Healthy Breakfast On-The-Go: belVita Breakfast Biscuits + Dannon Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt #MorningWin

I have partnered with belVita and Dannon to help promote the belVita and Dannon partnership. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes writing about the promotion and product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.

It's really tempting to skip breakfast sometimes. 

I'm just admitting the truth.

Waking up, dressing two wiggly little girls, getting them fed and to the bus stop on time sometimes take all of my pre-coffee functionality. Often, I'm under pressure to leave right from Chica's bus stop to drive the 30 minutes to take Bug to preschool.

Sure, I'd love to be the woman who wakes up with her hair perfectly styled, a rosy glow to her cheeks, donning a (matching) unwrinkled outfit. Of course I'd love to be the mom who juggles ingredients like a magician, throwing eggs, milk, flour and the like into various mixing bowls and pots and pans, completing a well-rounded hot breakfast (all with a smile on my face).

But this is reality, people.

Every morning is a time crunch.

So I'm all about breakfast on-the-go. Especially when they are healthy breakfasts on-the-go, like the perfect pairing of belVita Breakfast Biscuits and Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt. With 12 grams of protein from the yogurt and a steady energy from all of the wholesome ingredients from the biscuits, it's not only a breakfast on-the-go: it's a smart choice every morning.

Also?

It's hard to remember this is BREAKFAST and not DESSERT...

Each come in yummy flavors. 

belVita biscuits come in Blueberry, Golden Oat, Cinnamon Brown Sugar, Chocolate and Apple Cinnamon. I'm a sucker for anything Cinnamon Brown Sugar, and it's hard to remember that the belVita biscuits are a healthy breakfast (and not a sinful treat!). 

Dannon Oikos Yogurt offers a variety of fruit flavors, such as peach, pineapple, blueberry and more. My favorite aspect of this pairing? The perfect juxtaposition of creamy and crunchy. It appeals to all of my senses!

Since I'm about the last person to tell you how to make your morning productive, I will take every tip I can get to make my mornings all that much easier. Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro, has joined the initiative to provide tips on how you can get the most out of your morning:

-The secret to a smooth, sane morning is doing as much as you can the night before. Leave as little preparation as possible until the last minute – you’ll thank yourself in the morning.

- Spend twenty minutes at the end of each day planning your to-do list. When you download the next day’s activities beforehand, you can devote your morning to enjoyment rather than stress.

- Be sure to start your morning with a delicious, balanced breakfast. Together, the nutritious steady energy of belVita and 12 grams of protein in Dannon Oikos Greek nonfat yogurt** along with a piece of fruit will help you get more out of your morning.

The perfect pair!

I know that starting my day with a solid breakfast is a great way to start the day (which is why I love the ease of belVita breakfast biscuits and Dannon Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt). But it never occurred to me to end my day planning for the next. I bet 20 minutes of quick planning each evening would seriously change my mornings! I'm trying it tomorrow!

Learn more about this winning breakfast combo by connecting online!  You can find Oikos on Twitter and Facebook, and beVita on Twitter and Facebook.

Greeting the morning sun is a little easier with these two.

How do you make sure to start the day right?

Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy {Giveaway}

Disclosure: I was provided with Honey Bunch of Oats Prize Pack with products to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% my own.

I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

I know that, ideally, my breakfast would be a good combination of protein and fiber to fill me up and keep me going strong all morning. This is especially true on days I run, and I need the energy and strength.

Yet, mornings are my worst time of day.

On a good day, I have 45 minutes to get the girls up, dressed, fed and ready to get to the bus stop. This may seem like a lot of time. But what you are not considering, friend, is the battles that ensue on even these good mornings. The outfit that I purposely helped Chica pick out the night before suddenly doesn't suit her fancy. So instead of quickly and quietly finding a new outfit, we must endure a tantrum complete with tears and a refusal to get dressed. 

Tick tock tick tock.

We finally make it downstairs, and the girls hem and haw over what to eat for breakfast. Nothing in the pantry appeases their tastebuds. More crying ensues. As the clock rolls forward, I get scolded for not brushing hair the right way, and the only pair of shoes Bug will wear are no wear to be found.

