Eggs are a staple in our house. When I mentioned in my last post that panic starts to set in when we get down to the last two eggs I wasn’t kidding.

Growing up my grandfather was always frying up thinly sliced potatoes and adding eggs to them for breakfast. Potatoes and eggs just go together don’t they? I started making this potato frittata a couple of years ago for a quick and easy dinner and every time I make it it reminds me of my grandfather. Our methods of cooking this up are a little different (he used more oil and I don’t remember him ever putting it under the broiler) but the concept is the same – fried potatoes and eggs. And a touch of Parmesan in my version. I’ll have to ask him if he ever puts Parm in his eggs, I’m thinking not.

When I look at this Parmesan Potato Frittata photo I laugh because it looks like such a fancy brunch plate, but in reality it’s such a simple “peasant” dish. It has just a small handful of ingredients and the recipe cooks in about 15 minutes. It makes a great breakfast for dinner or lunch or of course breakfast or brunch. I actually cooked myself one for lunch just yesterday, cut it in quarters to keep in the fridge and enjoyed it cold as a protein packed late afternoon snack. You can even throw it between two slices of bread or in a wrap and call it a sandwich! Good stuff.

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I’ve been on a granola making kick for the last couple of months. Apparently my kids are into it because they pretty much ask me for granola as a snack almost every afternoon as well as at breakfast. They love having it in a bowl with a bit of Greek yogurt and honestly it couldn’t make me happier to hear them ask for it, even when I’m not necessarily in the mood to make it.

I took the last couple of weeks off from making it but since this week is my daughter’s birthday week I decided to surprise the kids with a fresh batch when they get home from school today. When I make our granola I keep it on the counter in a pretty glass jar, it’s nice to look at as well as easy to serve – just spoon into a bowl for a quick healthy snack!

Making granola at home is super simple (if you haven’t tried it yet please do!) and each time I make it I try to add something a little different to it to keep things interesting. One thing that always stays the same is the nuts – my granola has to have plenty of nuts in it for texture, protein and nutrients. This time I used honey instead of my normal maple syrup and I added a little dark chocolate for fun.

It turned out seriously delicious!

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We love breakfast for dinner in our house (and breakfast for breakfast of course!) so anytime I can squeeze a BFD in is good! I have always been more of a savory breakfast gal so if I had my choice of BFD foods it would definitely be eggs, a breakfast turkey sausage and some sort of potato dish…and a little fruit on the side for good measure. 🙂

Eggs are quick to whip up obviously so when we go the eggs route a hasbrown side dish recipe like these Cheesy Pepper and Onion Hashbrowns recipe is a perfect addition. All I did was quickly saute peppers and onions, then add half a package of frozen Alexia hashbrowns (this is NOT a sponsored post btw) to the mix and brown it all up. Before serving throw in some cheese and voila – you’ve got yourself a fancy hashbrown dish to eat up alongside your favorite eggs.

Don’t forget the hot sauce!

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Let’s talk about breakfast. I have always been in the “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” club and I can honestly say that if I miss my breakfast it really impacts the rest of my day in so many ways. Lately I’m noticing that I am not getting around to eating my morning meal until way later in the morning (closer to lunchtime sometimes!) and it’s becoming a bit of a bad habit for me. I’m making a huge effort to change that.

On the days that my kids ask for oatmeal, I am starting to make myself these refrigerator oats. What I love about refrigerator oats is that they can be ready to eat whenever you are (well, for the most part – they do need to sit in the fridge for about an hour). When I’m prepping my kids’ hot oatmeal I scoop out some oatmeal in a bowl for myself. While they are eating, I finish preparing mine with almond milk and stick in in the fridge for later. As long as it sits in the fridge for about an hour the oats will absorb most of the milk and have a slightly firm, nutty texture that I really love. Once it gets to this point it’s ready for all the fixins’ which for me is a spoonful of peanut butter, chopped banana and fresh or frozen berries (if using frozen I prefer blueberries). You can sprinkle some cinnamon on there too! A dollop of your favorite yogurt would be a nice topper too. With all the fruit and peanut butter I don’t feel the need to add any sweetener but if you do go ahead and drizzle a little agave, honey or pure maple syrup (or whatever sweetener you like).

I’ve been pretty excited about my refrigerator oats lately. It’s a nice change from eggs, it’s easy to prep (you just need to remember) and they are forgiving, meaning you can forget about them and come back later or take them with you if you have to run out the door. Since I never know when baby boy is going to let me have breakfast this has definitely become a breakfast I’m enjoying. Not to mention it’s not such a shabby way to kick start the day!

Refrigerator oats for the win! 🙂

Refrigerator Oats with Berries and Banana

Ingredients:

• 1/4 heaping cup old fashioned oats or Coach's Oats (see note in post on Coach's Oats)
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
• chopped banana
• fresh berries (or frozen blueberries)
• sprinkle of cinnamon or sweetener of your choice, optional
• dollop of your favorite yogurt, optional

 

Directions:

1. In a cereal bowl, combine oats, chia seeds and almond milk. Place in refrigerator and let sit for one hour. Most of the milk will be absorbed.
2. When oats are ready, stir in your peanut butter and top with banana and berries (or fruit of choice!) Drizzle with sweetener and add yogurt if using.

