As a first time mother of a 9 month old, it goes without saying that my mornings before work aren’t as… let’s go with ‘smooth”… as they used to be. Allow me to elaborate:
Pre-mom Mornings:
- Alarm goes off – pop up like an energizer bunny (I’ve never been a snoozer)
- Coffee
- Feed dogs
- Make lunches for me and hubby
- Shower and get ready (hair, makeup, biz casual clothes)
- Listen to talk radio on the way to work and sing the Morning Edition song (yes, I’m aware there aren’t any words to the song)
Mom Mornings:
- Alarm goes off – crawl out of bed like a one legged zombie (still not a snoozer)
- Coffee
- Feed Dogs
- Coffee
- Make lunch and bottles for me, hubby and baby
- COFFEE
- Run a stick of deodorant under my arms, throw on some yoga pants, pull hair in bun (and if I’m feeling fancy, put on a bra, too)
- COFFEE
- Wake up baby and coo over how precious he is
- Feed said baby <–where it gets interesting
- Realize we are late, once again, and rush to the car to head to daycare
While I am fortunate to work at home now (paired with a significant reduction in daily hygiene) I still find myself running around, cup of joe in hand, trying to appease my little human before sending him off to start his own day. As all moms are aware, babies and efficiency are not synonymous. However, efficiency is key to getting my family out of the door on time so any way I can help alleviate the morning rush is both wanted and needed.
So, what am I going on about?
Breakfast. Breakfast of baby champions! (and children … and mom and dad too)
As I imagine it is in your households as well, sweet foods go down the hatch much faster than savory. So, when I need my son to eat at a rate faster than a snail, it would make sense to provide him a sweet meal. That being said, I also want to send Jax off to daycare with a stomach full of healthy grub!
The below smoothie recipe is a SUPER easy, tried and true, healthy breakfast to start your little one’s day of right! I blend it up on Sunday, pour/scoop it into individual freezable cups, twist the lid on them, and toss in the freezer. Then I just have to pop one in the microwave for 20 seconds in the morning and it is good to go!
I like to pair the smoothie with some sort of grain to keep him full longer. I have been on a veggie bread/muffin kick lately. I will either make (or buy) blueberry muffins with shredded veggies cooked in, or even a zucchini bread with carrots added.
- 3 cups frozen fruit blend (I use peaches, strawberries, pineapple, and mango mix)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut water
- 1 ripe banana (not frozen)
- Combine in blender and blend until smooth.
- Depending on your blender and smoothie preference, you may need more coconut water.
- You can also make thicker smoothies to make smoothie bowls, just pour the thick smoothie into a bowl and top with fresh fruits, nuts, coconut flakes, etc.
- Pro tip: add a handful of spinach to the blender as well to sneak in an extra serving of veggies!
- If your kids are older, feel free to double or triple the recipe as needed