them have plenty of free time, let them explore outside, give them attention. Great.
All About Mom
Then I got to the chapter specifically for moms. I found a few areas to work on and more encouragement that I’m doing an ok job at this parenting thing.
And then I read one line that made me pause for a moment.
“In my medical practice, the most stressed-out mothers I have encountered are often the mothers whose sons have growth issues. If a child fails to eat well and fails to grow, a mother subconsciously feels that she has failed.”
It wasn’t until about thirty minutes later that the weight of that statement really hit me and the tears started flowing.
After four years of watching my youngest daughter struggle with eating and being undernourished and now having another baby that struggles to eat, it was the first time I didn’t feel alone.
I’m not just the crazy mom that worries too much about her kids. If a pediatrician sees the parents of children with feeding challenges as the most stressed out, then it’s not just me!
And it’s Not Just You, Either!
To the mom who couldn’t breastfeed despite her best efforts – you are not alone.
To the parents of a child with an undiagnosed tongue tie resulting in undernourishment – you are not alone.
To the mother of a kid going through feeding therapy – you are not alone.
To the parent of a child whose diet is limited to ten foods – you are not alone.
To the parents of kids who throw tantrums at every meal – you are not alone.
To the mom who gets anxious before every checkup, fearing that your child is still not growing – you are not alone.
To the mom of a kid with food allergies – you are not alone.
To the mom that puts her life on hold to make feeding her children well a priority – you are not alone.
And to the mom whose baby screams at every feed, whose day is consumed with feeding attempts and you can hardly leave the house – YOU are not alone. I am not alone.
In her book “Cold Tangerines” Shauna Niequist describes feeding others like this:
“[F]eeding the people I love is a hands-on way of loving them. When you nourish and sustain someone, essentially, you’re saying that you want them to thrive, to be happy and healthy and able to live well.”
That is exactly how I feel about feeding my children. And it’s a challenge when there is a road block in the way.
I see other moms of little ones going out on dates or out with friends, while I’m over here wondering if I can manage a trip to the grocery store between feeding attempts. I see other families going to the beach or the zoo for the day, and I can’t go anywhere for more than an hour without a private place to breastfeed. There is no such thing as being discrete with all the bouncing, back arching and screaming going on.
The parental stress of a child with feeding challenges is very real, but hard to understand if you’ve never been through it. If you know a mom struggling with feeding issues give her some encouragement and maybe a helping hand. She is doing such important and demanding work!
Parental Stress
I focus a lot on health and nutrition for kids. But also for parents. It’s important for mom and dad to be healthy not only to set a good example, but also to be able to properly care for your kids.
I’ve been working on my own health for many years. And it’s always a challenge during pregnancy and breastfeeding when I am sharing nutrients and often on a limited diet for baby’s food intolerances.
But one of the biggest factors in health problems is not the food you eat but instead the amount of stress in your life.
Ask any doctor and they will tell you to reduce stress.
You can declutter your house, free up time in your schedule, simplify meals and try to get to bed earlier…but you can’t get rid of your child! The parental stress of a child with feeding challenges is a permanent fixture as long as the feeding troubles remain.
I often joke with my big kids that baby brother only wants to eat as soon as I sit down to eat. So I have to rush through every meal with a fussy baby. Eating too quickly, not chewing thoroughly and eating while stressed is a recipe for disastrous digestion. Yep, that’s me. You too? I pretty much have a constant stomach ache from the tension.
The stress impacts how I interact with my other children and my husband. If my little guy is having a bad day I am having a bad day and patience goes out the window. If my four year old refuses to eat my anxiety builds and it shows.
“Mothers love through sacrifice. They act. They will surrender whatever is necessary to keep their son alive. Whether it’s intuitive or not, that is what love does.”
Caring for a child with feeding challenges is stressful. It’s hard work. And it shows your deep, deep love for your child. Some days are more challenging than others. And some days you just need a good cry. But don’t give up. You’re doing a great job. Keep it up!
I wrote this post to encourage others. But also to encourage myself as I’m right there with you dealing with multiple children with feeding challenges at the same time. It is stressful. And it’s OK to admit it. Just know you are NOT a failure!
I hope that ten years from now when I’m not struggling with very young children this post can still offer encouragement to those in the midst of the challenge. And I will still be here to help you along the journey!
What has been the most stressful part of having a child with feeding challenges for you?
