Thursday Breakfast Snapshot

Breakfast snapshot

Coco-nutty Granola Clusters with Greek Yoghurt and Banana.

Quick and easy to prepare, but took me nearly an hour to eat it in between dealing with the offspring and their morning of crazy. 

I'm pretty sure sugar free purists have a whole not eating bananas thing, but I needed a bit more ooomph this morning after a big day and night of breastfeeding, and I really didn't have the time and mental space to scramble eggs this morning. Although, as I sit now and write this instead, maybe I should be eating eggs instead of telling you about NOT eating eggs?

Breakfast Breakthrough

Small victory in the breakfast department with regard to the eldest offspring this morning. Lately, as 10 year old boys do, he's been bingeing on bread. LOADS of toast with only Olivani spread, no topping of any description, followed by a massive bowl of cornflakes or weetbix. I'd taken to calling it his 'beige breakfast' and added boiled eggs to it when I could get the energy (or inclination, depending on the mood of smallest offspring) to boil them for him.  It was empty carbs, and I noticed his mood was often even more pre-teen than usual when he had his beige breakfast.

This morning he calls from the kitchen "Hey Mum, can I make a smoothie? Think I might have it with avocado toast!"

Cue me fainting dead away on the floor in the next room.

Not only is the EO planning on eating real, nutritious food - he's planning on actually using the blender - a kitchen appliance other than the toaster. He has to go OUTSIDE (gasp) to pick a lemon from the tree for his avocado toast. He even grabs a spoonful of protein powder to add oomph to the banana, yoghurt (ok, it WAS chocolate yoghurt) and milk smoothie.

It's these moments that you want to watch, record for posterity and fuss over for hours. Equally frustrating with pre-teens, it's these moments they want you nowhere near you, much less photographing and fussing. So I play it cool, doing a silent mummy dance on the inside.

And try not to die a little at lunchtime when he tells me he wants a chocolate sauce pancake.

Midnight Pumpkin Mud

My new favourite breakfast also doubles as a handy late night snack. Yummy 'Snickery Pumpkin Mud Smoothie' from Sarah Wilson's 'I Quit Sugar'.

It's now just after 11.40 pm. The smallest offspring (SO) has been cluster feeding on and off since around 8pm. She's taken to a new habit of being relatively settled during the day, then partying late into the night - much like her parents' hazily distant youth. But after a couple of nights of this, combined with some busy days, my energy levels (and sense of humour) are depleting as midnight approaches.

Of course it's also super hot and humid, so no one is having any fun, and usually my go-to energy boost right about now would be chocolate - and lots of it. But I've discovered on my sugar free recovery that I can't really stop at a couple of bits of chocolate just yet, so it's off the menu for now.

Ransacking the fridge uncovered the leftover cup from yesterday's breakfast, so in between 'shushing' and rocking the SO, I've scoffed it. For me Pumpkin Mud covers all the bases for chocolate, cold, pudding, protein and veges.  The middle offspring loves this too, and shares a small cup with me in the morning.

Snickery Pumpkin Mud Smoothie (makes two serves)

Blend the following, add a small handful of ice to blender if you like it runnier or need it colder.

*    small handful of spinach leaves
*   1 1/2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (I use LifeFoods brand)
*    1/2 cup Greek yoghurt (or almond/coconut/any milk you like)
*   1 tablespoon vanilla protein powder
*   1 tablespoon peanut butter
*   3 wedges cold roasted pumpkin (organised types will have premashed and frozen this in portions)

It blends up to be a seriously unappetising colour, but that just means that no one round here wants to steal it. Apart from my middle offspring food adventurer, she's discovered it's yummier than it looks.