Sweet Tater Pancakes and Zucchini Scramble

 I've got a yummy recipe for you all today.  These sweet potato pancakes would be perfect for a breakfast or brunch.  We like them for dinner, and they are sweet enough that you don't even need syrup (although they certainly go well with pure maple syrup or agave syrup too.)  I've paired them with a simple zucchini scramble to make a Feingold-friendly as well as clean eating approved.

 Sweet Tater Pancakes

You need: 

     *1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

     *2 tsp cinnamon

     *1 TBS baking powder

     *1 tsp salt

     *1 large sweet potato

     *1/4 cup melted butter

     *2 eggs, beaten

     *1 tsp agave syrup

     *1 1/2 cups milk

     *coconut oil for the skillet or griddle







 To make:
1.  Cover the sweet potato with water in a pot and boil for 20 minutes.  Remove the sweet potato and put immediately into cold water.  Slide the potato skin off and throw away.
2.  Cut up the sweet potato into cubes.  If the center of the potato is not completely cooked, put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.  Mash up the cubes.
3.  Add the butter, eggs, agave, and milk to the sweet potatoes and mix well.
4.  In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.)
5.  Add the dry ingredients to the sweet potato mixture and mix.
6.  Grease your skillet or griddle with a little coconut oil.  Spoon the batter onto the griddle in heaping tablespoons.  Watch for bubbles to rise to the top before flipping pancakes to the other side.  These pancakes will be a bit thick; so check to make sure they are cooked through before removing them from the griddle.

 Zucchini Scramble
You need:
     *1 medium zucchini, diced
     *5 eggs, beaten
     *1/2 cup milk
     *dash of paprika
     *dash of cinnamon
     *1 TBS olive oil

 To make:
1.  Saute the zucchini in the olive oil over medium-high heat until nearly translucent and browned.
2.  Mix the eggs, milk, paprika, and cinnamon together.
3.  Pour the egg mixture over the zucchini and stir frequently until the eggs are cooked through and no liquid remains.

(This served our family of 6 - two adults and four somewhat hungry small children.  There were even extra pancakes to put in the refrigerator for the next day.)
Enjoy!

Crustless Veggie Quiche

We eat a lot of eggs around here.  They are inexpensive, a good source of protein, and versatile.  The kids love hard-boiled eggs, egg salad, "sunny-side-up" eggs baked in a muffin tin, scrambled eggs, and omelets.  They also like a good cheesy quiche!

I will admit that I am particularly fond of quiche with a buttery, flaky crust.  However, I usually make it crustless for two reasons: 1) a good crust takes a lot of time to make, and 2) no crust means a lot fewer calories.  Despite being crustless, this recipe is still hearty and makes a fantastic main dish.  I usually serve it with a side salad ( I know, more veggies, right?!) 

Here's your ingredient list:
*2 cups of chopped veggies (we have used spinach, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, herbs, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, tomatoes, etc.  Use whatever's in your fridge)
*olive oil
*1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (we like medium cheddar, but mozzarella, swiss, colby jack, and a variety of other cheeses would do just as well)
*6 eggs, beaten
*1 cup whole milk
*salt and pepper
*small amount of butter

Now make your crustless quiche! 
1.  Heat some olive oil in a pan on the stove and saute your veggies until cooked.  This should just take a few minutes - you don't want mushy vegetables!
2.  Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch round cake pan with butter and spread all the sauteed veggies in the bottom of the pan. 
3.  Add the milk to your eggs and mix well.  Add salt and pepper and the shredded cheese and stir.
4.  Pour the egg/milk/cheese mixture over the veggies in the bottom of the pan.
5.  Bake your quiche in a 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes.  The top of your quiche should be golden brown, and the center should be firm.

Then cut it into slices and serve.  I enjoy mine with salsa and a dollop of sour cream spooned on top.

(Reminder:  If you are on the Feingold Program, Stage One, there are certain produce items you need to avoid in this dish, such as peppers and tomatoes.  Otherwise, this recipe will fit the program just fine!) 

Easy Breakfast: Happy Toast

 My Beast does not like cereal - he won't touch the stuff.  I've tried multiple varieties to entice him, but he's not taking the bait.  So much for simple breakfast.  However, that boy does love him some toast!  I often make him Egg-In-A-Hole to make his toast a little more nutritious and satisfying.  He calls it his happy toast. :)

It's incredibly easy to make.  You just need a good sturdy piece of bread (pictured is a slice of homemade honey wheat bread), an egg, and some butter.
How to Make Happy Toast:
1.  Melt some butter in a skillet over medium high heat (or on a griddle).
2.  Cut a shape out of the center of your bread slice with a small cookie cutter or drink glass.
3.  Place the bread slice on the melted butter in the skillet.
4.  Traditionally, Egg-In-A-Hole is made by cracking an egg directly into the hole in the bread.  My Beast likes scrambled eggs better; so I whisk up the egg first and then pour it into the hole.
5.  Hold bread in place with a spatula while egg cooks.  (You don't want the egg to run out all over the skillet!)
6.  When egg is mostly cooked, flip bread over to finish cooking the egg.
7.  Serve it up to your kiddo and look for a delighted smile at the fun shape in his toast.  This will confirm that you have just made. . .