Every summer our garden is loaded with beets. My husband just did our THIRD planting! There are so many reasons to eat beets. But not everyone is a fan. Until now. You’ll have even your picky eaters going for seconds with these simple baked beet fries!
Beets. You either love them or hate them. Some (like me!) love their earthy sweet flavor. Then there are others that think they just taste like dirt.
I am happy to say that I’ve converted my whole family into beet eaters! Especially freshly roasted golden beets from our garden. They are so sweet!!
But I know not everyone is so fond of them.
It’s a shame because they are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Just look at that rich color! Plus they are powerhouse helpers for your liver, assisting in detox.
My three year old will eat a mountain of beets. But my son, although willing, really only cares for a few pieces. Until I made them into fries.
All it takes is cutting beets into sticks and rolling them in flour. Bake for an hour and sprinkle generously with real salt. And presto. Beet fries.
Suddenly my son will fight over them!
You don’t even need ketchup for dipping. They are great as-is. Perfect for keeping the added sugar out of your diet.
I love that this is also a great alternative for anyone that can’t have potatoes due to allergies (like my sons) or a nightshade sensitivity. We also make a lot of carrot fries to avoid potatoes.
My kids will eat these warm or cold. They do tend to go for the golden ones first. Like I said, golden beets are so sweet. But they like both varieties. If you think you don’t like beets, try golden. You might change your mind.
Grab some beets from your local farmer’s market (or grow your own!) and make these picky eater approved beet fries. Easy to make and fun to eat. Plus they are so good for you! It’s a win all around.
Do your kids like beets? Would they eat them as beet fries?
Looking for a simple, yet nourishing breakfast that you can get on the table quickly? This picky eater approved gluten free instant porridge with MCT oil will be a new family favorite. No cooking. No allergens. And best of all the kids can make it!
I’m definitely a creature of habit. When it comes to breakfast I tend to serve the same things to my family every week (one less thing to think about when meal planning!). Monday is yogurt. Tuesday is a smoothie. Wednesday is eggs. And Thursday is usually oatmeal.
There’s just one problem. My oldest son is allergic to oats!
Easy Oat-Free Breakfast
So I always have to come up with an alternative for him. Sometimes I make a different hot cereal, like teff porridge. But I’ll be honest…I usually do not feel like cooking a second breakfast. Especially now with a new baby. I just don’t have time for that.
One day I just started tossing some miscellaneous food in a bowl for him. His own instant porridge. And he loved it!
In fact, it looked so good my daughters were jealous that he got instant porridge when they had oatmeal. So now I make it for all of them! Or better yet, they can make it for themselves since they know how to cook. It’s that easy.
Want to teach your kids to cook? Check out the Kids Cook Real Food ecourse HERE! You can get a set of FREE kids make breakfast videos when you sign up by August 8!
Not to mention it’s very versatile. You can partially prep it the night before, 30 minutes before or just before breakfast. It can be gluten-free or grain-free and dairy-free.
Instant Porridge Packed with Nutrition
The key ingredient is chia seeds. They pack a nutritional punch with omega-3’s, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein.
There is another superstar ingredient that we add – MCT oil. If you’ve never tried it, you should. It comes from coconuts. Here are some of the benefits:
Increase Energy Levels
Improve Mental Clarity, Reduce Brain Fog
Improve Mood
Improve Gut Function and Digestion
Support a Healthy Metabolism
Aid In The Process of Reducing Stored Body Fat
Promote Healthy Brain Function
Keep Excess Inflammation in Check
Promote Healthy Heart Function
Helps Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Variety of antimicrobial and anti-fungal effects
Anything that improves brain function and blood sugar regulation is wonderful for kids! Not to mention it boosts nutrition, which is a key factor in dealing with picky eaters. It’s great for Mom and Dad too!
The best source for MCT oil is Perfect Supplements (I trust them for all of my favorite supplements like desiccated liver and collagen). It is 100% pure (read more about it here)!
If you’ve never used MCT oil, make sure you start with a small dose (about 1 tsp.) and work your way up to 1 – 2 Tbsp. It can upset your digestive system if you eat too much too quickly.
To your chia seeds and MCT oil add your favorite type of milk (we us raw milk, coconut milk, almond milk or rice milk), seeds, and fruit. Then my personal favorite topping of coconut chips (advanced warning…they are so addictive!).