Tick tock tick tock. 

Really, it's amazing that we leave the house dressed and in one piece each morning, let alone with full bellies. And, mind you, this is on a good day where the girls wake up happy and at reasonable times (unlike the last two weeks, where we are still recovering from Daylight Savings).

Needless to say I was excited to hear about Post's new Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy cereals. Hands down, cereal is the best kind of breakfast in my book, because it's easy and can be taken on-the-go if need be. Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy packs an extra punch, with over 2/3 of your day's whole grains, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving.

Hello.

Remember what I said about protein and fiber?

Booyah.

The best part is that they are tasty. I'll be honest: most cereals that tote themselves as "healthy" and "full of fiber and protein" taste like cardboard. Both flavors of Morning Energy, Chocolatey Almond Crunch and Cinnamon Crunch, are delicious. It was hard not to quickly reach for a second bowl!

My girls love it, so it takes the guess work out of, "What's for breakfast?" Since it is low in calories and filled with whole grains, protein and fiber, I can feel good about what I'm giving them.

Also? Cereal is way more versatile than you realize. Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy can be used to bake up some pretty awesome dishes, like this:

Cinnamon Breakfast Squares with Yogurt and Berries

• 1 cup Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy Cinnamon Crunch cereal
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter, cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 container (6 ounces) Greek yogurt
• 3 cups fresh berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries) or favorite fruit of choice
• Honey, for drizzling
• Nutmeg or Cinnamon, for sprinkling

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter and flour an 8-inch square pan, or coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, stir together the cereal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. While stirring, slightly crush the cereal using the back of the spoon or rubber scraper; set aside.

In another bowl, beat eggs until well blended. Add milk, melted butter and vanilla, and mix well. Combine egg mixture with flour mixture. Pour batter (it will be thin) into prepared baking pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until it is set when lightly touched in the middle. Remove from oven and set on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

To serve, cut into 6 equal-sized bars and place on serving plates. Top each square with a dollop of Greek yogurt, surround with fruit, and drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon and serve immediately. Serves 6.

YUM!
You can find Honey Bunches of Oats on Facebook and keep up with them on Twitter  at @HBOats #MorningEnergy. For more recipes, check out their Recipe Page!

Giveaway

One of my lucky duck readers will get to try Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy themselves!  One of you will win your own Honey Bunches of Oats Prize Pack, which will include:

• 2 boxes of Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy cereals
• 1 pair of branded Honey Bunches of Oats earbuds
• 1 yellow Honey Bunches of Oats tote
• A Honey Bunches of Oats Morning Energy coupon

Good luck and happy winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kid-Friendly Green Smoothie {RECIPE}

Like most kids, my girls can be semi-picky about what they eat. I've noticed the older Chica gets, the more willing she is to try new things. Bug, though, is in the thick of the "I won't eat anything I don't want to and you can't make me na-nanny-boo-boo" stage.

Yep. I love it.

Veggies would be the most difficult thing to get them to ingest. Fruit and yogurt are probably the easiest. Not long ago, Chica started requesting smoothies for breakfast. I thought this was a great idea because it's about as healthy as you can get, right? So for the past few weeks, Smoothies have been the resounding breakfast order.

A co-worker of mine shared with me that she's been enjoying green smoothies.  I'd heard about them, and I knew they were all the healthy rage.  Still being a little suspect (I mean, c'mon, the drink is green. How good could it possibly taste), I took a sample that she offered me of a smoothie she'd made for herself that day. It involved yogurt, bananas, strawberries and romaine lettuce.  And you know what? It was kind of good. The lettuce gave it a refreshing taste, but I the overall flavor was the fruit.

So I thought, "I should really try this with the breakfast smoothies."

Now, I have a love-hate relationship with my blender. In that my blender, which was gifted to me as a wedding gift almost 6 years ago, is one of those dual blenders that can act as a blender OR as a food processor. I've found that instead of being an awesome powerhouse of 2 kitchen appliances, it does neither job well.

