Breakfast or Snack @ 226 - Magic Muffins

Things are pretty bleak over here, people.  I have two little people that want to play outside so bad their heads hurt.  They talk about the seasons changing in school.  They talk about how yesterday was the first day of Spring.  They bring home art projects that involve tulips and baby animals.  They beg me to take them to the park, even though they can see their breath.  The walk from the car to our backdoor seems long and we're all holding our breath by the time we turn the knob.  I've thought about starting a fire in the fireplace.

They monitor the plants that grow in our basement, below warm lights, and wonder why the same isn't happening outside.  They look out the window and with their hands to the glass, testing for warmer temperatures, but there are none.  Today, it's snowing.

I think Spring will come.  But truthfully, I'm starting to doubt its inevitability.  I want to believe that its right around the corner and surely it will come with April.  March is supposed to leave like a lamb, right?  But, all I see are grey skies, snowflakes, and restless children.  We have done nearly every Pinterest project.  We've painted and colored until the markers are dry and colorless.  We've run made-up errands just to get out of the house, thank you Target.  We've built every shape and style of fort and had dance parties till our thighs ache.  We've done copious amounts of laundry and reorganized the furniture more times than I'd like to count.

The elbows on my favorite sweater are wearing thin.

There is one thing that Becks and Reed still get excited about.  Any Kitchen Project.  So, we've made a daily activity out of it.  And, even though it's become part of our indoor routine I think a part of them looks forward to it.  In the past week, we've made granola, granola bars, 2 kinds of snack bites, hummus, shamrock cookies, three kinds of muffins, freezable protein snack-cakes, and two loaves of really good bread.  We do a kitchen project almost every morning.  Over breakfast , we comb the internet for ideas and inspiration.  It's a made-up chore because we don't really need any of these things.  But, I don't know what I'd do with my mornings without them.  An added bonus: my kids are going to know their way around a kitchen.

Magic Muffins - In an effort to make every snack we have substantial (my kids are eating a ton these days), I am tending towards flour free recipes.  [Just to avoid the question, I am not, by any means going Paleo.]  However, I refuse to eat a muffin that is as hard as a 2x4.  I don't know how these muffins work, I just know they are puffy and satisfying.  It's hard for me to walk by the freezer without grabbing one.  They're also great to throw in lunches.

1 cup of any nut butter (we have tried peanut and almond)
2-3 bananas with lots of brown spot so they are super sweet*
a handful of pitted medjool dates, only if your bananas aren't brownish
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey, optional
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
chocolate chips, optional

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners.  Put all ingredients into your food processor.  Blend until totally mixed.  Evenly distribute your batter in the lined pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top, if using.  Bake for 13-15 minutes.  They should look puffy and lightly browned on the top. Cool on a rack and store in the freezer for up to one month or in a sealed container for up to one week.

*I have made these twice.  The first time my bananas were not as ripe as they should be so I threw in 6 or 7 pitted dates.  The next time they were super ripe so I skipped the dates and the honey and they were great.  I'm not a fan of super sweet things anyway, so the super ripe bananas were perfectly sweet enough on my second try.

Breakfast @ 226 - Bird Seed Bran Muffins

I've always loved bran muffins.  I realize that's a strange claim.  Sort of like saying, I've always loved Shakespeare or folding laundry, both of which are true.  Most people eat wheat bran out of obligation to healthfulness, not out of genuine cravability.  When I'm at the airport 100 hours early for my flight  and they have those shrink-wrapped-baked-100-years-ago-muffins, next to the perfect looking bananas that I'm not sure are even on sale (seriously, I tried to order one once and it was like the first time they had ever heard this request), I always snag the bran variety.  Always, always, always.