Healthy, Prep-ahead Breakfast
You can prepare and eat it immediately. Or you can let the chia seeds soak in the milk for a few minutes or even over night to thicken. Sometimes we add brown rice puffs or quick oats (depending on who’s eating it) to thicken it as well.
My three-year old has been measuring ingredients and slicing bananas since she was two. She loves to make instant porridge herself. Plus each child gets to choose their toppings when they make it. And they learn how to serve themselves proper portions.
If your mornings are really hectic mix the chia seeds and milk the night before. In the morning set out bowls of toppings for the family.
A simple, no-cook breakfast porridge that is allergy friendly and loaded with nutrition.
Prep Time5minutes
Total Time5minutes
Servings1
AuthorMary | Just Take A Bite
Ingredients
1cupmilk or yogurt of choice
2Tbspchia seeds
1Tbsp.hemp seeds(optional)
1Tbsp.MCT oil(start with 1 tsp. if you've never used it before and work up to 1 Tbsp.)
2Tbsp.brown rice puffs or rolled oats(optional)
1bananasliced
2Tbsp.coconut chips
dried or fresh fruit of choice(optional)
Instructions
Combine the milk/yogurt, chia seeds, hemp seeds, MCT oil and puffs/oats.
Allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes or overnight (in refrigerator).
Add banana, coconut chips and fruit.
Serve.
Recipe Notes
Any form of dairy works - coconut milk, almond milk, rice milk, etc.
This serves 1. Multiply for as many servings as you need.
What is your go-to quick and healthy breakfast?
Don’t forget to grab your MCT oil and all your other favorite Perfect Supplements products like desiccated liver and collagenHERE! Use the code TAKE10 to get an extra 10% off.
Life isn’t always what it seems. Today I’m sharing my 33 year journey through fear and infertility. Through it all God is good!
If you don’t know much about my story you may think my life looks well planned. I am happily married. I have four kids, two boys and two girls, all about three years apart. And almost ten years to the day between my oldest and youngest. Picture perfect, right?
Yes, it’s true that I am a major planner, But I can assure you that God did all the planning when it came to building my family.
As I approached Simon’s birth I realized just how monumental it was. His birth carried with it 33 years of dreams, desires and hopes…and struggles, doubts and fear. And in that one moment when he arrived a weight I’ve carried with me for so long was lifted.
Today I want to share the journey with you. Though I admit I debated about whether or not to. Do I want to relive it? Or just forget it and move on? These thoughts and emotions have been swirling around in my head for the last couple months. Hopefully I can get them written and fully let go. And maybe it will give hope to someone else. So here we go!
When it All Began.
It started on my fifth birthday. The only thing I wanted was a Cabbage Patch Doll. But they were sold out everywhere. Finally my mom heard a store near us had just gotten ten more. We rushed over. By the time we got there only five were left. It took me all of two seconds to pick the one I wanted. A girl with a tuft of blonde hair and a paci. I named her Caroline Rebecca.
And from that moment I knew that more than anything I wanted to be a mom.
But more specifically I knew deep down I wanted four kids – two boys, two girls. How I knew this at such a young age, I don’t know. I think it was a seed God planted in me. A seed of hope that has kept me going through a lot of struggles. No matter how hard I tried over the years to shake it (and believe me, I tried! I prayed and prayed for God to take it away.), I knew my life would not feel complete without four children.
I spent a large portion of my childhood playing with dolls. Not Barbies. Babies. I pretended to nurse them, dress them, feed them. They went wherever I went. I was playing dolls well into junior high!
The teenage Years.
Fast forward to puberty. When the fear first set in. From my first menstrual cycle at age 14 I knew something wasn’t “normal” about me. I only had a period once or twice a year. I was too scared to talk to anyone about it. I lied about it at doctor visits. I thought my body was broken…for good. And the fear that I would never have the family I dreamed of set in.
I started an obsession with health (which sort of led me to where I am now). It was an unhealthy obsession then (and would be for many years to come). I actually knew nothing about health. In my mind there was only one factor. Skinny meant healthy. So I became fat phobic – the popular dietary misinformation of the day. I could live on fruity candy and fat free ice cream and call it healthy.
This is also when my obsessive compulsive disorder began (though I wouldn’t understand it/identify it for another 15 years). My eating became so restricted. My weight dropped like crazy. I was less “normal” than ever. But I didn’t care because I was skinny.