We fight. A lot.

I wasn't sure Ol Blendy would be up to the task of grinding up the greens so that the kids would not see them. But there was no way to know until I gave it a try.

The first morning we did it, I tried to distract the girls so they wouldn't see the kale going in.  Unfortunately, they are gourmands in the making and must watch EVERYTHING.  I. DO. in the kitchen. They caught themselves a big eyeful of kale.

And they were ok with it.

I told them it would make them big and strong and give them superpowers.

They were even more ok with it.

Blender ready for Green Smoothie action

Ol' Blendy did get that blender full of produce and yogurt into a smoothie texture. Good news: the drink stayed pink. Bad news: healthy green flecks visible to the naked eye.

See? They really do remain pink! Take note of healthy green flecks.

Best news: girls did not care and drank the whole thing down, asking for seconds before the first cup was finished.

"Please Mom? Can we please have some more?"

WIN!

I shared some pictures of this on the Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Mom facebook page, and a few people asked for the "recipe." There's not much to it, but I promised I would post it here:

• 1/2 cup of nonfat Green Yogurt (I use Strawberry)
• 1/2 cup of nonfat milk
• 1 cup of kale or spinach, washed and chopped
• 1 cup of frozen/chopped bananas
• 1 cup of frozen/chopped strawberries

1. Place all ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth

2. If the smoothie is too thick or won't blend, add more milk. If the smoothie is too thin, add more yogurt or frozen fruit.

3. Enjoy!

Notes:

• I have been buying the kale prewashed/chopped in bags.

• I don't want to spend the money on bags of frozen fruit, so I buy a large bunch of bananas and the largest package of strawberries. When I get home, I wash the strawberries, then I chop both the berries and the bananas. I put the berries in a zip-top freezer bag and lay it flat in the freezer so they don't clump together as they freeze. For the bananas, I place them on a cookie sheet spread out and let them freeze for about 30 minutes before I put them in a zip-top freezer bag so they don't freeze clumped together.

• If you find the smoothie not to be sweet enough, add some honey.

I'd love to hear how your kids (or heck, YOU) respond to the "green smoothie," so come back and let me know how it turns out! 

Enjoy, and make sure to get your 5-A-Day! 

Breakfast Casserole {Recipe}

I'm sure many of you are gearing up for Mother's Day this Sunday.  One of my favorite ways to celebrate Mother's Day is by having Brunch. I'm not sure why, but Brunch always seems to elegant and classy. The word makes me envision victorian ladies in long dresses and flowery hats sitting daintily at a table sipping tea and nibbling on tiny crustless sandwiches.


Doesn't that sound lovely?


Tomorrow I'll post a Mother's Day Brunch Menu, but to start, I need to share this key component of the meal: The Breakfast Casserole.  A simple dish that is the perfect start to the celebration.  You can make it light or you can make it heavy, but it always stands out as the centerpiece to Brunch.


I've made this Breakfast Casserole for the past few Christmas Mornings. It always gets rave reviews.  I bake it the night before, pop it in the fridge once it's cooled, and warm it up the next day before serving.  It's also a great casserole to make and surprise your co-workers with on a random morning!

~~~~~

Breakfast Casserole 

• 4 slices of bread
• 12-16 oz bacon or sausage, cooked/drained/crumbled
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp dry mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. tear up bread and arrange on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle cooked meat over bread, topping with shredded cheese. Mix eggs, milk and mustard together; pour over the bread, meat and cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until eggs are done.

~~~~~

I usually opt for bacon because I love the way it tastes.  To make it figure friendly, I've used 100% whole wheat bread with extra fiber, turkey bacon, low fat cheese, egg whites and skim milk.  Both ways taste GREAT!

Check back tomorrow for a complete Mother's Day Brunch Menu!

What is your favorite Breakfast Casserole?

Baked Breakfast Egg Rolls

So, last week, I tried this Baked Southwestern Egg Roll recipe I stumbled upon in Pinterest. It was fantastic. Amazing. Scrumtrulescent.


