Whenever I have to cook grains for a dish, I always make more than the recipe calls for and set the extra portion to the side. Keeping cooked rice or quinoa in the refrigerator is a meal-time life saver, especially when you’re trying to prepare a quick and healthy breakfast (or lunch or dinner for that mattter!) for your family.
I make this recipe for Kenya at least once a week and sometimes make enough for two mornings so I can serve it to him the next day. The only trouble this week when I made it was that my husband found Kenya’s second day portion and ate it for his dessert (yes, you could also serve this as a dessert, too!). No matter, it tastes like a sweet risotto and it’s delicious!

Breakfast Grains (make 2 toddler or 1 big kid servings)

1/2 Cup Cooked Grains (rice, quinoa, kamut or wheat berries would be a good choice)
1/4 Cup Milk (vanilla rice, soy or cow’s milk are good choices)
1 Tsp Honey
Pinch Cinnamon
2 Tbsp Berries (I use blueberries)

1. Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low to medium heat until the dish is creamy and most of the liquid has absorbed into the rice.
2. Cool and serve.

When I was 6 months pregnant with Kenya, my husband and I went to Paris for some work as well as some much needed R and R. I had actually lived in Paris for years when I was younger so I was excited to walk all over the city showing him my favorite neighborhoods and old haunts. There’s nothing like being pregnant in the most romantic city in the world and walking by patisseries and bistros all day. It’s an automatic excuse to eat a lot. As a result, we didn’t take one form of public transportation the entire trip, since I didn’t want to miss a single culinary delight and we needed to walk our multiple meals off!
One of my favorite treats are crepes. These heavenly, light, little pancakes are the perfect base for all types of fillings like mashed bananas, almond butter, fruit preserves and, dare I suggest, Nutella (very common in France).
I made these for Kenya and myself for breakfast and he loved them. I covered them with apple butter and rolled them into little cigar-shaped cylinders which he held and ate at his leisure. When the rest of the batch was cool, I just wrapped them up and put them in the fridge so we could still eat them for a few days.

Crepes (Makes 14 Crepes)

2 Eggs
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Milk
1/2 Cup Water
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
2-3 Tbsp Butter, melted

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree.
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight (this helps the bubbles to settle and the crepes not to tear).
3. Grease a saute pan or crepe pan with butter. Pour in 2 tbsp of batter and swirl to cover the pan.
4. Cook for 1 minutes, flip and continue to cook another 30 seconds or until just starting to become golden.
5. Remove to a plate and continue to make remaining crepes.
6. Spread with apple butter, almond butter, mashed bananas, fruit preserves or any other favorite filling.
7. Roll into a cigar shape.
7. Serve.

I fell in love with The Handstand Cookbook series the first time I saw it. It’s the perfect gift for budding little chefs and parents who want to cook with their kids. There’s a Mexican cookbook kit, an Italian kit and Chinese on the way. The books are even arranged by levels of difficulty for each recipe so you know when you should give a little extra help.
I talked to the founder of the company, Yvette Garfield, about testing one of her recipes, but giving it a weelicious twist. I salivated from the first time I read her recipe for “Lasagna into Chilaquiles”. It reminded me of a dish that my Mexican “mother” made for me when I was an exchange student living in Toluca, Mexico, so I knew had to recreate it.
By adding baked blue corn chips instead of regular fried tortilla chips and adding a little milk to make the eggs even fluffier, it lightened the dish up a bit, but kept all of the intended yummy flavor. I made these for me, Kenya and a friend for breakfast and we all sat as happy as clams devouring our perfect chilaquiles. Ole!


Chilaquiles with a Weelicious Twist (Serves 4)

1 Small Onion, diced
1 Tbsp Oil
4 Cups Baked Blue Corn Chips (I used Guiltless Gourmet)
6 Eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup Milk
1 1/2 Cups Mild Salsa (I used Pace Chunky Salsa)
1 Cup Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
Sour Cream, optional
Guacamole, optional

1. Heat a large saute pan over low/medium heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent.
2. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl.
3. Add the corn chips to the pan.
3. Pour the egg mixture over the corn chips and stir over low/medium heat for 1 minute.
4. Add the salsa and cheese and cook for 3-4 minutes, continually stirring the mixture until cheese is melted. .
5. Garnish with guacamole and sour cream and serve.