HAPPY TOAST!   Here's to a wonderful Tuesday to all you readers out there!

Breakfast with Babies

We are all sitting around the breakfast table munching our cornflakes and drinking our juice (and momma's "grown-up juice"). The Spud sits to my left in his IKEA high chair, eating the fastest. He should probably not be sitting in a high chair any more, since he's practically two years old now, but let's face it. It's the only restraining device for that crazy child I have left! The Beast is also sitting to my left, more obsessed with the decorative bowl of potpourri and candles on the table than his cornflakes. The Drama Queen is to my right, busy rearranging the cornflakes in the bowl until they meet with her satisfaction.

However, this sunny morning more guests have joined us at the breakfast table than usual. Lying on the chair next to the Drama Queen is Mary, a sweet, perpetually happy baby doll dressed in a snug shirt and way-too-big diaper. A few cornflakes nestled on her cheeks indicate that her "mommy" has attempted to feed her breakfast. The Beast's guest of honor is Buzz Lightyear, haphazardly tucked under his elbow. It's a good thing Buzz is so accustomed to space flight, as he has propelled to the ground several times now. By now, the Spud is on his second bowl of cornflakes. He has not forgotten his Leo (of Little Einsteins fame) however; Leo is firmly clutched in the Spud's sticky hands and does not need to worry about unexpected space flights. The Spud will never let him go!

The interesting thing is that Momma has a hard and fast rule: "No toys at the table." It has been rigidly enforced for years now. But when the Drama Queen pleaded, "Momma, Mary's not a toy; she's my baby!" "Yeah, Momma, these are our babies, " the others chimed in.

How could I say no to that? And I must say, they are doing a phenomenal job taking care of their "babies." :)

Enjoy taking care of your babies, little ones, and not so little ones today! And don't forget to join in on the fun tomorrow for "Found It Friday." The inspiration for tomorrow's Found It Friday is "summer picnic." I look forward to seeing all of your lovely finds, especially in time for a 4th of July picnic this weekend! My "Found It Friday" post will be up by midnight PST tonight so you will have plenty of time to create your post and link up. Thanks!

Ultimate Recipe Swap - Eggs!

Life As Mom is hosting her weekly recipe swap as usual, and this week's theme is eggs. As I happened to create an egg dish just the other day for dinner, I thought I would participate. That, and I don't have enough brain cells today to come up with a more meaningful post. :) haha

So my recipe is for Scrambled Egg Pizza.

You need:

* 5 eggs

*a little milk

* can of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10)

* maple syrup

* your favorite cheese - we used Colby Jack

* some cooked slices of bacon, or a cup of chopped ham

To make:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Take out an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan.

2. Open your can of biscuits and arrange them on the pan, with sides touching and in the shape of a long rectangle (2 biscuits in each row). Lightly glide a rolling pin over the biscuits to push them together. Pinch shut any "holes" between biscuits.

3. Drizzle the biscuit dough with maple syrup - the more, the better, of course.

4. Scramble the eggs with a little milk in the microwave. Remove eggs from microwave and spread over the biscuit dough.

5. Sprinkle bacon pieces or chopped ham (or both!) over the eggs.

6. Finally, shred your cheese over the whole thing until it looks sufficiently cheesy.

7. Bake at 400 degrees for 11-13 minutes, until edges of biscuit dough are lightly browned.

8. Serve immediately.

I actually made two of these the other night for dinner, expecting my family's appetites to be greater than they actually were. And thus I discovered that this recipe does not reheat well, but is best served right away.

My picky picky toddlers loved this and ate all of their pizza slices, including the Beast, who has strongly professed his disdain of scrambled eggs. Go figure!

You can find many more eggy recipes at Life as Mom, and of course share your own.

The Battleground

There are some days that I don't feel like a mother at all.

A soldier perhaps. General maybe. Referee most definitely.

Why does it feel that my house is always a war zone?

Two areas in particular have seen some heavy battle lately - breakfast and bedtime. It seems no matter what I serve these kids for breakfast, they whine and complain about it and refuse to eat it. I have tried pancakes, cereal, toast, oatmeal, you name it, but they always want the item I don't have. Naturally. The Spud is my only good eater and will cheerfully eat whatever I put in front of him.

Today the Drama Queen and Beast begged for oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon. I obliged, but of course both of them refused to eat any of it after it was made. "Yucky", "Too hot", and "too cold" were some of their responses.

Bedtime is worse. I can't even count the number of times I went into the boys' room last night, telling them to quiet down and get back in their beds. Last night, they collectively figured out how to get the heat vent off and had managed to stuff several of their little animal friends into the heating duct. It was 11:00 pm before the Beast finally settled down and fell asleep. The Drama Queen keeps popping out of her room to "go to the bathroom" or "see what we're watching on TV" or "report a funny noise in her room."

I am pretty sure that these battlefields are related. It is taking so long for the kids to fall asleep at night that they are super cranky in the morning and therefore completely obstinate to any breakfast choices laid before them.

I am tired of fighting these battles. Tired of being starting off the day on a bad note and ending it the same way. Can't I just get to be a mom for once?

Anyone have any breakfast/bedtime suggestions?