There are so many typical breakfast muffin combinations that fly off those magazine or coffee store shelves.  Even at my local coffee shop, harried customers always leave with a napkin wrapped blueberry muffin stuffed in their suit pocket or the coffee cake with streusel topping gently held by their teeth while they juggle two ventis and the exit door..  But, no one ever gives the bran muffin the attention it deserves.  Although, even as a fan of bran (hehe), I can admit these prototypes are not the best representation of bran muffins.  They're often so dense, you need a liter of water just to wash it down and the sugar content is usually astronomical to accommodate for the fact that most Americans don't like healthy tasting food.

Even armed with the knowledge that a bran muffin could get better, I never ventured out to find wheat bran.  In fact, until yesterday, I had no idea what wheat bran even looked like.  Just FYI, it's white and light brown light-as-a-feather flakes.

At Trader Joe's, you can find some delicious bran muffins.  Though they are on the pricier side (as with all pre-prepared food), these prepackaged wonders only list a few ingredients, a good sign that a home cook can probably recreate them.  The other game changer came with this book.  My sister gifted it to me and I even got to pick up lunch (curry tuna salad with grapes on a housemade croissant) at the renowned bakery when I was visiting her in Boston.  It was every bit as adorable and delicious as the book leads you to believe.  And, I'm happy to report that these muffins (adapted from that book) that finally got me off my tush and to the health food store bulk bins are absolutely worth it.  I'll never go shrink-wrapped again.

Bird Seed Bran Muffins - adapted from this book.  For convenience, I let these cool and then wrapped them individually in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag in the freezer.  If you're not going to eat them on the day they're baked, I recommend you do the same.  That way, when your inevitable bran muffin craving strikes, you just pluck one of these out of the freezer, jam it into your bag and eat it on the go an hour or so later.  I do not recommend thawing/warming them in the oven straight from the freezer.  It dries out the outside, while leaving the inside cold.  They're great cut in half, smeared with almond butter or salted butter, or both. Make 16 muffins.

2 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 1/4 cups milk (I used almond milk)
1 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (not low or non fat)
2 eggs
1 cup golden raisins
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used part pastry flour and part spelt flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsulfered molasses (dark or light both work)
a spoonful of millet
a spoonful of flaxseeds
a spoonful of sunflower seeds

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line 16 spots in two muffin tins with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, stir together the first four ingredients and set aside to let the wheat bran absorb the moisture for about 30 minutes.

Using a small bowl, cover the raisins in nearly boiling water to plump them up.*

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

After 30 minutes, add the brown sugar and molasses to the bran mixture.  Stir to incorporate.  Drain the raisins and add them to the mixture as well.

Scrape the bran mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold them together.  The batter is thick, but gloopy.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them nearly to the top.  In a small bowl mix up the millet, flaxseeds and sunflower seeds.  Sprinkle over the top of the unbaked muffins and gently press the "bird seed" into the batter with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, switching rack position halfway through.  Let cool in the pan, on a wire rack for 20 minutes.  Then, eat them, yo!


*This step gives the raisins an almost berry like texture.  If you prefer your raisins dense and chewy (like Beckett does), skip this step.

Want more breakfast ideas?  Check here.

Breakfast @ 226 - Yogurt Toast

During the week, we usually have very basic breakfasts.  They rotate between toast with almond butter and sliced banana, raisin bran with almond milk and on mornings when we have a few extra minutes, a fried egg with toast.  Nothing special or unusual or particularly inspiring happens in our house before 9 a.m.  There's just a lot of routine.  Brush your teeth and sometimes your hair.  Get dressed.  Pick your breakfast.  Eat your breakfast.  Feed the dog.  Feed the cat. Get your backpack and shoes.  Get in the car and go to school.  It sounds almost dismal, doesn't it?

Let me ease your mind by telling you it's not all done in militant type order, with little enthusiasm.  Not exactly, there are laughs and kisses and sometimes crying about arbitrary and completely avoidable subjects like who gets the melamine rainbow plate.  Sometimes we even play a quick card game or Beckett tells one of his ghost stories (which can take hours).  But for the most part, we save our indulgent, involved breakfasts for the weekend, sitting at the table drizzling maple syrup for over an hour.  During the week, it's more about short prep time and little fuss.  

