Breakfast On the Go

I have said it before, mornings are crazy around here. This is due mostly to the fact that the Little Men have to catch the bus pretty early and well, frankly, I don't want to get up at the butt crack of dawn. So we sleep until the last possible minute, leaving barely just enough time to get them up, dressed, fed, and off to school.

Breakfast and putting on shoes are the two time suckers. While breakfast is an obvious place to use up time, don't ask me why putting on shoes is the other. There is no good reason. Notice I said putting on shoes, not finding them. The shoes are always there. I am this close to only buying slip on shoes. 

So slip on shoes will solve that issue. 

What to do about breakfast? What to do? What to do?

Well a portable breakfast of course. Cereal in a cup to me more precise. 

Cereal in a cute cup nonetheless. These Kellogg's cereal cups are adorable. You guys know how I love myself some good packaging. They are easy to grab on the go. You just peel back the paper and start eating with or without milk. Half of my kids eat cereal with milk and the other half prefer cereal dry.
Either way these cups make it so I don't have to clean up any bowls. Thinking beyond the bowl means I can go back to bed one those sweet children of mine head out the door. Can I get a virtual high five?
"CLAP"
That was us high-fiving.
I did try to make our cereal-in-a-cup breakfast a little bit special by adding a coordinating plastic spoon and a fun patterned paper napkin. The cereal, spoons, and napkins all came from Walmart.  Package up the cereal the night before. Set out everything (but the milk of course) out on a tray.

That way when it is breakfast time all you have to do is shove the tray at them. Er, I mean stand lovingly with the tray in hand and offer them breakfast. Yes that is what I meant.

One might even have to hand it to them on the way out the door.

Have I said how great it is that these cups of cereal are easy to take on the go. They can even eat them at the bus stop.

No matter how the kiddos eat it, it is a time saver. They also make great snacks on the go too. Bean loved having his own cup of Fruit Loops just as a snack in the car on the way to the library.
So in our kitchen, on the way to the bus stop, or in the car we loved ourselves these cups of cereal.

With Summer coming school might be out, but that doesn't mean that our life isn't getting crazier. I am keeping lots of Kellogg cereal in a cup around. We have a pretty lengthy car trip coming up. You better believe I am packaging up some of these. These will help me make the most of my time and Make The Most of my Summer.
How are you #MakingTheMostOfSummer? Leave a comment below to enter for a chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card!
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Cereal Glazed Donuts

Years ago I had something that changed my life. I had a raised donut that was glazed and then covered in cereal. CEREAL. I knew I just had to come up with my own version of a cereal covered donut.

I recently had the perfect opportunity to recreate these donuts of my dreams when I worked with General Mills and received a few of our family's favorite cereals. The bonus is not only did we get these yummy boxes of cereal, but because General Mills is also teaming up with Skylanders with a free exclusive Skystones game the boys got a fun card game that gives them tons of entertainment.

Bonus-they LOVE anything Skylanders.

Hidden inside specially marked Big G cereals, you will find Skystones cards playable on the game board found on the back of the cereal box. Participating Big G brands include Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Reese's Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Lucky Charms, Trix and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
Waiting to open these boxes of cereal was torture for my boys. They were so excited to not only eat the cereal, but to play the Skystones game.

Once I told them they would get to play the Skystones game over a breakfast of Skylanders Cereal Glazed Donuts, well they were so excited I am pretty sure I locked in the Mom of the Year award.

Before I would let them play, we opened up our favorite Big G cereals and got ready to make Skylanders donuts.

You too can make your own Cereal Glazed Donuts.

You just need to open up a few of your favorite boxes of Big G cereals.

My favorite are Fruity Cheerios. The boys love Cookie Crisp.

Making the donuts is easy. All you need is--

-refrigerator biscuits
-oil for frying
-powdered sugar
-milk
-vanilla

Heat the oil up over medium high heat. Cut a whole in the center of each refrigerator biscuits. Fry each donut for 1 1/2 minutes per side or until each side is golden and the donut is cooked through. Drain the donut on a paper towel.

Mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with 2-3 Tablespoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix until it is the consistency of a thick glaze.

Dip the donut in the glaze. Then dip the glazed side of the donut into the cereal of your choice.

Now you have a seriously yummy donut for breakfast.

A Cereal Glazed Donut any kid would enjoy.

With donuts in hand, it was time to play the Skystones game. There are four different Skystones card sets, and you can collect all four to make the game as fun as it can be. The boys laid out the cards and each chose five cards. The back of each cereal box has a Skystones game board on it.

One player is Team Blue and the other one is Team Red. They lay cards down, flip opponents cards and ultimately try to get all the cards to be their color.

They might just love to play the game so much that they get distracted from finishing a very delicious Cereal Glazed Donut. Little even declared it one of his new favorite games.

