12 Fun & Healthy On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas

These 12 Fun & Healthy On-the-Go Breakfast Ideas are perfect for back to school & busy mornings...

I think by now we are all waist deep into all things back to school- am I right? ;) My kiddos have both been in school for over 2 weeks now, so we are finally starting to find our groove each weekday morning. 

Most mornings everyone gets up & dressed with lunches packed and backpacks ready to roll and with enough time to spare to sit down and enjoy a bowl of cereal before heading out the door for school. But then there are those mornings... I know that you all have to know what I am talking about here.

The mornings when the oldest hits the snooze button one too many times or "accidentally" turns his alarm off and now he is running behind.

The mornings when the youngest has a total meltdown because I wouldn't let her to go to school in her mismatched (and often outgrown) outfit that she picked out all by herself. I mean, I can deal with mismatched every now & again as long as it is at least the right size clothing, okay? ;)

Or how about the mornings when your high school senior forgets that he has an assignment for AP English due that day, and he is frantically doing it at the kitchen table 10 minutes before he has to leave for school? Or when mom (oops!) forgets that she is supposed to provide snacks for the youngest's Pre-K class that day?

Peanut Butter Chai Banana Baked Oatmeal

This easy to make Peanut Butter Chai Banana Baked Oatmeal with it's hearty oats, bananas, & chia seeds is the perfect grab & go breakfast for busy mornings...

When it comes to breakfast for myself and my family, I like making sure that we start our day with something healthy & filling that can take us right on through to lunch. And since we all have different start times to our days (my teenage son being up and at 'em well before the rest of us), I need breakfast recipes that will be easy to grab and ready to go no matter if we are eating breakfast at 6am or 9am. That is why I just love baked oatmeal! :) I can bake up a batch on a Sunday night, cut it into generous squares, and then slip each one into it's own ziploc baggie. Those hearty oatmeal squares become the perfect grab and go breakfast throughout the rest of the week. 

I have made different versions of baked oatmeal before (you all may remember my Almond Joy Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal & my Double Berry Banana Bread Baked Oatmeal), but this moist & satisfying Peanut Butter Chai Banana Baked Oatmeal just may be our favorite one yet. Not only is this baked oatmeal packed with lots of the good stuff (think bananas, whole oats, chia seeds), but you just can't beat the flavor combo of creamy peanut butter with chai spices. Before baking up a pan of this family-pleasing baked oatmeal, be sure to click on over to get my recipe for DIY Chai Spice Mix and whip up a batch. It is perfect to use in this baked oatmeal recipe, and to have on hand to mix into oatmeal, sprinkle over toast, or stir into your hot chocolate or favorite hot tea... 

NatureBox- Easy & Healthy Snacking for the Entire Family

The start of the school year always means the end to the lazy days of summer and the ushering in of the busy days of fall.

The days start earlier, but we seem to have less time as each day is now jam-packed with lunch packing, homework conquering, cross country practice, team photos, and more.  

Needless to say, a lot of rushing out the door and chauffeuring the oldest from here to there with a toddler in tow takes place.

It is all too easy to just grab whatever and toss it in in my purse or in my son's backpack as we walk (scratch that, run) out the door.  And we often end up grabbing something that is not all that healthy for us just because it is convenient.

But what if convenient could also be healthy? 

Let me introduce you all to NatureBox, this mama's new game changer in making sure every member of my family stays fueled with healthy and tasty snacks that are quick & easy too...

20 Fun & Tasty Pancake Recipes

Whether you happen to go for fruity, chocolaty, savory, healthy-ish, or dessert inspired, there is definitely a pancake perfect for you in these 20 Fun & Tasty Pancake Recipes...

Hotcakes, flapjacks, pancakes... It doesn't really matter what you happen to call them. Because I think we all can at least agree on one thing- Pancakes are flipping delicious! (<< Did you see what I did there? ;) ) 

I know that there are entire restaurants dedicated to our love for all things pancakes, but sometimes you just can't beat a stack of warm & fluffy homemade pancakes. And sometimes you want something a little more than just plain ole buttermilk pancakes. Fortunately for us all, pancake batter lends itself very well to incorporating new & fun flavors into one of our favorite breakfast treats.

Whether you happen to go for fruity, chocolaty, savory, healthy-ish, or dessert inspired, I can guarantee you all that there is at least one homemade pancake recipe below that you will just have to make this week. All 20 of these fun & tasty pancake recipes are perfect for a weekend brunch or a special weekday breakfast... :)

Pumpkin Spice Coconut Smoothie Bowl

Your favorite summer and fall flavors meld perfectly in this creamy & healthy Pumpkin Spice Coconut Smoothie Bowl...