Note: My all time favorite oats are Coach’s Oats. The best way to describe them is a cross between steel cut and old fashioned oats. They cook up quick and have more of a grainier texture than regular oatmeal, which I love. I discovered them a few years ago when I came across a sample of them and also started seeing them mentioned on other blogs. I have only found them at Costco, but I’m sure that Whole Foods or other natural foods stores carry them as well. My Costco doesn’t have them anymore so I’ve been ordering them from Amazon.

There are Amazon affiliate links in this post.

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Healthy Breakfasts on Pinterest.

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Over the summer break, I had a little more time in the mornings to play around with breakfast. I introduced my kids to parfaits and they loved them. I know it’s not a novel idea, but I’m more of a spooning granola over a bowl of yogurt and fruit kind of girl versus layering it up all pretty in a parfait. But there’s nothing wrong with changing it up sometimes!

I’ve always loved the flavors of cherry and almond together (hence, why I love this holiday candle so much!!) – it’s the perfect combination in my opinion. I picked up a bag of dried cherries recently thinking I was going to make a Michigan inspired chicken salad like this one, but they ended up in granola instead. I guess I need to get more, because I can’t stop thinking about Sheila’s salad on that croissant – kinda wishing I had it for lunch today.

I’ve shared recipes for homemade granola on the blog before, and this one is not much different. The great part about granola is you can stick to a standard recipe, then just change up the flavors a bit each time. For this granola recipe, I used honey for the sweetener (as opposed to maple like I tend to use) and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.

As for the parfait, it’s simple once you have your granola cooked up. The granola is layered up between sliced fresh cherries and plain or vanilla yogurt (we like to switch up between regular and Greek yogurt). That’s basically all it takes to make a pretty little parfait – and a healthy snack. My kids were over the moon excited when I presented them with one – made me feel like Mom of the Year for a second. 🙂

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More often than not, I find myself with a small container of leftover roasted vegetables in my fridge. I don’t love eating leftover roasted vegetables on their own, but I do love adding them to other foods – especially frittatas.

This Roasted Zucchini and Onion Frittata Wrap came together in literally just a few minutes. I found myself extremely hungry at lunchtime one day (no surprise) and eggs seem to be my go-to lately. As I look at the picture of the wrap, I have to laugh because it looks HUGE. I was definitely a stuffed pregnant lady after I ate this so I will say this could easily become 2 wraps instead of one. All you would have to do is cut it down the middle after it’s all cooked up, and put each half on a tortilla. Or if you are finding that you have a monstrous appetite one day, then go ahead and eat it all up yourself, no judging here that’s for sure!

And of course, a little ketchup or sriracha only makes it better. 😉

What I love about this frittata wrap is that it would also make a fantastic “breakfast for dinner” option as well.

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There’s a new butter in town folks, and it’s made with one of my most favorite things in the world – coconut. Coconut butter may not be all that new to some of you, but it’s new to me. I’ve seen it popping up around here and there and I finally broke down and bought some today. At first, I didn’t see much of a difference flavor wise or texture wise as coconut oil, and I felt confused. But as I dug my spoon in a little deeper into the jar I saw a slight change of color and I knew then that I had found gold. Holy cow, this stuff is good (if you love coconut that is).

What is coconut butter? Well, it’s basically just the flesh of the coconut ground up and processed until creamy – similar to nut butter. You get all the nutrition of eating pure raw coconut into a small amount that can be used as a spread or as a supplement to meals such as smoothies, granola bars or even oatmeal. Coconut is full of good stuff – lots of fiber, vitamins & minerals, along with a little protein and good for you fat.

When I got home with my jar of gold I immediately knew I wanted to add it to a smoothie. I love simple banana smoothies, especially right after a morning workout. This smoothie isn’t your typical thick smoothie – it’s light and refreshing and makes a perfect snack for those in between meal times. Enjoy!

So tell me, am I the last person on Earth to try coconut butter? If you’ve had it, tell me how you like it!

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Pancakes are such a treat in my house. My kids get so excited when I tell them I’m making pancakes for breakfast, so excited that I wish I made them more often (their pancake excitement definitely puts a smile on my face!). I usually stick to a whole grain variety, knowing the extra nutrients and fiber are a great way to fill their bellies for the day ahead. They don’t mind.

I haven’t always made my own pancake mix from scratch, and I still don’t always, though after putting these together on a whim this past Saturday morning I really don’t know why I wouldn’t. I followed Skinnytaste’s recipe for whole wheat pancakes, and added a few of my own extras – Greek yogurt and fresh squeezed orange juice – to make them even more bright and delicious.

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It’s been a while since I’ve written any “what I’m reading” posts, so today I wanted to share with you a book I recently read written by one of my blogger “friends” Jenna of the blog Eat, Live, Run. I’ve been following Jenna on her blog for a few years now, so I was excited to get my hands on her first book, White Jacket Required.

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I found myself explaining to my little one how important breakfast was the other day before school – she was giving me a hard time about eating and I was getting a little impatient (if I can be completely honest here). I told her…”breakfast feeds your mind by giving your brain energy to learn and it feeds your body by giving it energy to play with your friends”. My talk worked like magic because she went right back to the table and finished her whole wheat waffle and banana without another word.

I was pretty proud of myself after that talk. 😉 Why can’t it always be that easy?

It’s true though, breakfast really is SO important, don’t you agree? I don’t necessarily have to eat the second I wake up, but I do need to get some good food in my body after I finish that first cup of coffee and really start my day. I know right away when I’ve waited too long too…it’s not a good feeling.

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