The girls were with Aunt Ellen today while I got some work done around the house. I managed to sneak in 45 minutes of Runner’s Yoga before I left to pick them up with plans to run some errands on the way home.

We were out longer than I expected. By the time we got back some of us were pretty cranky. Some of us were pretty hungry too. And some of us were all of the above.

I had nothing planned for dinner. What else is new. After a quick scan of the produce drawer I pulled out a green pepper, mushrooms, onions and tofu and got to work.

Veggies were chopped into large pieces and then sauteed in some olive oil and veggie broth until they softened up.

I rummaged the spice cupboard for cumin, chili powder, oregano and red pepper flakes to add to the mix.

Once the vegetables were nearly done I added 1/2 a block of extra firm tofu, sliced into thin strips. At the last minute I threw in some jarred jalapenos and stirred gently so the tofu pieces wouldn’t break up too much.

20 minutes after walking in the door, veggie fajitas were hot and ready. It’s about time! I’m cranky! And hungry!

Into a warm whole wheat tortilla with a little salsa. x2.

This meal was fast and filling and totally worth the salsa stain on my shirt.

Not only do I cook fast, but I eat fast too. Now if I could just do laundry fast I’d be all set.

• We Came, We Saw, We Raked
• True or False
• Thanksgiving is Officially Over

Given it’s Thanksgiving week, almost all of our normal homeschool-away-from-home activities have been canceled for the holiday. I wanted something warm for breakfast this morning but the idea of hot oatmeal just wasn’t doing it for me. Since we didn’t have to be anywhere this morning, I decided to spend some time on a more time-intensive breakfast.

Who wants French Toast for breakfast today?

*crickets chirping*

Why am I the only one raising my hand? French Toast is good YO! Well you and I know that, but my pint sized gang has never been interested in French Toast. Insanity you say? That’s what I say!

When it comes to trying new foods – my kids can be pretty reluctant. I’m done trying to force them eat their vegetables. I do encourage them to take small no-thank-you helpings, but it helped me relax to learn that kids sometimes have to try something 20 times before the readily eat it. I just plod along and do my thing, leading by example and hope that one day they’ll be begging me to make them beet burgers.

For French Toast this morning I scrambled one egg with a 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk and a dash of cinnamon. I’ve only been eating Ezekiel bread these days and have hesitated to use it for French Toast fearing it would be too stiff to use for French Toast. Thank goodness Shari showed me the light and I was more than ready to give it a go this morning!

I soaked two slices of Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel in my egg mixture for about 4 – 5 minutes, until each slice was good and drenched.

Into a pre-heated pan coated lightly with coconut oil for grilling, to be cooked on each side for about 5 minutes or so.

It was at this point that Ava commented that something smelled really good. Damn straight it smells good! *ahem* I mean, yes – honey! French toast is definitely good!

I still had half of the egg and milk mix left, so I offered to make her some. I explained to her that it was sweet and you pour maple syrup on top like you do with pancakes. She cautiously consented with my signed affidavit that if she didn’t like it, she could have something else. It’s a deal.

The kids don’t like Ezekiel (yet!) so for Ava’s I version used regular wheat bread that I use to make their sandwiches.

I got Ava’s bread soaking and in the mean time I got back to working on my masterpiece. One slice of Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel French Toast, topped with a layer of sliced bananas.

The second piece of toast, more bananas and then the finishing touch – 2 Tbsp of real maple syrup.

I didn’t use to be a real maple syrup kind of gal – it was too expensive and seemed unnecessary. We didn’t use it that often so what’s the big deal?

But then I came to realize – real maple syrup is expensive for a reason! You’re supposed to be frugal with it! It’s not only expensive in terms of cost, but also in terms of calories. A quarter of a cup contains 210 calories! That’s way more than any of us need and if it’s cheap you’re much more likely to recklessly drench your pancakes with it. Sure, the fake stuff didn’t cost a lot of money, but what about what it’s doing to your waistline? I’m grateful that it’s more expensive because I’m careful to use only a little bit and a small bottle lasts us a very long time. I figure if they’re going to eat sugar, let’s eat the real stuff and leave the high fructose corn fun on the shelf.

With an 1/8 of cup of syrup, the total calories for this breakfast was about 380 calories.

Now for the kid test. She was a little reluctant.

A little nervous.

But after watching Mama scarf hers down and listening to me say This is so good with my mouth full about 12 times – she tried it.

I give this breakfast a big thumbs up too.

Where was Maxine? Slept straight through breakfast. Don’t ask me how she managed to stay sleeping with a house full of amazing french toast smells. Hers is in the fridge ready and waiting for her try and most likely stick her nose up at. In that case it will be ready and waiting for the human compost to come home from work tonight and take care of it.

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