Seeking Healthy Breakfast Ideas/recipes. Prefer Organic, Natural, High Omega-3. - Concord,NC

I grind flax seeds and put them in baked goods, oatmeal, and pancakes. I also add no-sugar applesauce to pancakes (it makes them nice and moist), and it's good to use in muffins to replace the oil. Muffins and pancakes freeze great! Another one I like is banana-pecan pancakes. I blend the pecans down to meal and add them- my kids are kind of picky eaters. Ground-up almonds can also be added to a lot of foods. You can also add nut meal or flax seed to granola, but it's more obvious.

Nature's Harvest eggs (I think that's the name) have lots of omega 3s (pick the right variety). Scramble with bell peppers, onions, cooked/leftover potatoes, etc, maybe with a little hot sauce or cheese for kick and it's delicious. My 3 and 6 year old boys eat that (but do sometimes pick out the vegies).

I am from the southwest and love to have corn tortillas spread with refried beans, salsa or enchilada sauce (or El Pato tomato sauce) cheese, and eggs served over the top, maybe with potatoes on the side (eggs can be scrambled or fried). Yummy! My kids will eat that too; I sometimes serve it for dinner. It' pretty easy with canned beans and sauce, just warm the tortillas (toaster oven works), beans in the microwave, cook the eggs, etc.

I sometimes put diced apples in oatmeal, and if we can get to a blueberry farm and pick 50 pounds and put them in the freezer, we have enough for the year for oatmeal. Frozen blueberries cool the oatmeal while they thaw, so it's not hot for the kiddies, and they love it.

I know some people think pancakes are evil, but to me, using whole grain flour (wheat or buckwheat), scant sugar if any, eggs (I believe they are they perfect food) and milk (even soy or rice milk), I think they are wonderfully nutritious, especially if using just a teaspoon of syrup or jam, and just a smidge of butter (smart balance has high omega varieties). I've trained my kids to just use enough syrup to spread a thin layer on top, so a bottle lasts us months, and I make pancakes/waffles/french toast a couple of times a week.

C.,
I've got one suggestion for you: Flax Seed.
I buy organic golden milled. It comes in a box in the health food aisle at the grocery store. It is a good source of fiber, cholesterol free, has no trans fats and is gluten free. It also has great Omega-3 oils in it! So far I've sprinkled it into cereal and love it blended with ice, orange juice and a banana for a quick breakfast smoothie. You can use it in juices, yogurt, muffins, cookies and more. They have a website for recipes as well. Go to HodgsonMill.com and enjoy!

Hi C.
One of my favorite things to make for my son who is 1 1/2 years old is a tofu smoothie. My son is not a big meat eater so this dish packs in calcium, fiber, and any nutrients that are added to the smoothie. Start with some tofu and then usually I'll add a fruit and an orange veggie (like sweet potato or butternut squash) and then some milk. I'll also add some spices like cinnamon or curry or nutmeg. I then blend it together to make a yogurt consistency. He absolutely loves it! You can also make your own variations according to your child's favorite fruit or veggie.
A few websites you may be interested in is:
www.wholesometoddlerfood.com (not exactly sure of the exact wording in the website, but if you don't find it this way try doing a search with these words).
Good luck!
P.

Flax oil is yummy added to things, it has a nutty flavor. You can put a teaspoon mixed in oatmeal.

I give my children this product:

http://www.vitacost.com/Nordic-Naturals-Childrens-DHA

The serving size is 4 balls, I give my 3yo one & my almost 6yo 3. They just chew them up, happily. The product recommends not for kids under 3.

I also make a fruit shake almost every day. I use frozen mixed fruit, a banana, a splash of juice (orange mango is my fav) Flax seeds**, plain yogurt, a few drops of stevia. YUM!! Ill add green food too, like Kyogreen.

**Flax seeds are useless if they dont get chewed up. So, take 1/2 cup seeds, soak in 1 cup of water overnight in the fridge. Use about 1-3 teaspoons or so. They will be soft & will grind up so you get the nutritional benefit. They will keep for about a 7-10 days in the fridge.