The fun just keeps coming with the free Skylanders Collection Vault app that is available on your phone or tablet. Each set of Skystones cards has a downloadable code to unlock characters in the popular mobile Skylanders game.

Run and go grab yourself a few boxes of General Mills participating cereals, make your kiddos some cereal glazed donuts, and collect all 4 Skystone card sets.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Good Morning, Good Food (Printable and Giveaway)

How do mornings go at your house?

Here, the mornings can get a little hairy. With four boys, there is one thing that morning produces: hungry grumpy little men. They are hungry because well, you know they haven't eaten in the last 30 minutes since the whole they were sleeping thing. They are grumpy because they are hungry.

Let me tell you, some days it just isn't too pleasant. So what is a Momma to do to get a good sunshiney morning? 

The answer is simple. Get them yummy food and get it to them fast. Like, faster than a speeding bullet fast. Throwing cereal at their open mouths is not going to cut it either. They need something delicious, hearty, and packed with protein that will combat the hunger grumpies and will fuel them for a full day of learning and playing.

Enter Jimmy Dean and these Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant Sandwiches. Man did these yummy sandwiches make my hungry grumpy monsters happy. Since they are done all warm and delicious in less than three minutes, that takes care of the whole faster than a speeding bullet thing. 

Oh the happiness that happens when my little men eat these sandwiches. They would eat these anytime of day. Pair them with a glass of juice and they are the perfect way to start the day for four growing boys.

Now we have one good morning after another.

I mean look at these happy let's-start-this-day-off-right-faces!

Jimmy Dean offers a wide variety of quick, warm and delicious breakfast options. To learn more about Jimmy Dean and to see a complete list of product offerings visit Jimmy Dean's website or check out the brand on Facebook.

I often greet my boys with a cheerful, if tired, "Good morning Sunshine!" We are having all kinds of good mornings thanks to yummy breakfasts.

Go grab some Jimmy Dean breakfast for an awesome weekend flavor on a busy weekday morning. Also, print this sweet little Good Morning printable to hang up on the fridge.

Download HERE

That's how we start our days around here. What’s your favorite way to start the day off right? Tell me in the comments for a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card.

Entry Instructions: 
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 3/5/2015 – 3/29/2015
Be sure to visit Jimmy Dean’s brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal

Welcome to Slow Cooker Saturday! Today I am sharing a recipe for this Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal.

I am trying to get better at eating breakfast. By eating breakfast, I mean eating an actual meal instead of eating part of a banana or a small cup of yogurt. I have never been a huge breakfast eater. Part of that is time, but the majority of the reason is that I have had the mind set that starting off my day with SO much food is a calorie nightmare.

As I have gotten older, I have tried really hard to break this train of thought. After all, it isn't the quantity as much as the quality of what I start my day off with. I have tried to realize that breakfast is actually really, really necessary. Especially if I am fueling my body with good foods.

There is a growing list of breakfast foods that I am starting to really love.

Oatmeal is one of them. Oatmeal is hardy and filling. Plus it is also really versatile. This Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal I am particularly fond of because it includes two of my favorite healthy ingredients--bananas and walnuts. Yum. The steel cut oats add a nuttiness that I love. This is a warm and wonderful way to start off the day.

This particular recipe is a slow cooker recipe. You can throw everything in the night before and set the automatic timer to have it all ready for the morning. Or you can make it the day before and store it in the fridge. This Slow Cooker Banana Walnut Oatmeal last for up to four days in the fridge and is easily reheated. Just add a little milk if necessary.

Once the oatmeal is ready, I scoop it into a bowl and I add some fresh slices of bananas, a handful of walnuts, and a sprinkling of brown sugar. Man was this yummy.

Here is to healthy, hardy, and yummy breakfasts. Do you have healthy breakfasts that you make all the time? Please share. Add this Banana Walnut Oatmeal into your rotation. Your family will love it.

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Cinnamon Banana Muffins

We like our bananas around here. Most of the time we just eat them up. Occasionally a bunch will get by us. When the bananas are past eating, the boys start begging for me to bake something. Sometimes we make Frosted Banana Bars or Double Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

Lately we have been making the bread version of these muffins. I really liked the bread version of these muffins, but I am gonna be honest, it was a little high maintenance. Each time I made the recipe the loaves always turned out different. I knew the flavor was there, and just needed a better way to show it off.

Well, these Cinnamon Banana Muffins are the better way to show it off.

These muffins are spectacular! I have always loved anything with a crumb topping. Okay not anything, I am pretty sure if you put crumb topping on peas I would still not like them. I digress.

Another thing I love is cinnamon chips.

These muffins are packed with cinnamon chips.

The recipe makes a ton. Which frankly is good because I am pretty sure my boys each ate two before I was even done baking them all. I guess they couldn't help themselves. They weren't the only ones...I may have had a few myself. The whole family gave me two thumbs up. That says a lot, because yes they are known to give me two thumbs down accompanied with "Eww" and "Mom, this is not the best thing you have made."

