Muesli (with Pumpkin Seeds!)

February 25th, 2014 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (5 Comments)

I’ve been on a muesli kick for the last two weeks or so.

Museli Mix

And just in time, because pumpkin seeds are on the list of healthy, affordable foods – and pumpkin seeds go great in muesli!

Pumpkin Seeds or Pepitas

If you aren’t in the know, muesli is a cereal combo (usually) made with oats, nuts, seeds and dried or fresh fruit.  Bananas have been my fresh fruit of choice lately, but frozen, thawed strawberries have been known to make an appearance in my bowl too.

Top with Banana

(It’s Friday night and I’m writing about oatmeal.  See –> “this post is random.”)

With all the reading and blogging I’ve done about eating less grains and cutting down on carbs, I have a confession to make.

I still love oatmeal.

I know, I know, who cares!  It’s just oatmeal.  The world has much bigger problems than this.  But it sort of feels like a dirty carb secret.  I READ GRAIN BRAIN!  I’VE READ THE PALEO BOOKS!  I’m not supposed to like oatmeal anymore!

But I do.  I admit it.  Sometime I eat oatmeal.  Love me.

It was another egg and everything bagel kind of weekend here.

(That means it was a good weekend.)

But now it’s Monday, and we’re moving on to better and bluer breakfasts.

These little wild blueberries from Woodstock Farms are my current favorite small blue thing.

Woodstock Farms Wild Blueberries

I pop about a half cup of them into a dish and let them thaw in the fridge over night.

Frozen Wild Blueberries

Or, if you forgot about them last night like I did, an hour on the counter at room temperature works too.

The most exciting thing to report on around here would be the fact that I’ve been eating breakfast cookies all week. After Linda left a comment on an old post, I was reminded how much I use to love this odd yet fabulous oatmeal concoction.

Breakfast Cookie

It’s been a long time! Good thinking, Linda.

I went to my favorite active yoga class for the first time in nearly five months on Monday night, and I don’t think the instructor recognized me.  I wanted to go up to her and say “hi, remember me?” but then I thought she might take one look at my swollen stomach and remind me of the importance of not doing yoga right after you’ve apparently been stuffing yourself for hours on end at an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet.

I have Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in my freezer.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in My Freezer

Blasted Halloween.

These are Maxine’s, and it was her idea to put them in the freezer. I think there is something programmed into women from birth to know that chocolate + peanut butter are best when cold.

I will not eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for breakfast, but I totally could.

Good thing they aren’t mine. And good thing I also have frozen bananas in my freezer.

I Do Have Frozen Bananas

Because frozen bananas + oats + cocoa powder are the start of something magical.

Cocoa Powder

Caution: Zombies Ahead

October 23rd, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Fitness - (14 Comments)

We survived!

We Did It

Literally, anyway.

Our day started in the car where we enjoyed breakfast in the form of pumpkin oats and lunch in the form of hummus, veggies,

Breakfast in the Car And Lunch

pita chips and my favorite portable protein; hard boiled eggs.

Pita Chips Portable Protein

Five hours later, we finally made it to Zombie Land

Caution Zombies Ahead

in time for our 4 o’clock wave start.

Start

We decided we were all fast enough to be Entrees. (vs. Fast appetizers or Slow desserts.)

Entree

Homemade Cereal Re-Runs

October 4th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (Comments Off on Homemade Cereal Re-Runs)

Homeschooling comes with plenty of challenges, but it’s also got a handful of perks.

One of my favorite perks? We quite often get to enjoy leisurely mornings at home – by design, really.  I’m a morning person, but that doesn’t mean I’m uber-excited to run out the door first thing in the morning on any given day of the week.

More accurately, I’m not uber-excited to get kids out the door first thing.  I’ll happily head out in the wee morning hours in my running sneaks, but a) I’ve only got to get myself ready and b) I don’t need to be reminded to brush my hair before I leave and c) I don’t have say CAN YOU PLEASE GET YOUR SHOES ON ALREADY three times before I finally do it.

I See Blue Circles

September 28th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (2 Comments)

My kids love frozen blueberries.

Frozen Blueberries

Both of them. Even the little one.

They snack on them straight from the freezer and then force me to look at their blue stained lips for about three hours until the color wears off, or until I can’t take it anymore and pin them to the ground for a spit bath with my saliva wetted thumb.

I haven’t bought frozen blueberries for a few months now because of the overabundance of summer fruit we were getting from the CSA share. They asked me to buy frozen blueberries, but I just couldn’t bring myself to buy FROZEN fruit with three pounds of fresh peaches in the fridge.

Zucchini Oatmeal Breakfast Cakes

September 26th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Breakfast - (9 Comments)

I seem to be on a pancake kick recently – but ’tis the season for warm breakfasts after all! Let’s roll with it.

After I spied a small zucchini hanging out in the fridge this morning and feeling very much in the mood for something substantial after an early morning bike ride, I decide to whip up some zucchini pancakes today. Zucchini is awesome for it’s ability to taste like nothing in baked goods, while quite generously giving you a serving of vegetables at the same time.

Zucchini Pancake Ingredients

Homeschool Lessons for All

September 13th, 2011 | Posted by Alison Spath in Fitness - (1 Comments)

Now that Maxine can ride her bike, Homeschool Phys Ed class is officially in session.

Riding Buds The Claw Over My Shoulder Ready to Ride

Is this really Phys Ed? Or is this just a morning run in disguise?

Whatever you want to call it, a bunch of lessons were learned on our group outing this morning – lessons for both young and old.

A Lesson for Mom

When Maxine says “Whoa, whoa, whoa!!”, that means she’s about to come to a sudden and complete stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

This lead to the discovery that I run too closely behind Maxine.