Is this seat taken?

Whaaaaaaah! My babies have outgrown their portable cradles. They're now able to hold their heads up enough to do those little exersaucer things that I don't think are made anymore because too many babies accidentally rolled themselves down the stairs and HOW DID I EVER SURVIVE THE 80's? Now that we've busted those out though, my boys cannot keep their butts out of them.

The 4 year old pretends it's his space ship. The 2 year old is genuinely entertained by the attached Pooh toys. Argh. I think I owe ya two recipes. Did I post last week? No. Heeeeere goes. My boys have learned what "dessert" is and of course now they ask for it every night with their supper. Most of the time I'll serve up berries or cut up an apple, but I'm all out. Sidenote- what is up with kids and apples? My boys eat like 3 a day. My 2 year old sneaks them into bed with him. It no longer grosses me out to find an old core buried in his sheets. I had an abundance of almond milk so I figured I'd whip up an easy vanilla pudding, but with added chia seeds for a boost of fiber and healthy fats. This recipe is pretty much the classic Betty Crocker vanilla pudding recipe that I've memorized by heart. It takes less than 10 minutes to cook, and about an hour in the fridge to cool enough. Vanilla Chia Pudding makes 4 servings although in the photos I've doubled the recipe 1/3 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons corn starch 2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or cow's milk) 2 egg yolks 1 teaspoon vanilla (or half teaspoon vanilla bean paste) 2 tablespoons chia seeds

#vanillachiapudding In a small saucepan, stir sugar and cornstarch until blended. Stir in milk. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring nearly constantly. Meanwhile lightly whisk egg yolks together in a separate bowl (I like to use a Pyrex container for easy pouring- you'll learn why). Once milk mixture comes to a boil, pour a teeny bit into the yolks and stir well. Keep adding a bit more of the hot milk into the eggs, continuously stirring. This is "tempering" the eggs- it allows them to blend smoothly into the milk mixture. If we just poured the yolks right in, they'd cook immediately and we'd get super lumpy chunky pudding. Pour the smooth egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan and boil for one more minute, stirring continuously. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and chia seeds. Either refrigerate as is, pour into a large bowl, or into 4 small bowls/ramekins.

Per serving: 145 calories

The jig is not yet up

On weekends my husband likes to cook family breakfast. Our boys' constant request is pancakes, which we're ok with- it's their weekend treat. But now that I'm not working and they're eating every breakfast at home, I can't in good dietitian conscience give them pancakes (with syrup...and sprinkles...) evvvvvvery morning.

They would gripe about a bowl of oatmeal or Cheerios.

I'm definitely not taking the time to make eggs.

What's a mom/dietitian to do?

Enter breakfast cookies.

I mean, not cookies in the Cookie-Crisp sense. Packed with whole grains and heart healthy fats, just in cookie form.

When I set out to make these I was afraid of creating tasteless hockey pucks. Happily these are neither- soft insides loaded with tender coconut plus crunchy bits of almond. These would make excellent packable snacks too. Let's check it out-

Breakfast Cookies- makes two dozen cookies 1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup agave nectar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup ground flaxseeds 1 cup oat or wheat bran 1/2 cup dry quick cooking oats 1 scoop unflavored or vanilla protein powder 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup shredded coconut flakes 1/2 cup sliced almonds #BreakfastCookies

Here's a quick "why" about the ingredients I chose. Coconut oil is somewhat controversial in nutrition land. It's a saturated fat, which current research supports limited intake. Buuuut it's also a good source of medium chain triglycerides (or MCTs) which some research shows is beneficial. I lump it in the I'm-not-gonna-eat-this-stuff-by-the-gallon-but-bits-here-and-there-are-fine. I have a lot of foods in that category you may have noticed. Agave nectar- I picked this rather than basic sugar because I HAD IT ON HAND. Really that's it for my logic. Agave, while trendy, is not lower calorie than sugar. One thing it does have going for it is it's lower glycemic index. This means it doesn't raise your blood sugar as quickly as regular sugar. It's not a health food- it's just an alternative to traditional sugar.  Protein powder- I dumped this in because I was curious. BiPro is my jam. Unflavored FOREVA. It doesn't make these a high protein snack, but it does help to round out the nutrient balance (fats : carbs : protein). At least with my BiPro, you cannot taste it at all. It's seriously the best.

Directions In a large bowl, combine oils, agave, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add to wet ingredients until blended, but try to not overmix.

Form into 1 1/2" balls and place on a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Per cookie: 150 calories, 12 grams carbohydrate, 11 grams fat, 4 grams protein.

It's no Cookie Crisp, yet we all have our hands on these in the morning. Mom and dietitian approved!

Dog Food 2.0

I happened to go to a college with a phenomenal cafeteria.

I realize that cannot be said for most colleges.

Ours was seriously good. My young adult metabolism was fortunately in gear- there's no way I could eat the volume I did back then. Daily breakfast buffets, stir fry and pasta bars, burgers, endless desserts- yeeeeeah.

One of my favorite things to eat at breakfast at that time- scrambled eggs and pastries aside (I WASN'T A DIETITIAN YET)- was a big ol' bowl of Cracklin' Oat Bran.

You ever had this stuff? My friends called it dog food 'cause it comes in pellet-y looking O's. Not a very appealing visual. But the taste? So not Purina. Cinnamon-y, nutty, and crunchy. OK crunchy's not a taste.

I started buying it again recently but I'm turned off that the stuff costs $4 for a small box. Could it possibly be replicated at home?

Oh yes. Dog food 2.0.

Homemade Schmacklin' Oat Bran Cereal

1 1/2 cups instant dry oats

1 cup oat bran or wheat bran (tip- my grocery store carries this in the bulk bin section)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup ground flaxseeds (find in the baking aisle)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (could use sweetened though)

1/3 cup agave nectar or maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil in liquid form (just microwave it to liquefy)

#homemadeschmacklin

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Line a rimmed 12x18 baking sheet with either parchment or a Silpat baking mat. Press down mixture evenly into a thin layer across the whole pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool completely. Break into chunks and store in a resealable bag. Recipe makes ~4 cups worth.

I find myself grabbing a few pieces for a snack during nighttime baby feedings. You could eat it as cereal with added milk, or crumble it on top of yogurt or cottage cheese. SO good! And yeah- not exactly pleasing to the eye, but I didn't care at 18, and I don't care at 30-something.

Here's the thing though- just like the actual boxed cereal, this is higher in calories than your normal cereal. It does have an awesome amount of fiber, so I consider this a healthy treat. Per 1/2 cup serving: 348 calories, 38 grams carbohydrates (including 7 grams of fiber), 19 grams fat, 6 grams protein.