So if you have a bunch of bananas just taking up space on your counter, I think you should make these.

Cinnamon Banana Muffins
yields 3-4 dozen

 crumb topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter

bread:
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter
3 cups sugar
3 eggs
6 ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16oz) container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
1 package cinnamon chips (I use Hershey's brand)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Prepare the crumb topping by cutting the butter into the brown sugar and flour, creating a crumb topping. Set aside.

Combine the 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray, then sprinkle a teaspoon's worth of the cinnamon sugar mixture into tins.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.

Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda.

Slowly mix the flour mixture into the bowl of the mixer. Add in about 1 1/2 cups at a time. Mix until completely combined.

Then mix in the cinnamon chips.

Fill each cup 3/4th the way full. Then sprinkle some of the crumb mixture over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tin. To remove from the tins, run a knife around the edge of each cup. Then gently lift each muffin out.

Now eat up and enjoy yourself!

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Slow Cooker Saturday: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Slow Cooker Saturday. Yum. Yum. I have another great Slow Cooker Recipe for you.

School is officially out. We can be a little more leisurely in the morning. A fact for which I am super duper excited.

Breakfasts are a bit of a battle at our house. Mostly because pancakes are the only thing that is unanimously agreed upon and I would rather not make them every morning.

Enter a breakfast that I can start the night before. Then make that breakfast appleicious and all cinnamontastic. Oh and did I mention that it is a healthy and filling oatmeal breakfast as well.

Sold.

Kiddos happily devoured it all while snugly in their jammies.

Double Sold. 

Now that I know I can make breakfast in a slow cooker...well that might just be happening a lot more.

There will be far less squabbling at breakfast table now...well at least less squabbling about the food...hahaha...

Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal 
adapted from Baked by Rachel

3 apples, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup steel-cut oats
2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground flax seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
chopped pecans, garnish

Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Be generous, because if you aren't then it could super stick.

Add all the ingredients, but the pecans, into the slow cooker. Stir everything together and put the lid on. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Serve hot topped with the pecans.

Happy eating.

Honey Oat Granola

We love ourselves some vanilla yogurt and granola around here.

For breakfast it is a definite hit. All.the.time.

Well for that matter most of my kids would eat it any time of day. Okay, I am pretty sure everyone in the house BUT Bean would eat granola and yogurt all the time. AND to be fair, he doesn't have enough teeth to eat granola otherwise he probably would too.

Bottom line, we wouldn't pass up a bowl of yogurt and granola if it were offered to us.

For as much as we like this lovely duo, I shockingly had never made homemade granola.

Shriek. Gasp. What?!?

Don't judge. I am kind of lazy and have been just fine with filling up on granola bulk-style at our local grocery store.

For some reason I was feeling pretty ambitious lately ( I blame being in party mode the last month) and I decided to make myself some homemade granola.

Good news is that it was super duper easy to make, because the bad news is I am back to feeling a tad bit lazy!

We have already almost completely gone through my first batch of homemade granola. It was so, so yummy.

I am already imagine all the variations I can make. Alas, that will have to wait until I am feeling less lazy...hahaha.

For now this will do, after all I already have all the ingredients already on hand. I am probably going to be making more soon. Very soon.

Happy eating!

Honey Oat Granola
adapted from Half Baked Harvest 

Printable Recipe

3 cups quick oats
1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal
6 Tablespoons cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup honey
4 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine oats, cornflakes, cornmeal, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.

In a glass, microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, mix the honey and coconut oil. Place in the microwave fro 30 seconds and stir. Then heat it for another 30 seconds and stir until the coconut oil is fully melted. Add in the vanilla and brown sugar. Whisk to mix. Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture. Mix until completely combined.

Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and press down into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden.

Let the granola rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then take a spatula and break up the granola into crumbles. Lay out on a cutting board or a baking sheet and let cool completely, stirring occasionally.

Store in an air-tight container.

Linking:

Your Homebased Mom,
Love and Laundry,
Suburbs Mama

Thanks Picky Palate

I have learned to really like Picky Palate, plus hey I have seen her on Food Network so that totally gives her street cred.
I have several recipes that I have used from her site. This is an easy one.

I made it for my kids before a long church meeting and they liked them. I will warn that they only store so-so. As in almost all baked goods they get a wee bit crumbly.

Good Morning Breakfast Bars

14 oz can condensed milk

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

6 oz package of craisins

1/2 cup dried pineapple

1 cup Teddy Graham Trail Mix

Preheat oven to 250. Pour milk into a small saucepan over med/low heat and stir until warmed.  Place milk along with remaining ingredients into a large mixing bowl. With a rubber spatural, stir until combined. Pour into a well greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 1 hour. Remove and let cool for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and continue to let cool. Store in air tight container.

Then the next day you can hand them to your blurry-eyed kids and say, "Well good morning!"