Seven Days of Toast

Sorry I didn’t have a chance to post a recipe last week. To make up for it, I thought I’d give you seven this week? Sound good? Great!

So, I promise not every recipe I post until Talya goes to college will be focused on kids. ut, I have been thinking a lot lately about various breakfast and lunch options for kids (and grown-ups). Have I mentioned that Tal, Talya, and I seldom eat the same breakfast? That’s a total of (at least) 730 breakfast and lunch recipes you’ll be needing to feed your family throughout the year. These recipes need to be quick, and cool (nobody wants to be the kid with a lame lunch), and don’t forget healthy (because we parents also don’t want to be judged). The days of shoveling sugar laden cereal into bowls, or stuffing potato chips into our kid’s lunch box are gone. They’ve been replaced with seaweed snacks and “brain pack” yogurts. It’s enough to intimidate any mom (or dad).

But fear not, with a few key ingredients, and a full week of toast recipes to add to your culinary arsenal, I’ve got you (at least partially) covered.

First, here are a few of my go-to ingredients.

Apples – They can be cut into stars and hearts as a fun addition for younger kids. Older kids can get apple wedges dipped in almond butter, or, served with a stick of cheddar cheese. They also make great “cookies,” when cut into rings and topped with Nutella. Oh, and I will be posting a recipe for this sometime in the future. Trust me. There’s a lot you can do with an apple slice!

Popcorn – This quintessential movie snack happens to be high in fiber, easy to pack, and popular with pretty much all kids. You can leave the popcorn plain, add cheddar flavor, or, liven it up with a mix of raisins, chocolate chips and freeze-dried berries.

Smoothies – Ok, this is more than one ingredient, but with an insulated thermos, smoothies are a quick and easy meal solution. The best part about smoothies, they can easily hide all sorts of veggies, from spinach to beets. Check out my smoothie recipes for inspiration.

Toast – Open-faced sandwiches simply look cooler. So, whether your packing a slice of whole grain avocado toast or almond butter and yogurt toast. There are dozens of variations that can add variety to your kid’s lunch and I’ve got a few of them listed in my recipe below. Since bread freezes beautifully, I buy a nice variety. Pack various pieces of sliced bread into Ziploc bags and freeze. Just pull a bag out of the freezer the night before. Voila! You’ve got a weeks worth of bread ready and waiting.

Yogurt – For a nutritious version of ranch dip, try mixing the dip with Greek yogurt. Serve with carrot sticks and cucumbers. For a kid-friendly, on the go option, check out Brainiac yogurt tubes and smoothies. They’re great on their own, with fruit, or a topping on toast. One tube has as much choline as a cup of broccoli, is loaded with the same omega fatty acids you get in salmon, and has about 40% less sugar than other leading brands. My daughter will happily eat salmon and broccoli, but they aren’t exactly lunchbox friendly foods. So, save them for dinner. For lunch, grab some yogurt tubes.

Now, here are seven simple and delicious recipes for toast (kid and adult approved)!

Recipe 1

1 slice whole grain toast

-top with-

Several spoonfuls of strawberry yogurt, I suggest Brainiac Kids

sliced cucumber

Sliced strawberry

one spoonful shredded coconut

Recipe 2

1 slice toasted walnut levain

-top with-

1 large spoonful Nutella or any chocolate hazelnut butter

4 or 5 slices of banana 

several mall dots of strawberry-banana yogurt

Recipe 3

1 English muffin, toasted

-top with-

2 tablespoons peanut butter

6 or 7 thin slices of Granny Smith apple

half a strawberry

1 dollop cherry-vanilla yogurt

pinch of pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Recipe 4

1 slice whole grain toast

-top with-

2 tablespoons almond butter

6 or 7 thin slices of Fuji apple

1 small handful raisins

a drizzle of cherry or mixed berry yogurt

Recipe 5 

1 slice whole grain toast

-top with-

2 or 3 tablespoons strawberry-chia seed jam

2 fresh strawberries, sliced

1 small handful peanut butter granola

Recipe 6

1 slice toasted sourdough or levain

-top with-

several spoonfuls strawberry or cherry-vanilla yogurt

4 or 5 raspberries

1 small handful mini chocolate chips

Recipe 7

1 English muffin, toasted

-top with-

several spoonful strawberry-banana yogurt

several slices of banana

5 or 6 blueberries

1 small spoonful chia seeds