Did anyone else get hit by that sinus cold/infection thing that has been going around lately? I was down with it for most of last week, and I am so not good at being sick. Or doing that resting thing, but this crud kicked my booty. I found myself napping or lying down whenever I could and heading to bed early almost every night for at least five nights last week. 

And when this mama is down for the count, cooking meals at home comes to an abrupt and grinding halt. My husband doesn't really cook often, so I found myself texting him to pick up pizza or fast food before he came home from work last week more times than I would like to admit to you all. 

Add in the fact that I was in no shape to head to the gym at all for the duration of that yuckiness, and I was feeling pretty sluggish and unhealthy by the time this thing finally ran its course near the beginning of this week. I have eased back into my gym routine, but I am craving healthy foods after all the greasy fast food I consumed last week. 

Wanting to get back to some healthier eating, I decided to finally take the leap and made my first ever smoothie bowl. If you are not familiar with a smoothie bowl, you whip it up in a blender the same as you would a smoothie. But a smoothie bowl is thicker making it perfectly spoonable- like a healthy, cold "soup" that is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Since I am craving fall flavors, but still clinging a little to summer I decided to meld one of my favorite summer flavors (coconut) with one of my favorite fall flavors (pumpkin) in this creamy Pumpkin Spice Coconut Smoothie Bowl... :)

A Big Breakfast On-The-Go With Jimmy Dean Pancakes & Sausage

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Jimmy Dean, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #onthego http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

As the mother to a teenage son, I am always look for tasty, filling breakfasts that...

A. He can easily make on his own

B. Can be made very quickly

C. He can take on-the-go.

I mean, he is the typical teenage boy- he gets up at the latest time that he possibly can get by with.  

Which often means, he will choose to skip breakfast or make some not so healthy choices because he can grab it and go as he is sprinting out the door to catch the bus...

Nine Reasons To Eat Cookie Butter for Breakfast {A Recipe Round-Up}

I asked my blogger friends and I scoured Google to find the best breakfast recipes using cookie butter.  Yes, my friends...  I have just made eating cookie butter for breakfast okay.  

Please feel free to go ahead and applaud me now.  Raise a statue.  Declare an official Frugal Foodie Mama Day in the blogosphere. ;)  

Okay, not really (I mean, unless you all really want to).

All joking aside, how amazing do all of these cookie butter for breakfast recipes look??  

From these recipes alone, you could have cookie butter for breakfast every single day of the week...

Make sure you click on the links and check out the recipes, leave a comment to let the food bloggers who created these cookie butter gems know how much you love their recipes, and pin them so you never, ever lose them. ;)

Speculoos Cookie Butter Baked Oatmeal for One from Healthy Food for Living

Cookie Butter Walnut Granola from Frugal Foodie Mama

Cookie Butter Morning Buns from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Biscoff Coffee Cake Muffins from White Lights on Wednesday

Cookie Butter Waffles from Fabtastic Eats

Biscoff Banana Bread from Crazy for Crust

Cookie Butter French Toast from Vanilla Sugar Blog

Cookie Butter Granola Smoothie from The Grant Life

Biscoff Apple Muffins from Inside BruCrew Life

A show of hands for everyone who now thinks it is perfectly acceptable, even necessary to have cookie butter for breakfast!  ;)

And here is one more breakfast approved cookie butter recipe in case you missed it on the blog yesterday....

My Cookie Butter Caramel Biscotti

Make sure you stop by the blog each day this week!  If you are a cookie butter addict, I can guarantee you that you will not be disappointed on what more is to come. ;)

Banana Split Greek Yogurt Pancakes

These tasty & filling Banana Split Greek Yogurt Pancakes are chock full of low fat Greek yogurt & milk...

This dairy packed recipe was created in partnership with the ADA Mideast. As always, all thoughts & opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

I am finding it hard to believe that it is that time of the year again- back to school! Backpacks have been picked out & purchased. The school supply list has been checked off. And we are starting to ease back into that school year routine. 

Another way I am getting ready for the start of the school year is to start compiling a rotation of healthy breakfast recipes with staying power. The easiest way to do that? Making sure that each of these recipes are packed with protein powered dairy like these Banana Split Greek Yogurt Pancakes I am sharing with you all today.

Not only are dairy foods a quick & budget friendly way to keep your kiddos fueled and ready to go throughout the day, but each serving also happens to contain 9 essential nutrients & 8 grams of high quality protein. 

Experts recommend that we get in at least 3 servings of low fat or fat-free dairy (think a glass of milk, a yogurt cup, a cheese stick, etc.) every day, but most of us need an extra serving each day to meet the daily nutritional recommendations. 