If your weekdays are similar, here's a toast to throw into the mix.  It's not any more complicated than any of the aforementioned breakfasts, but it certainly is a bit more exciting.  It sounds unfamiliar and a little against the grain to put yogurt on toast.  But, just try it and you'll change your mind.  

Yogurt Toast with Pistachios and Honey - If you use Greek yogurt (which I would suggest that you do) this breakfast has the added benefit of a protein jolt, hopefully getting your kids through till lunch without hunger pangs.  Serve with some sliced oranges or strawberries and it's a nice, quick little weekday breakfast.

Serves 2

2 slices of sprouted bread (or your favorite whole grain bread), toasted

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

a scant 1/4 cup lightly salted pistachios, roughly chopped if you have the time

a scant 1/4 cup dried cherries, or other dried fruit (optional)

drizzle of honey

Spread the yogurt onto the two pieces of toast.  Divide the pistachios (and cherries if you're using) evenly on the two pieces of toast and lightly drizzle with honey.

Don't make this too far in advance, the toast does get soggy after about 1/2 an hour.

Breakfast @ 226 - Bulgar Wheat with Lemon Zest

When it comes to diet, moderation is the key, they say.  You know what I say?  People with no will-power don't have access to the concept of moderation.  I imagine most of us know what the word means, and maybe even use it in reference to our half-ass workout routine, but can we practice it in our everyday diets?  Ummm, no.  I eat what I like and I guess I have to be thankful that I've trained my tastebuds to like more healthful foods.  But, when I eat those foods, or any foods, I eat alot of them.

Just a moment ago my spoon inadvertently dipped into the peanut butter jar seven times.  Then, my spoon got bored, and dipped itself in the Nutella jar, twice.  It was only then that I noticed that I was even eating.  It is, for this very reason, that I surround myself with good, whole foods.  I cannot stock my pantry full of packaged snacks and my freezer full of creamy treats because I will eat them all, in one day sitting.  

It is in this context only that I agree, abstinence is the only 100% protection philosophy.  While it is rare that I crave bad food, I would eat it if it were around.  I can't "just say no" or even say, "just a little."  That sort of discipline is not a character trait that I was given, or have been able to develop over the last 30 years.  I only know, "yes" and "more."  This morning, at work, a lovely, lovely woman (who has never baked an average tasting baked good in her life) brought in Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies.  "Great," I thought, "I'll try one."  Seven cookies later, I left the break room.  Did I need them?  Was I hungry?  It was 7 a.m. and I had already eaten breakfast.

It is for the aforementioned flaws that I make things like this Bulgar for breakfast.  Please don't think me a nutritionally virtuous angel because I am not.  I just try to put some serious distance between me and the cookie jar.

Bulgar Wheat with Lemon Zest - from this book.  We love oatmeal, just as much as the other All-American family of four, especially this one.  But, when you're looking for something brighter and chewier and all-around more interesting, give this a try.  I was not expecting to be as completely delighted as I was the first time I made it.  My kids love it.  Serves 4

1 cup coconut milk (I've also used almond milk)

about 1 1/2 cups water

1 cup medium bulgar (I use quick cooking)

pinch of salt

zest of one lemon*

1 tablespoon or so of local honey

1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a medium saucepan, bring the coconut milk and 3/4 cup of water to a boil and stir in the bulgar.  Bring back to a boil then turn down the heat to maintain a simmer, until the bulgar is creamy, 5-20 minutes (depending on what type of bulgar you use).  Add water if the mixture becomes dry before the bulgar cooks all the way through.  Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and honey.  

Serve in individual bowls and top with toasted almonds.  Sometimes, I add more almond milk at the end, it just depends on how soupy you like your breakfast grains.

*Do not be tempted to squeeze the lemon juice in also.  It curdles the milk, I know.

