So long, Cap'n Crunch

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you might remember a few weeks ago I posted about how we are cutting out breakfast cereal. Instead, I have been making baked oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, toast, scrambled eggs, and mini frittatas for breakfast. I make big batches a few times a week and freeze them, so our freezer is always full of yummy, filling breakfast items.

You might be wondering why I am replacing breakfast cereal with things like waffles and pancakes. Well, I have a couple of reasons. The biggest one was cost. I was so sick of spending $20 a month just on cereal--and that was shopping sales and using coupons! I also was tired of giving my kids breakfast and hearing "Mom, I'm hunnnngry!" 20 minutes later. Try as I might to convince them to eat something more filling for breakfast, all they ever wanted was a bowl of cold cereal with milk. Now they eat a big, hearty breakfast and stay full until lunchtime.

Here are some of our favorite breakfasts:

Baked oatmeal

Oatmeal banana waffles (just add a mashed banana to this recipe!)

Pumpkin pancakes and apple syrup

Bacon, eggs, and toast cups

Mini frittatas

We made mini frittatas this morning. This is a great recipe for kids to help with--have any of you noticed that the more your kids help with preparing food, the more excited they are to eat?? My kids love helping! To make these, mix 1 cup half and half into 8 eggs and add 1 t salt. Whisk until well combined. Divide the egg mixture into a well-greased muffin tin. Then the fun begins!! Sprinkle your favorite ingredients into the egg mixture. This morning, we had crumbled bacon, orange and green diced bell peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. Tempe and Helena were really excited to be in charge of making sure every cup got some toppings sprinkled on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until puffy and the edges are brown. Serve with buttered toast and orange juice. Mmmm!!