This continued all through high school. I was underweight, scared of food and so undernourished.
Coming to a Head in College.
Then I went off to college. All of my obsessive behaviors combined with my extreme shyness created a lot of anxiety. And it was hard to make friends or let anyone get to know me.
I was playing soccer and taking honors classes. My days were so busy I hardly had time to make friends even if I wanted to.
By the grace of God there was some positive change by my junior year. My soccer career came to an end…which made it possible for me to start a relationship with the man that would one day become my husband. We were both electrical engineering majors, which allowed us to spend a lot of time together.
I had no idea at the time, but I was gradually re-feeding my body (you can read more about that in this book). My weight had gone up enough to be in a healthy range. And I was eating more nutrients (though still low fat and plenty of processed food). For the first time in my life I started having regular cycles! I finally felt normal. I got excited every month when it showed up. My body was working!!
On the flip side my OCD and digestive problems were progressively getting worse (I didn’t understand how food impacted mood at the time). And getting harder to hide.
A BIG Mistake.
One year after graduation Justin and I got married. A few months before the wedding I made a bad decision that would impact my health for many years to come…I started birth control pills. It was just what you do when you get married. I never thought twice about it, I never questioned what negative effects they could have. Or that it might not be how God wanted me to live. Trying to be in control instead of giving that to Him.
I now understand how harmful birth control is. And will teach my daughters so they don’t make the same mistake.
At first it was great. Having everything work like clockwork. I had no idea they messed up your hormones and that the period was just a withdrawl bleed, not an actual period.
Gradually I started to feel the impact. At the start of each new pack I would get so sick I would vomit, My anxiety and OCD were out of control. I was having panic attacks.
My digestive problems continued to get worse as well. I had constant painful colon spasms, I was constantly searching for solutions, I tried all sorts of dietary changes. None of them worked. They just made my anxiety about food worse.
I finally got to the point I couldn’t handle things and started working with a psychologist, I spent the next ten years working with her,
Time For our Family.
In early 2006 my husband and I started talking about having kids. The thing I had been waiting for since I was five. I stopped taking birth control…and the long journey through infertility began. I waited six months with no sign of my cycles returning naturally. Those three years on birth control had destroyed my health both physically and mentally.
During those three years I also underwent a host of tests to help my digestive problems, But every time the doctor would tell me everything was normal. After years of searching for answers I finally self-diagnosed my problem. At 26 years old I had a rectal prolapse. I met with a colon surgeon who confirmed it and ran more tests, In September 2006 I had surgery to correct it.
I was out of work for two months. It was a long, slow recovery. Something I don’t care to ever repeat.
Treatment Begins.
My first day back at work post surgery was also the day of my first visit with the endocrinologist. We started with three rounds of clomid – which my body did not respond to. Next we moved on to IUI. It was during this process that we learned we had both male and female infertility, As each month came and went with no luck my fear of not having the family I dreamed of really surfaced. I wondered if I’d ever be a mom at all.
The endo told us our only option was IVF. He didn’t give any health suggestions, No dietary advice, Just medical procedures. So began our journey through the lonely, painful, expensive world of IVF.
Of course my body never likes to follow the norm. The doctor diagnosed me with polyfollicular ovaries – not PCOS. But I could never find any information about it. He said he rarely had patients like me.
I didn’t respond as well as hoped to the procedure because of my condition. I produced tons of eggs…but most of them were not mature enough to be useful. So after the egg retrieval I hyperstimulated, In other words all of the empty egg sacs filled with fluid, which then filled my abdominal cavity. It’s painful. It makes you feel sick. It can damage your ovaries, And it makes you unable to transfer any fertilized eggs back. We had to freeze everything and give my body time to recover.
What hyperstimulation looks like – a belly full of fluid.
We waited another month to move on. Just when it was getting too hard to hope we received great news – our first IVF transfer worked! I was pregnant. I gave birth to our first child, a daughter, in 2008.
Let’s Try Again.
In the fall of 2009 we decided to start trying for another baby. I weaned my daughter just weeks before returning to the endocrinologist to start the next round of treatment. In other words I didn’t give my body any time to recover or restore nutrients. We did another IVF transfer. Unfortunately it didn’t work. And it used up what fertilized eggs we had frozen.
So back to square one. We started right up with a new round of IVF stimulation. It was around this time that I first learned about real food and started making dietary changes.