Double Blueberry Greek Yogurt Waffles

These fluffy & protein-packed Double Blueberry Greek Yogurt Waffles are a tasty & filling way to start your day...

This dairy packed recipe was created in partnership with the ADA Mideast. As always, all thoughts & opinions expressed below are 100% my own.

Back to school is just around the corner, & I am sure that most of you all are in full-on prep for the new school year. I know that we are. 

We have been picking up school supplies at the store, doing a little clothes shopping, & making sure all the paperwork is in order for my daughter to start second grade. We have been checking off our back to school to-do list & then checking it twice. 

But did you know that one of the single most important things that we, as parents, can do to make sure our kiddos are ready for school each morning is to ensure that they are eating a healthy, filling breakfast? And one of the best (& easiest!) ways to do that is to make sure to include dairy in their daily breakfast.

In fact, dairy foods happen to be one of the most budget friendly ways to add more protein to your kiddo's breakfast. And more protein means your child will stay feeling fuller longer, which in turn improves their concentration during class. 

Just one serving of milk, yogurt, or cheese includes 8 grams of high quality protein & 9 essential nutrients.

One of my daughter's favorite breakfast foods happens to waffles. This girl would eat waffles every single morning if she could. 

So, I decided to take her most requested breakfast dish & give it a dairy & protein boost by using Greek yogurt instead of oil in the waffle batter. The results? Perfectly fluffy waffles bursting with fresh blueberry flavor! (And also a very happy & full second grader... )

5 Tips to Getting Back on Track & Achieving a Balanced Lifestyle

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. #WowThatsGood

Finding balance hasn't always been my strong suit.  Occasionally I nail the whole balance thing, but then find myself straying back to one extreme or the other.  (Usually towards the "I will eat whatever & work out when I feel like it" extreme.  Yeah, not the balanced lifestyle I was aiming for... )

And being a food blogger- especially during the holiday season- definitely doesn't make it easy to keep a healthy balance.  Hello... my job is to create amazing holiday perfect treats & sweets for the masses. ;)  By the time January 1st rolled around, I wasn't feeling very good about what I had been putting into my body lately, how very little I had been making it to the gym, and how snug my once perfectly fitted jeans had started to feel. 

I determined it was time for me to find balance...

And when I say balance, I am not just talking about the foods I eat and how many times a week I practice my yoga.  

Pumpkin Pie Cookie Butter Smoothie

The flavors of pumpkin pie come together perfectly with cookie butter in this creamy & easy to make Pumpkin Pie Cookie Butter Smoothie... 

Post updated 11/4/17- This perfect for fall Pumpkin Pie Cookie Butter Smoothie deserved some updated photos. I did leave one of the originals below just so you all can see for yourself why this recipe so desperately needed a little face lift. ;)

Strawberry-Coconut Crunch Layered French Toast

This delicious Strawberry-Coconut Crunch Layered French Toast is virtually guilt free thanks to nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh sliced strawberries, & crunchy Post Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch cereal...

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Post Pebbles, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PostWalgreens http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

I think by now you all know that I am a big fan of the make ahead, overnight french toast casserole.  But most of the french toast casserole recipes that I have shared with you all up until now have been decadent, bordering on almost qualifying as a dessert. ;)

I have been brainstorming ideas for making and sharing a healthier french toast casserole recipe with you all.  And I found my recipe inspiration while shopping at my local Walgreens for some of our favorite Post cereals...

So, today I am sharing with you all this Strawberry-Coconut Crunch Layered French Toast perfect for whipping up for Easter morning (or any spring weekend morning!).

I have made this delicious french toast casserole virtually guilt free by making it with nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh sliced strawberries, & crunchy Post Honey Bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch cereal.  

I absolutely love the addition of the Honey Bunches of Oats Greek cereal to this- it gives it a nice, crunchy texture and adds even more protein and whole grains to this healthy, perfect for spring french toast casserole...

Strawberry Explosion French Toast Roll-Ups

Packed with not just one but two types of yogurt, these Strawberry Explosion French Toast Roll-Ups are sure to keep the kiddos fueled & focused right up until that lunch bell rings...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Dannon® Oikos® Greek Yogurt and Danimals® Kids Smoothies. The opinions and text are all mine.

Well, folks... it's that time of the year again! The kiddos are heading back to school soon or maybe have already started back like my youngest has this past week. And while there are definitely crazy busy school mornings where I end up sending my daughter out the door to catch the bus with a breakfast bar in hand, most mornings I try to whip up something that will keep her full & fueled until lunch time.

One of my favorite ways to do this is by incorporating calcium rich yogurt into her back to school breakfasts. Yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, is packed with protein that stays with my daughter right through until the lunch bell rings.