There are no words.  I am obsessed with them.


Well, I had a few egg roll wrappers left over, and since it had been quite the adventure trying to track down said wrappers, I was not going to let them go to waste (FYI: they are usually in the PRODUCE section - possibly near tofu.  I suggest asking a nice grocery store employee to guide you).  Inspiration struck this Saturday morning, and Hubby and I feasted on the end product: Breakfast Egg Rolls.


And they were lovely.


Here's what I love: they are easy and healthy.  The filling ingredients are simple: eggs, veggies and reduced fat cheese. These sweetie pies are baked, not fried, so no greasy fry fat to worry about.  AND, the keep beautifully. So you could make a batch on Sunday night, keep them in the fridge, and feast on them for breakfast throughout the week (just pop 'em in the oven to warm them up, or the microwave if you dare).  Since they are an all-in-one breakfast, they are the perfect on-the-go meal. Grab one or two and grub on your way to work or school.  They also are a great way to shake up brunch or breakfast for guests!


Here's the recipe:

~~~~~~

Steph's Breakfast Egg Rolls

(serves 4 - 2 rolls per person)

• 8 egg roll wrappers
• 6 eggs
• 2 TBS milk
• 3 slices of cooked canadian bacon, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup of cheese, shredded.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1) Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  

2) In a bowl, beat eggs. Add milk.  Pour eggs in pan and cook/scramble.

3) Once eggs are cooked/scrambled, add onions, canadian bacon and cheese. It looks a little something like this:

4) On a work surface, lay an egg roll wrapper with a corner facing you like this:

5) Add about 1/4 cup of egg mixture to center:

6) Bring the bottom point up and over mixture:

7) As you roll, fold in the left and right corners:

8) Wet the top corner with a bit of water, and and continue rolling until sealed:

9) Place on a greased cooking sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until egg rolls begin to brown.  Let cool and serve!

~~~~~

Let your inspiration run wild!  Next time, I want to add some salsa and spinach to the mixture.  YUM! What breakfast filling would you use?

I'm not well-versed on freezing items - so I want to do some research on if I can freeze the baked egg rolls for later use? Like, keeping in the freezer, and popping it in the oven in the morning? Any thoughts on this?

Love it!  We'll definitely make these a breakfast staple at our house.  I plan on making the Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls again this week because, honestly, I just can't stop thinking about them.  I also picked up some wonton wrappers.  These will be my next endeavor.

If you try these, I'd love to hear how you tweaked them and how they turned out for you!

Have a great weekend!

Easy Breakfast #1: Pumped Up Pancakes #1

Up until now, I've focused on every other meal except for breakfast. Since my hubby is off school for the WHOLE summer, I myself have been focusing on breakfast more (for the record, breakfast IS the most IMPORTANT meal of the day).

Yesterday, we decided pancakes would be a great way to start our morning. We were using a generic "just add water" mix. I wasn't satisfied with serving such wimpy pancakes, as eating even 3 or 4 of them often leave me feeling hungry only a little while later. A few thoughts ran through my head, and the outcome was a much heartier breakfast that easily kept all 3 of us full until lunch (that's right, 11 month old Lucy enjoyed them as much as we did). They were tastier than regular pancakes, smelled delicious as they were baking, and had more fiber (which makes them healthier for you too!)

Let me know what you think...

~~

Easy Breakfast

Pumped Up Pancakes

• Pancake Mix (enough for roughly 4-8 pancakes, check the back of your box for exact measurements - mine had 3/4 cup mix for 5-7 pancakes)
• Water (the corresponding amount according to box)
• 1 cup Quick Cooking Oats
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves

Combine all of the ingredients, and cook on griddle according to package directions (mine instructed about 1/4 cup of batter over medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side - wait until they are brown and hardening around the edges). These pancakes fluffed up more than regular pancakes, so I had to cook them a little longer on each side.

~~

If you try this out, let me know what you think! Do you have fun breakfast recipes? Send them my way!

moderndaydonnreed@gmail.com