As before I hyperstimulated and had to recover before doing transfers. We went on to use up all of our fertilized eggs with three frozen transfers…all of which were unsuccessful. The third one was dragged out a bit, but ended up being a chemical pregnancy. I felt so broken and alone (I wrote about it here). Those fears were taking over. Would I ever have more children?
After a couple months off we started yet another round of IVF. Again I hyperstimulated. The worst it had ever been. I was so sick and had to do transfusions to help my fluids balance. But finally we got to our sixth frozen transfer. Praise the Lord it worked! I gave birth to our first son in 2011. During that pregnancy I started the GAPS diet to try to help with my digestive problems. Unfortunately it made my OCD go out of control. It also made my food sensitivities worse in the long run.
Baby #3??
In May of 2013 we headed back to the doctor, hopeful we would at least have one more child. We still had fertilized eggs in the freezer. Just as I was starting the hormone meds we got a letter that my endo was retiring immediately due to health problems. Panic. I’m already starting a round of treatment…now what?
Thankfully we have another great endo in town that was taking on all of my old doctor’s patients. And he was able to squeeze us in yet for this cycle. This was it. We had to use up all of our freezer supply for this transfer. The two week wait was eternal. I felt all of the usual symptoms. But the hormone shots do that to you.
Finally I got the pregnancy test results – positive!!! I was so beyond happy. It worked. We would have three kids. I would have to settle for that. And we would be done with fertility treatments.
But a week later I started to bleed. I went to the doctor for an ultrasound – inconclusive. No heart beat. But it could be too early. I had my hormone levels checked – they weren’t rising. I went for a final ultrasound to confirm it was a blighted ovum.
Dreams shattered. Fears in control.
Letting God Take Control.
Now what? Justin and I both knew we couldn’t do another round of IVF. My body couldn’t handle any more. And we had already spent so much money on it.
But this was when God really changed my life. Through this heartbreak he brought so much healing. You can read all the details HERE and HERE. When I tell people our first two children were conceived via IVF and our second two were natural I always get the same comment – “Your body just started working again! It figured out how to do it.” No. NOT AT ALL. There was a LOT of work that went into the healing process. And it was HARD work. So hard. But in December of 2013 I found out I was pregnant. Our second daughter was born in 2014.
You would think that would put an end to my fears. But it didn’t. Her first two years of life were riddled with fear. From vaccine reactions to tongue ties to so many allergies I was worried she’d starve to death. She didn’t gain any weight for a year. We could hardly leave the house. It consumed me. By God’s grace we made it through. She is now thriving.
Yet through those years of struggles with her I thought daily about having another baby. It weighed heavily on me. I didn’t know if my husband would be willing to try again. I didn’t know if my body would work again. A lot of unknowns. A lot of giving it over to God on a daily basis.
Baby #4??
I weaned my daughter in early 2017 in order to start working on my health. To my complete amazement my body started cycling on its own about six weeks later. That alone gave me hope. That had never happened before. My body was working!! Nothing was regular. But I charted my cycles. On August 14, 2107 I found out I was pregnant with our final miracle baby.
I had a deep rooted fear in the back of my mind the whole pregnancy. All of the “what-ifs” played out over and over. I had experienced enough heartbreak and witnessed others go through heartbreak. What made me think I would get a happy ending? I had waited 33 long years for this. I was so close, but not there yet.
And I felt like I didn’t deserve it. That somehow it would all be whisked away just before I got there. I was so caught up in Satan’s lies that I couldn’t see God’s love.
I could hardly even enjoy my pregnancy during the last six weeks. Satan was working hard to make sure my fears were front and center everywhere I looked. Every song I heard. Every picture I saw. It all seemed to point to something bad happening.
But over the past couple years my focus has been “Be Fearless.” God brought me this phrase. It’s hanging in my kitchen. I see it daily. And I have to give my fears over to God daily, sometimes hourly. Living fearlessly isn’t always easy. But it is living according to God’s Word.
On April 23, 2018 we welcomed our fourth miracle baby to the family. Precious little Simon Arie. He has completed our family and once again shown me just how real God’s love is. Everything went smoothly. He is healthy and growing well. All those fears were for nothing. There is a song on the radio often these days called “Fear is a Liar.” I love listening to it. But I often replace the word fear with Satan. They are the same. I’m done listening to Satan’s lies. I will continue to Be Fearless.
Moving On.
