Peas Pointers by Melanie Silverman

There are two reasons why my favorite meal of the day is breakfast.  First, I'm about the biggest omelet and pancake fan around.  Second, breakfast provides some wonderful opportunities to insert important vitamins, minerals and fiber from fruits and vegetables.  Check out www.choosemyplate.gov. 

For optimal health; fruits and veggies must play a prominent role in our diets, and breakfast is a great way to get them in early on in the day.  Try these ideas:

1.)  EGGS:  Scramble eggs with spinach and cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms or avocado and lean ham.  

2.)  PANCAKES:  Whip up whole wheat pancakes with a sprinkle of ground flax seeds.  Add blueberries, bananas or sweet potato (Sweet potato pancakes are divine!)

3.)  SMOOTHIES:  Whirl together some milk, dates, walnuts and banana and voila, a banana date shake.  Try a banana and spinach smoothie.  Take a ripe, frozen banana, milk and a handful of raw spinach.  Yes, this smoothie is green.  No, you cannot taste the spinach.

And when you cannot think of something to eat for dinner...make breakfast!

Peas,

Melanie

Pop Toast

We loved this post on Parenting.com about quick and inventive breakfast ideas! Here is a healthy version of a Pop Tart that is easy to make from staples in your own kitchen!

Two slices of whole grain bread enclose a layer of jam, crimped closed with a fork like a giant ravioli. A toaster-ready, handheld breakfast without corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, or frosting!

Jam, almond butter, nutella, banana's... the possibilities are endless when you make your own, healthy Pop Toast.

Squash Hash, The New Breakfast of Champs!

Break the cold cereal cycle with these squash hash browns that can be made in advance for a quick weekday breakfast. One of our hash brown's provide 100% of the RDA for Vitamin A and about 30% of the RDA for Vitamin C (just think all those vitamins before lunchtime!)

• 1 small butternut squash, about 2 lbs
• 1/2 a small onion
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• pinch cayenne (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• olive oil, about 2 Tablespoons

Trim and peel the squash thoroughly, down to the dark orange flesh. Cut off the neck of the squash (from the base) and then halve the base and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Trim and peel the onion.

Using a box grater, grate all of the squash. Transfer the grated squash into a large colander resting inside a large bowl. Sprinkle the squash with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Separately, grate the onion, discarding any juices, to get about 1/3 cup grated onion. Add the onion to the squash and mix. Next reduce the amount of liquid in the mixture by squeezing handfuls of the squash mix over the. Ideally you want the mix to be as dry as possible.
Add the egg and mix to combine. Sprinkle in the flour, one tablespoon at a time, mix thoroughly.

Line a large plate with a sheet of plastic wrap and drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil on top of the plastic. Take about 1/3 cup of mixture at a time and form the squash into a patty, pressing firmly, then transfer to the oiled plastic. Repeat. You should get about 8 patties.
Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the pan or spray with pan spray. Flip a patty into your hand, oiled side up, then slip the patty into the hot pan. Cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes, then flip and brown the second side for another 3-5 minutes, transfer to plate to cool.

Transfer patties to an airtight container with plastic wrap in between layers and freeze.
To reheat, preheat oven or toaster to 325. Place frozen hash browns on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until heated through. Serve.

Baked Oatmeal

Have you noticed how expensive cereal has gotten lately? Break the cold-cereal-cycle without breaking the bank by making this reci-pea for our baked oatmeal. Using inexpensive pantry staples and almost any fresh fruit, this dish comes together while the oven preheats and then cooks unattended, no stirring required! Heart-healthy, whole grain oats, complete protein from milk and eggs, and seasonal fruit will have your family going strong all morning long.

Baked Oatmeal
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups of fresh fruit -like berries, cherries, chopped peaches/nectarines, sliced bananas
• 1/2 cup toasted nuts, sliced or chopped (for garnish, optional)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a glass or metal loaf pan (8.5" x 4.5" x 2.75").

In a medium sized bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, sea salt and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla.

Scatter half the fruit into the greased loaf pan. Cover with all of the oat mixture. Dribble all of the milk mixture over top. Scatter with remaining fruit.

Bake about 30mins until the oatmeal is lightly browned and mostly set. (A little free running milk will be absorbed during cooling). Cool for about 5mins, then cut slices and serve (with toasted nuts if you like).

Leftovers microwave perfectly, it's great to have in the fridge for quick weekday breakfasts.

Multigrain Pancakes for the Holidays

With the kids home from school for the long holiday weekend, try making our new favorite breakfast at home one morning. These hearty flapjacks are nutty and delicious, full of whole grains that are sure to satisfy the whole family, but they won't weigh anyone down. These are also great for out-of-town guests looking to off-set the big turkey dinner.

Multigrain Pancakes made with Whole Grain Cereal

• 1/2 cup dry steel-cut oats or cracked multigrain cereal blend (We use a 6-grain blend from our local Co-op's bulk section)
• 3 cups water
• Multi-grain pancake batter (from 3/4 cup dry pre-made mix, prepared as directed. We use Arrowhead Mills)
• Canola or vegetable oil (spray)

Combine the dry grains with the water in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the grains are tender-chewy, about 40 mins. Alternatively, cook the grains in a rice cooker! (Either way, this step can be done the night before or up to a couple days in advance, with the cooked grains stored in an airtight container in the fridge. If prepared in advance, microwave (or otherwise heat) the grains with some additional water and stir to loosen them before adding to the pancake batter.)

Prepare multigrain pancake batter as directed. With oatmeal or multigrain hot cereal in a thick but pourable state, add to the pancake batter, adding water if needed to achieve a slightly-thick pancake batter consistency.

Preheat a non-stick griddle pan over medium heat. Brush or spray lightly with canola or vegetable oil, then spoon the batter onto the pan. When bubbles form, flip the pancakes. When golden brown on both sides, serve with maple syrup or with a spread of all-fruit jam.

Leftover pancakes keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated back on a griddle pan or in the microwave.

*Variation: Should you have leftover cooked brown rice, quinoa, or other grain kickin' around in the fridge, use 1.5 cups of any cooked grain in place of the oatmeal/multigrain cereal. For brown rice and other larger whole grains, we like to dump them on a large cutting board and run our knife across them a few times to cut the whole grains into pieces before incorporating into pancakes.