Oh. My. Lusciousness! I just tasted my first batch of homemade almond milk minutes ago and it is so delicious I ran to the computer, bumped today’s planned “recipe of the day”, and started writing this. This almond milk is so creamy, frothy and easy to make, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered to buy it in the store. Not only is the milk itself incredible and perfect to add to your own cereal or coffee, but my best little taster just made a case for drinking it all on its own! You should have seen Kenya chowing down on the ground almonds and milky solids which are strained out of the finished milk. He totally made a meal out of it (as did I, stealing bite after bite).
Almonds are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E, which boosts your little one’s immune system. They’re also a good source of calcium which plays a part in healthy bones, teeth and immune function. Don’t feel limited to only almonds, though. You could make this exact recipe with cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts and more. Just pour a touch of this over fresh berries and it’s as good as the taste of fresh cream. Obviously, if your little one has a nut allergy, this recipe isn’t for them.
Again, I do realize that you can buy a box of almond milk at the store to keep handy, but one taste of this recipe and you will understand why it’s worth the MINUTES it takes to make your own.

Almond Milk (Makes 3 1/2 Cups plus 3/4 Almond Puree)

1 Cup Almonds
2 Tbsp Agave
1/2 Tsp Vanilla
4 Cups Water

1. Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree on high for one minute or until almond are in tiny pieces.
2. Place a strainer in a large bowl and cover the top of the strainer with cheesecloth (this step is important because the almonds will be in such small pieces that the cheesecloth and strainer need to stop them from going into the milk).
3. Pour the almond milk through the cheesecloth. You may need to do this in stages so the milk can slowly strain through the cheesecloth. It may help taking a spoon to scrape the bottom of the cheesecloth so the milk can pass.
4. Pour the milk and the almond puree into separate containers and refrigerate.
5. Serve.

Who doesn’t like granola?! Scrooge, that’s who. But besides him?!


Crunchy and sweet, granola is the perfect 
breakfast treat or snack to keep in your purse for when you and your little one 
need a pick me up.
This wee granola is a powerhouse of nutrition containing dried fruits, 
wheat germ and nuts — packed with vitamin B and magnesium to name just a 
few. You can easily serve the granola in a to-go cup for your toddler 
or pulse it in the food processor as a topping for fresh roasted peaches, yogurt or baked apples.
I always make a huge batch of this granola, sometimes even doubling the recipe so I have plenty for Kenya and other little guests who come over to play.

Wee Granola (makes 4 1/2 Cups Granola)

2 Cups Rolled Oats (make sure not to use the 1 minute oats)
1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 Cup Cashews, chopped
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds
1/2 Cup Raisins and/or Currants
1/4 Cup Dried Cherries (you could also use dried blueberries)
2 Tbsp Wheat Germ
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
Whole, Rice, Soy, Almond or Low fat Milk

1. Preheat over to 275 degrees
2. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir until completely combined.
3. Place the granola mixture on a cookie sheet and spread it out until it covers the sheet.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. Bake another 40 minutes, remove from the oven and let it remain on the sheet until it’s cool before stirring (this way it will be a little crispy and chunkier which is fun for kids to break up with their spoon).
6. Place a serving in a bowl and pour in milk.
7. Serve.

Always trying to change things up for breakfast in our house, I went 
to the grocery to buy breakfast sausage patties. Bad idea. The sodium in 
the frozen patties I found was off the charts! Wow. But how can I deprive Kenya of breakfast sausage? Back to the test kitchen for me.
These patties take only seconds to make because you toss all the 
ingredients in the food processor, whiz them up and form them into 
mini patties. I bought organic turkey and pork at Whole Foods since their meat doesn’t contain hormones and is excellent quality. Whole Foods is also unofficially known as 
”Whole Wallet” for their high prices, but I was 
shocked that my recipe still cost A LOT less then buying FOUR boxes of frozen patties 
that would yield the same amount.
I even added apple and spices to give them a sweet note and give a 
little zip. After cooking them, just pop the ones you don’t need into 
a labeled freezer bag and toss them in the freezer so you have them on hand any time of the day — Which is a good thing because these sausages are perfect for any meal.

Wee Sausage (Make 20 Patties)

1/2 Lb. Ground Pork
1/2 Pound Ground Turkey (I used dark meat turkey because it has more iron then white meat, but you could also use white meat )
2 Tbsp Onion, chopped
1/2 Apple, peeled and cored (gala, golden delicious and fuji are good choices)
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tsp Fresh Thyme (or 1/2 Tsp Dried)
1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Tsp Maple Syrup

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
2. Using your hands, form 1 tbsp of the mixture into patties.
3. After all the patties are formed, heat a large non stick pan over medium heat.
4. Cook for 3 minutes, flip the patties and cover for 2 minutes.
5. Uncover and cook an additional minute or until patties are cooked through.
6. Cool and serve.