It’s actually been hard to write this post because at just a few weeks postpartum I’ve already left it behind. I should have started writing it while I was still pregnant! This will always be my story. But I’m so ready to move forward without this 33 year fear controlling me.
There are still challenges ahead. We’re working through nursing/food reaction issues with this little guy (of course – that’s just the way things are for us). I’m a mom. I will always be concerned about about my kids’ health and safety. There are still traces of the OCD that I’m working through and hope to get rid of through God’s power.
But I won’t have to carry the daily burden of whether or not we’ll have more children. A weight has been lifted that I can’t even describe. It was a part of me for so long. It almost feels like I’m leaving a piece of me behind.
I still have one more big milestone ahead. When I eventually wean our youngest. I will close the chapter of my life where I share my body with another person. When that time comes I’ll be ready to focus on fully nourishing myself and restoring my health. But thankfully I’ve got a while. I’m not quite ready for that yet. Breastfeeding is one of my favorite things about having babies. I’m going to enjoy it as much as I can.
I never for one second take for granted these precious miracles God has entrusted to me. And although the journey was long and difficult I am thankful for all I have learned along the way. Each child has brought me so much healing. They have already given me more than I could ask for. I pray that I can be the mom they need and teach them well as they grow. Teach them how to love, how to take care of their bodies and how to live in God’s love without fear.
I am anxious to see what God has planned for the next chapter of my life as this one comes to an end. One thing I know is that I don’t have to be afraid of it.
There are so many Americans that go hungry every day. Logic says we must have a food shortage. But do we really have a food supply issue? Maybe not.
It seems in our country the solution to hunger is to plant more corn and soy. Spoiler alert…it’s NOT the correct answer. Unless your goal at the same time is a continued decline in health and well-being and in increase in the need for pharmaceuticals. Not to mention the elimination of small farms.
By now you know that is the opposite of my mission. I want to do all I can to support local farmers, encourage everyone to eat real food and to really make a difference in the health of the generations to come.
Guess what? There is a lot more that could be done to achieve this goal. And it doesn’t involve more fields of GMO corn.
Where are the Eggs Going?
I am blessed to have a good friend that shares my passion. And who also isn’t afraid to speak up when she sees a way to make a change. Trisha is kindly sharing a letter she wrote to small grocery store concerning food waste. I hope it helps open your eyes to the real problem of hunger. It’s not that we have a foods supply issue. It’s a food waste issue.
“Dear local grocery store,
468.
Four hundred and sixty eight.
Try to remember that number while you read this letter.
The last weekend of January, I stopped at a local grocery store in Valparaiso, Indiana (Strack and Van Til #8750). I was in town visiting family, and between the two families, there are 5 children. During our stay we ran out of eggs so I decided to stop at the grocery store to purchase some, due to the fact that it was only a couple minutes from where we were staying. As I approached the egg section, I noticed there was an employee taking eggs off the shelf and placing them into boxes. I asked what he was doing with the eggs, and the employee told me that they were being removed because their sell by date was that day, or the day before. In total there were 39 dozen eggs, 16 of which had that day’s date on them. Now where I’m from our grocery stores will markdown items that have reached their sell by date, on that date. I expressed interest to the employee that I would purchase all of them with today’s date on them, after he marked them down. He told me that they were not allowed to mark them down because they had that day’s date on them. I asked if I was able to talk with the store manager, and as I asked, the store manager came around the corner. I stopped him and explained the situation as stated above. He told me that the store policy is that if the item has today’s date on it, and it hasn’t sold, that you can’t mark it down because it is then “past” the sell by date.
What would happen to the eggs then?
They’d donate them……. right?
Wrong. They would all be thrown away.
I questioned why they don’t donate them to a local food pantry. He said because the store didn’t want to be sued or held liable if anyone got sick from eating them. I wondered, as a store manager, and a local business, how does throwing away perfectly fine products not bother him. After being in the industry for over 20 years, he said he is, and I quote, “immune to it”.
How sad is that?! I can’t even begin to imagine how much food he has seen thrown away in the last 20+ years. In any other business, if an employee saw perfectly good product being thrown away, they would be congratulated for bringing it to someone’s attention. But somehow in the food industry, across the board, it’s “ok” and “acceptable”. I’m sure most people would be shocked to know how much perfectly good food really gets thrown away. But it happens behind closed doors, so no one talks about it. As a mother and a human being, that makes me sad. As someone who grew up in a family of 6 who relied on food pantries to feed us, it is maddening.
