Flat Out Veggie Pizza

*Look for my earlier post on "Making Yochee" because you could use this in place of the low fat cream cheese(just an option).

Healthy Breakfast Egg Cups

Getting Rid Of The Bad Treats

If your children (or maybe another adult in your home) are anything like mine (and believe me, I am always preaching about healthy meals and snacks and pushing them to eat their veggies),it may not be enough to supply healthy snacks, you may need to get rid of the unhealthy foods as well, depending on your kids’ eating behavior. One teen can easily ignore a tub of ice cream in the freezer while another can’t resist the temptation to devour it. If you have a teen (or adult or child) in your home who has a difficult time resisting high-calorie foods, keep these foods out of the house.
This doesn't mean you have to deprive your family of fun foods (every kid needs a treat now and then) just regulate them. When you decide that an ice cream treat is in order, hit the ice cream shop. Don’t buy bags of candy bars at the grocery or discount store, but occasionally bring home one individual chocolate bar for each family member. The same idea applies to eating cakes, cookies, greasy chips and donuts: They should be considered treats, not daily dietary staples.

It is more of a hassle to have to walk to the store or get in your car and drive there and buy something unhealthy than it is to open a cupboard and dig in.

Steel Cut Oatmeal (Crockpot Recipe)

Steel cut oatmeal is chunkier and heartier than oatmeal made with instant or rolled oats because steel cut oats are less processed than rolled oats.
Steel cut oats are the best oats for making Crockpot oatmeal. Rolled oats get mushy in the Crockpot, but steel cut oatmeal can withstand the longer cooking time without breaking down.

Steel cut oatmeal is also sometimes called Irish oatmeal or Scottish oatmeal. McCann's and Quaker both make steel cut oatmeal that's available in most grocery stores.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Ingredients:
2 cups steel cut oatmeal (also called Irish oats or Scottish oats -- not rolled oats)
5 cups water
1-1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. kosher salt (I use sea salt)
2 large bananas, sliced
1 cup chopped pecans
maple syrup for drizzling
Preparation:
Spray Crockpot stoneware with cooking spray.

Place oats, water, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in the Crockpot. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

Just before serving, stir in bananas and pecans. Drizzle with maple syrup if desired. You can always use some other type of fruit and nuts if you prefer.

Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

Yogurt parfaits make a wonderful breakfast or snack. When fresh strawberries aren't in season, use sliced frozen strawberries for this yogurt parfait recipe. Or change it up a bit by substituting blueberries or raspberries for the strawberries.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup low-fat or non-fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup granola
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
Preparation:
Place 1/4 cup of the yogurt in the bottom of two glasses or parfait dishes.

Top with one tablespoon of granola.

Top with 1/4 cup of the sliced strawberries.

Repeat the layers. Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of the maple syrup over each yogurt parfait.
Makes 2 yogurt parfaits.

Super Simple Breakfast

This is a surprisingly quick and easy breakfast. Kids can even make this egg on toast recipe themselves.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 Tbsp. butter
2 large eggs
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees or heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Place 1 teaspoon of butter on the griddle.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out your favorite shape in the center of each piece of bread.

Butter one side of each piece of bread, including the cutout pieces, with the remaining butter.

Place the bread, butter side down on the griddle.

Break one egg into a small dish. Gently slide it into the hole of one of the bread slices.

Repeat with the remaining egg and bread slice.

Cook until the egg is golden on the bottom, a minute or two. Gently flip to cook on the other side, about 1 minute.

Flip the cutout pieces of toast to cook on the other side until toasted, another minute or so.
Serve immediately with some fruit on the side. This would make a perfect "back to school" breakfast.