Hope for the Morning Grind

It goes without saying that in the Wolf household our mornings are not exactly one elongated, picture-perfect devotional of thanks to the Lord for a new day.  Try as we might, we just really aren't morning people, and apparently, James isn't really either as we often have to drag him out of bed for school.  The morning routine seems to be less about calmly laying the foundation for the day with a good breakfast and special family time around the table and more about trying not to use the word "hurry!" excessively and frantically.

Like most things in life, a little aforethought and intentionality can work wonders in getting that desired outcome.  If we want to create a more positive springboard into our day, then we should probably plan it out more--revelatory, I know.  We've found even just considering what we will have for breakfast before the moment we need to eat ultimately soothes much potential stress.

James is unfortunately a very picky eater, and we try to eat something with protein that is relatively healthy (along with a steaming cup or three of the black gold, of course!), so the equation is never simple.  However, we recently came across 2 surprisingly simple breakfast recipes that are yummy for adults and kids and are quite healthy and protein-packed.  Perhaps they might ease your morning madness too.

Now, we love to make "real" pancakes whenever we can, but the reality is pancakes for breakfast daily is probably not the best choice.  Fear not, here is an alternative that is  pretty delicious and easy...

PROTEIN PANCAKES

* 1 banana (the riper the better)   * 1 egg   * 1 tbsp peanut butter

Mix together and cook like you would a pancake (try cooking in coconut oil instead of butter).

You can also add a tbsp of flour to bind it together.

(* originally from oh joy!)

(BTW, the lovely basket weave plate is by Provvista Designs -- thank you Kathy!)

This second breakfast option involves a "new-to-us" ingredient called chia seeds.  These look like black sesame seeds but are considered one of the most nutrient dense, plant-based foods around, with high amounts of protein, fiber, and Omega-3's in every tablespoon.

CHIA SEED SHAKE/PUDDING

* 1 cup milk (or almond/coconut/soy milk)   * 1/4 cup chia seeds   * 1 or 2 tbsp honey (or a few dashes of Stevia)   * Dash of cinnamon

Mix ingredients and refrigerate, even overnight, the longer the more pudding-like the consistency.

We also found that mixing in chia seeds to James' cinnamon toast was strangely effective.  We could hardly muffle our laughter as James wolfed down two pieces, exclaiming his delight at the "yummy sugar toast", his cheeks peppered in healthy chia seeds--victory!  Clearly, a little sugar does help the medicine go down.