Remember the number 468? On that day, at that store, they threw away 468 eggs. That could have been a breakfast for 468 adults and children in that community. (There are 950,720 food insecure people in Indiana.) I realize too, that those eggs were only the tip of the food waste iceberg. What about the produce department? Bakery? Dairy? Meat? This was ONE item, at ONE store, in ONE city, on ONE day.
Makes you sit back and think “There’s got to be a better way.” Well there is; the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Law. It protects businesses and nonprofits that donate food in good faith, from being held liable if someone got sick. The sad thing about it is that it was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996! 22 years later and we still haven’t made any progress on getting perfectly edible food to the people who need it most. I feel grocery stores, and other businesses alike, are still hiding behind the belief that they can’t donate food because they don’t want to be sued.
So why do they continue to do it? Why doesn’t anyone hold them accountable? Wouldn’t it be easier to donate it then pay the garbage company to haul all that excess “trash” away? When you think of food waste from a grocery store, you just think of the actual food. What about the packaging that item was in? What if the eggs they were throwing away were the ones in the plastic cartons? All that plastic not being recycled. That type of plastic would take around 450 YEARS to decompose. I don’t know about you, but I won’t be around then. The sad thing, that egg carton will be.
This isn’t the part where I start telling you the same statistics that you’ve already heard…. “40% of food produced is thrown away”, “41 MILLION Americans struggle with food insecurity and 1 in 6 of those are children”, so on and so on. I do, however, want to share some other statics with you. 3/10 of a mile from this store’s location is Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. A school where 57% of the students that attend there receive reduced or free lunches. Over half the school?! When these students are not at school are they eating? Do they know where their next meal is going to come from? Maybe their family relies on a food pantry. Wondering if there’s one close by? It just so happens Hilltop Food Pantry is 2.4 miles from this same location. Their website states “accepts perishable and non-perishable food items.” I don’t think that any grocery store would be hard pressed to find an employee at any of their locations who would be more then happy to drop off items at a food pantry versus throwing it in a dumpster. Maybe this pantry would be over the moon excited to work out something with your company, to get the unsold food to their pantry. Want a pantry that picks up? Feeding America website states that they have free pick up from any location in the United States. Doesn’t get any easier then that!
I could keep going, but I’m not sure I want to, especially if this falls on deaf ears. Since having 3 children of my own, I’ve tried to instill in them, how to always do the right thing. Like standing up for what you believe, and that they can be the good they want to see in the world. I will add that I enjoyed shopping at your store. It was clean, well laid out, and the employees I encountered were nice and genuinely seemed like great people.
Upon exiting the store, I noticed some signs you have on the wall with your company’s Values, Principles, Vision, and Mission statements. I made sure to read them before I left and there were a couple sentences that stood out to me. Part of your Principles states, “We are dedicated to the supporting organization and events that enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve by being good partners, neighbors and friends.” And part of your Values states, “We love what we do and will continue to look for new and exciting ways to better serve our customers and communities.” If these two sentences are true, I want to challenge you:
Be a leader, not a follower!
Be the difference that could change your community forever. I’ve seen on your website that you have, so to say, “put your money (and customer’s money) where your mouth is” by donating money to local organizations. But I’d love to see a change at your store, and every other grocery store. Start putting your unsold food into the mouths of the hungry in your neighborhoods. Who knows, by donating this food you could be helping one of your employees? A friend? Or maybe someone in your family?
‘Unless someone like you, cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.’
Dr. Seuss”
Now What?
Let’s stop pretending this doesn’t happen every single day. Talk to your local grocery store. Find out what they are doing to support the community or if there is a way you can help facilitate change. Get the food where it needs to go – in the hands and mouths of the hungry. Find a local food pantry and volunteer.
As a family that works hard to grow our own food and share with others it breaks my heart to think of someone just throwing it away. There is no reason for that.
I truly believe we don’t have a food supply issue in America. I do believe we have a food waste issue. And it needs to change!
I’ve got another great recipe that uses Perfect Supplements gelatin to share with you!
They can be used in desserts as well. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top of 
One day I just started tossing some miscellaneous food in a bowl for him. His own instant porridge. And he loved it!
The best source for MCT oil is 
Healthy, Prep-ahead Breakfast
