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.

I am addicted to Grape-Nuts and have been for years. There is something about the nutty, crunchy taste that I just can’t get enough of. Kenya is getting to the age where he wants to try everything he sees me eat. So when I pour my bowl each morning, he always wants to munch on a few. It became clear to me very quickly that he inherited my love for them. Still, I want him to have variety in every meal, so I decided to make him a Grape-Nut breakfast parfait. Sure I could just make him his own little bowl with milk and berries, but that could be a real mess. So I came up with this recipe that also gives him fruit and dairy in addition to the carbohydrate of the Grape-Nuts. This being the week of 4th of July, I incorporated a red, white and blue theme for the fun of it, but it’s great any day of the week.
I try to make this dish first thing in the morning, so that by the time Kenya’s ready for breakfast the Grape-Nuts have gotten a chance to soften up from the yogurt. Kenya has so much fun watching me take the spoon, push it deep in the glass and pull up a delectable, colorful bite of pure yumminess.

Red, White and Blue Parfaits (1 Toddler Parfait)

2 Tbsp Grape-Nuts Cereal
2 Tbsp Yogurt
2 Tbsp Raspberries, chopped
2 Tbsp Blueberries, chopped

1. In a small glass, place a tablespoon of Grape-Nuts.
2. Add a tablespoon of yogurt.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of chopped raspberries.
4. Add a tablespoon of Grape-Nuts.
5. Add a tablespoon of yogurt.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of chopped blueberries.
7. Serve.