Kashi makes a yummy frozen waffle that has added omega 3's. My children loves these.

Flax meal sprinkled over any breakfast cereal. Or added to pancake batter, or pumpkin bread. Yum!

Serve salmon with bagels.

P

C.,
I am into the all natural, organic stuff too. Here is an idea as well. I give my daughter Vita-Lea vitamin supplements in her juice each day. And she does not even notice a taste difference! For 4 & up there is also a vitamin form. It contains 23 essential nutrients and is all natural. They also have great organic cleaning supplies and adult supplements as well. And it is all 100% money back guaranteed!
http://www.shaklee.net/simplynature/product/20073
Hope this helps,
B.

I have a very picky 5 year old boy and I was shocked to find out that he loves steel cut oats. I took the Pumpkin Oatmeal recipe from Deceptively Delicious and subbed steel cut oats, added flax meal, finely chopped walnuts sweetened with maple syrup. Add a little butter or cream when you serve. You could easily freeze this in individual portions and reheat in the microwave or oven.
We also do fruit and yogurt smoothies. I always add some almonds or walnuts and a little bit of something green like a few leaves of baby spinach. You can add flax to the smoothies too.
Sometimes we do a japanese breakfast too. a little bit of salmon, brown rice with naturally fermented soy sauce and egg, finely chop some kelp in the rice for a nutritional boost. the rice can be prepared in bulk and frozen in individual portions. salmon is quickly poached in a little water.

This morning my boys had plain yogurt with wheat germ sprinkled on top (my choosy eater had a little premade fruitflavored yogurt mixed with plain to cut down a little on the sugar), strawberries and grapes. I sprinkle wheat germ on practically everything. I also bake it and flax meal into baked goods. I wish I could say all three of my boys were great healthy eaters, but my seven year old will not eat it if it appears good for you! I bought Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious. Since I already had experience making my own baby food, her recipes are really easy. The tofu smoothie someone mentioned sounded really yummy as well. I'd love to incorporate more tofu, am just unsure how!

Hi C.,

Anything that has a low glycemic value will train your little one to eat right all the way through life. I personally think that Avacados are a perfect food. Fruits and vegetables can be made into smoothies and can kept several days in the fridge. Whole grains for that "crunch" and cheese for protein. Oatmeal cereal can be baked in a casserole pan and cut and refrigerated to be warmed when needed. Remember, anything healthy can be eaten anytime of the day. Don't pigeon-hole yourself with traditional breakfast foods...

God bless!

M.

Grind flax seed into pancakes, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt ...

Also, wholesomebabyfood.com has suggestions.

We bought a few cookbooks for this age range and it is very helpful for brainstorming. We checked them out at the library first to find the ones we liked best before buying them.

Healthy Baby (& Toddler) Meal Planner
http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Baby-Meal-Planner-Child-App...

By the same lady:
Superfoods: For Babies and Children (Hardcover)
by Annabel Karmel (Author)
http://www.amazon.com/Superfoods-Babies-Children-Annabel-...

Almond butter with flax seed and honey on top of whole wheat bread or pancakes (Bob's Red Mill has a nice mix). Another good source is to buy DHA eggs, they feed the chickens very nutritious feed that produces eggs high in omega 3's.

Also consider adding frozen berries to non sugared yougurt with flax, or berries to waffles/pancakes because they are so high in antioxidants.

One more- find some great muffin recipes or adapt ones to include wheat germ and flax. I use one from allrecipies.com. Wheat germ is a nutritional powerhouse!

I follow a blog called Healthy Happy Long Life that has some great suggestions for living a healthier life and some good recipies too.

Hi!!
My fav website is
allrecipies.com They can figure out anything!! THey have a section where you can put in the ingrediants you want..or even just 1 or 2 you have an abundance of, & give you 100's of ideas!! Everything from breakfast to dinner and everything in between!! Including side dishes, desserts, breads, beverages!! Great site!! Hope it is helpful!!

One of my favorites is the Fiber One Pancake mix. Also, I use organic eggs with Omega's. These with a glass of 100% orange juice makes a nice breakfast.