A Guest Recipe for Homemade Coconut Mini Donuts {& a Giveaway!}

I am so thrilled to have Susan from Adventures in my Kitchen guest posting on the blog today.  She is another one of my lovely January sponsors and shares my affinity for donuts! :) Today she is sharing a recipe for one of her favorite homemade donut recipes with you all, AND she wants to give one of you a $10 Amazon gift card! Make sure you stop on over to her blog and say hello. And if you really want to see what Susan and her blog are all about, make sure you check out her 12 Most Popular in 2012 post.  There are a lot of great recipes you don't want to miss out on pinning over there! ;)

Hey y'all, I'm Susan from Adventures in my Kitchen! I started blogging in 2011 as a way to keep track of my culinary creations while striving to create super tasty yet healthy and energizing meals. Along the way I discovered first hand that food is fuel, lost almost 20lbs, and also I got back in touch with my creative side. I absolutely love blogging and the community surrounding it!

Today, I am sharing with you lovely Frugal Foodie Mama readers one of my favorite breakfast treats, the Baked Coconut Donut. I am a big fan of both coconut and breakfast in general, so any time I can have them both is a win all around! *this is a treat and is in no way part of my regular healthy lifestyle, just so we're clear*

I bake my donuts in a Wilton Non-Stick Mini-Donut pan that I got from Amazon. I'd be a big tease if I showed you this nummy donut recipe and left you pan-less, so I am giving away a $10 Amazon.com gift card so you can buy your own!

Wilton Mini-Donut Pan from Amazon.com

I won't make you wait much longer, just wanted to say thanks to Carrie for having me over! Dear readers, I hope you love these donuts and come over to join the Adventures in my Kitchen!

Homemade Coconut Mini Donuts
Makes approx 24 mini donuts

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 teasp baking powder

1 teasp salt

3/4 cup buttermilk (no, I don't keep this in my fridge, I made it. yea, I'm fancy)

2 beaten eggs

2 tablespoons melted butter
         2 teaspoons coconut extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*
Spray mini donut pan(s) with non-stick spray
In one bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Combine well. Add buttermilk, eggs, melted butter, & extract. Beat with mixer on medium until well combined. Fill donut cups about 1/2 full- I suggest piping them with a pastry bag or ziplock with the a corner cut.

Bake for 5-10mins or until puffed up and tops spring back when lightly touched. Remove to a wire cooling rack- once donuts have cooled make the glaze.

Glaze & Topping
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 teasp salt
1/4 teasp coconut extract
1/4 cup coconut water
1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

Mix all ingredients except the shredded coconut until combined. Let sit for a few mins to thicken up a little bit. Place shredded coconut on a plate for dipping.

After donuts have cooled, dip the entire donut in the glaze and then roll completely in the shredded coconut.

Now get to entering for that $10 Amazon gift card so you can get your very own nifty mini-donut pan!  

*This giveaway is open internationally.  All entries for the winner will be checked and verified, so please make sure you are doing what you are claiming in the Rafflecopter or all your entries will be voided.  No funny business, folks. ;)  Please see the Rafflecopter widget below for additional Terms & Conditions.  Good luck, all! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

35 Recipes to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day All Day Long

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day all day long with these 35 tasty authentic Irish & Irish inspired recipes...

St. Patrick's Day is a little over a week away, but who is counting? ;) Okay, I am. I am counting. Not that I am Irish or anything. (I went over all of that in my post earlier this week.) But I do love any holiday that gives me an excuse to enjoy good food- especially if it happens to be good ethnic food. 

Growing up in an area with a pretty substantial Italian population, I didn't fall in love with Irish food until I moved to Columbus, Ohio in my early 20's (years ago). 

Have any of you all heard of Dublin, Ohio? It is a quaint suburb right outside of Columbus, and I lived there for more than half of my time as an Ohio resident. Dublin is home to a handful of local Irish pubs & the widely popular annual Dublin Irish Festival. 

It was during my time living in and near Dublin that I acquired my love for corned beef & cabbage, shepherd's pie, Bailey's Irish Cream, and celebrating all things green & Irish on St. Patrick's Day. 

Just like Buckeyes football, it was hard not to get sucked right into all the fun, food, fanfare, & excitement while living in a city that celebrated all things Irish pretty much every day but especially so on March 17th of each year. ;)

Whether you celebrate St. Patrick's Day out of pride for your ancestry or you happen to just be in it for the food, you are going to love today's recipe collection I have for you all. 

I rounded up 35 of the tastiest authentic Irish & Irish inspired recipes so that you can celebrate St. Patrick's Day all day long on March 17th. From sunrise to sundown, there is a little something for every meal of the day and everything else in between...