When I made this for Kenya for the first time, the smell of cinnamon and the toasted bread cooking brought me right back to my childhood. Admittedly, my own mother did not whip up a lot of homemade breakfasts for us as kids, but when she did they were incredible.
I love french toast that’s rich and soaked first in cinnamon, vanilla, egg batter and then lightly sauteed with a tiny pat of butter. I’m all about health, but in my opinion, a little butter now and then is fine, especially when you’re making french toast.
But wait, you say. You can’t have french toast without a topping! Now, I love maple syrup as much as the next person and yes, it is a natural sweetener, but it also has 50 grams of sugar per serving which would send Kenya flying into orbit. Not only is the fruit topping for this recipe naturally sweet, it’s also super healthy, packed with vitamin C, bright and colorful. If berries are out of season, you could also use frozen ones. Since I only used a tablespoon of agave (low on the glycemic index) for the fruit sauce, your little one will get all the satisfaction of the sweet flavor without the sugar high.

Cinnamon French Toast with Berry Sauce (Makes 2-4 Pieces depending on the type of bread you use)

1 Large Egg
3 Tbsp Whole Milk
1/8 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Slices Whole Wheat Bread (4 slices if you use a more dense bread, 2 slices for a fluffy bread)
1-2 Tsp Butter

1. Whisk the egg, milk, cinnamon and vanilla in shallow dish.
2. Place 2 slices of bread in the dish to absorb the egg mixture for 1 minute. Flip and let the other side soak up the egg mixture.
3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
4. Melt butter in the pan and place the bread in the saute pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden.
5. Flip and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes.
6. Cool and serve.

Berry Sauce (makes 1/3 Cup)

1/2 Cup Mixed Berries (any mix of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries will work)
1 Tbsp Agave Nectar

I’m always on the search for new and exciting foods that little ones can eat (especially those who have few teeth). Well, hello, muffins!!! But not the kind of muffins you buy in the market that can be loaded with with pounds of butter and sugar, I’m talking about the ones that are actually moist, delicious, full of fiber, fruit and over-all goodness.
I grew up eating my grandmother’s bran muffins which we’re heavenly. She used to tell me they were “health food”. When I recently looked at her recipe, though, I realized that a cup of sugar for 12 muffins wasn’t exactly “healthy”.
I filled these mini muffins with tons of bananas. The thick consistency of the bananas replaces the large amounts of butter and oil called for in most recipes.
And I switched the sugar to agave which is low on the glycemic index and means your little one won’t be spinning around the room after eating one (or two, as Kenya often does).

Banana Bran Muffins (Makes 24 mini muffins)

1 Cup Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
2 Tbsp Agave
1 Egg
3 Tbsp Oil
2/3 Cup Milk
3 Bananas, mashed
2 Cups Bran Flakes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease mini muffin tins.
2. Place the flour and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. In a large bowl combine the wet ingredients. Whisk to throughly combine.
4. Pour the bran flakes into the wet mixture, stir and let them sit for 2 minutes to soften. Stir again, breaking them up a little.
5. Slowly pour the flour mixture into the wet mixture and whisk until all the flour is incorporated.
6. Spoon the batter 3/4 the way up each muffin cup.
7. Bake for 18 minutes.
8. Cool and serve.

One of my first food memories was my mother making quiche. Yes, quiche, the dish that most notably was in the title of a 1982 bestselling satirical book about masculinity. Quiche was my mother’s tried and true recipe that worked for dinner parties, neighborhood picnics, luncheons and more. Whether she told me this or not, I always thought of quiche as sophisticated food. When she let me have a piece, I felt like one of the grown ups. I’m pretty sure that Kenya could care less about being anything but a little baby right now, but one thing is true: he loves these crustless quiches.
Packed with tiny pieces of vegetables and cheese, these protein packed morsels only take minutes to prepare. I just toss all of the ingredients in the food processor, whiz it up and pour it into the molds. Really, it’s that easy.
These are perfect for any meal of the day or even a little ones birthday party, so they can pretend to be one of the adults.

Mini Vegetarian Quiches (Makes 12 Mini Quiche)

2 Large Eggs
1/3 Cup Swiss Cheese, shredded
1 Zucchini, diced or shredded
1/2 Cup Spinach
1/4 Cup Cottage Cheese
1/4 Cup Whole Milk

1. Preheat over to 325 degrees.
2. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until throughly combined and vegetables are in small pieces.
3. Spray or grease mini muffin tins with oil or butter.
4. Pour a tablespoon of mixture into each muffin cup. It should fill each cup about 3/4 way to the top.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
6. Cool and serve.