It’s easy to get in a rut with the same old milk and cereal, morning after morning, five days a week for an entire school year. If you’ve got a bit of extra time, why not break the cycle? Keep these special recipes in your pocket for when your family needs to step out of the usual routine.
If you’ve got some extra time on the weekend, try your hand at making granola from scratch. Fresh granola is a delicious, homemade substitute for store-bought cereal, and this batch size makes enough to feed a hungry family for a few meals. Serve it with milk as you would with cereal. And for extra fun, add some blueberries, raspberries or sliced strawberries on top. It’s also great in yogurt and granola parfaits.
And speaking of parfaits, for something a bit more last minute, pick up a few ingredients at the grocery store the night before and make our Crispy Breakfast Parfaits in the morning. For a video tutorial on how to segment an orange, which is a prettier alternative to dicing one, visit our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theblueflamekitchen.
Everyday Granola
This granola is great with milk or on its own as a snack.
5 cups (1.25 L) old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup (125 mL) ground flaxseed
½ cup (125 mL) wheat germ
½ cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped almonds
½ cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped walnuts
½ cup (125 mL) pumpkin seeds
½ cup (125 mL) unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup (125 mL) canola oil
½ cup (125 mL) liquid honey
¼ cup (50 mL) packed golden brown sugar
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp. (5 mL) ground ginger
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) vanilla
Preheat oven to 325oF (160oC).
Combine oats, flaxseed, wheat germ, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and coconut in a large bowl; set aside.Place oil, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour oil mixture over oats mixture and stir until coated. Spread mixture in a greased, large rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring once, for 25 minutes or until golden brown.Cool completely in pan on a rack.
Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. May be frozen. Makes about 10 cups (2.5 L).
Nutritional analysis per ¼ cup (50 mL) serving: 133 calories, 7.6 g fat, 3.4 g protein, 14.2 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fibre, 3 mg sodium.
Crispy Breakfast Parfaits
Hosting a family brunch? Children of all ages will enjoy these parfaits.
1 cup (250 mL) diced peeled navel orange
1 can (8 oz./227 mL) pineapple tidbits, drained
3 cups (750 mL) peach yogurt
1 cup (250 mL) crisp rice cereal
¼ cup (50 mL) sweetened flaked coconut, toasted
Combine orange and pineapple. Spoon ¼cup (50 mL) yogurt into each of 6 parfait glasses. Layer with half of orange mixture, dividing equally. Sprinkle each serving with 2 Tbsp. (25 mL) cereal. Repeat layering with remaining yogurt and remaining orange mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cereal. Top with coconut. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Serves 6.
For tips on energy safety, food or household matters, call ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen’s Answer Line at 1-877-420-9090, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit atcoblueflamekitchen.com. For help planning meals for your busy family, check out the ‘Meal Planning’ section of the website. Connect with them on Twitter, @ATCOBlueFlame, https://twitter.com/atcoblueflame, on YouTube, youtube.com/theblueflamekitchen and on Pinterest, pinterest.com/ATCOBlueFlame or Like them on Facebook.
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