Breakfast @ 226 - Banana Crunch Muffins

I had dinner ready at the Senior Citizen Hour of 4:10 p.m. yesterday.  There were a few reasons for this, none of them planned.  I knew Jason was going to be working into the night so I was preparing myself to be a One Man Band by getting all my dinner ducks in a row before I picked Reed up from school.  You know, mise en place, as they say.  

When we arrived home, I was barraged with 1,700 only slightly whiney requests for food.  The phrase , "May I please have..." was on repeat, not to mention it's less formal and more demanding cousin, "Mama, make me..."  The scene was really, very charming.  Every time the tip of my toe crossed the threshold of leaving the kitchen (to say, go do some laundry or get the mail) there was another child.  Another child, asking for more food.  At one point I was slicing an apple with one hand and dishing out snap peas with the other.  I only survived one hour before...

I started making dinner.  I know it's a drastic decision to pour a little olive oil in a pan at 3:45 in the afternoon.  But, if I hadn't done that, I would have done something worse.  Like, maybe...run away to a deserted island where no one even snacks, or eats at all.

The only backlash of this wild decision was that dinner (usually the main time-consuming event of the evening) was over at the ripe hour of 4:30.  Plates in the sink and faces wiped: Done.  Before the begging for dessert or complaints of boredom even began, I announced the post-dinner project.  "We're making muffins!"  Of course, I announced this before checking the pantry to see if we had anything with which to make a decent muffin.  Small Detail.  The kids were thrilled because our evening rituals usually include something less involved like taking a walk or reading books.  Making muffins in the evening time was a major deal.

Get your hand out of the frame, dude!

Though, in the wake of our evening chaos, I quite honestly have no idea what I made for dinner.  I do know I made some bomb-ass muffins.  And for a moment, everyone was content.  Here they are.

Banana Crunch Muffins - which should really be called Survival Muffins are adapted from these

3 super ripe bananas

1 large egg

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

a hearty pinch of cloves

1 1/2 cup your choice of flour (I used oat bran, white whole wheat and spelt, 1/4 cup of each and I love how they turned out)

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1 tablespoon chia seed

1/4 cup uncooked millet

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan or line a muffin pan.

Whip your bananas and egg together in an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk* attachment until light and pale yellow.  This can also be done with a hand mixer.  Add the oil and fully incorporate.  Add the sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and whip until uniform.  

Sprinkle the baking soda, salt and spices over the batter and mix.  

Lastly, add your flours, flax, chia and millet and with the mixer on low, mix until just incorporated.

Pour into prepared loaf pan or a lined muffin pan.  Bake loaf for 35 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  The muffins will bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

These stay good for a while (5 days), and really get a little better each day!  Though we won't really get to find out, we only have four left.

*The paddle attachment would also work.  But, the whisk just made the batter light and creamy, and broke up the bananas.

So thrilled he gets to eat the prop.

Breakfast @ 226 - Dreamy Oats while you Dream

We have a lazy Sunday routine. That's the way I like it. That's the way I designed it. Sunday is not a go-day. Sunday is a stay-day. Stay in your University of Cincinnati sweatpants day. Stay under your grey sheets surrounded by mounds of pillows day. Stay by the brick fireplace day. Stay under the warm brown wool blanket day. Stay snuggled with your peeps day. Stay in and watch football read while your husband watches seemingly endless hours of football day. Stay in and make black bean chili day. Stay in close proximity to readily available coffee day. Stay, like Lisa Loeb. Just don't go, and soak in the absolute coziness that is your home.

When the sky looks like this at almost every hour of the day, you need a stay day.

That's what we do, especially because it is our only day as FOUR. We juggle this crazy schedule of Jason working while I'm home, and the moment that he returns I grab my keys and leave for work. And we're on that merry-go-round from Monday through Saturday. So, not just by coincidence Sunday is our stay day.

The kids come in at about 7am, we let them crawl into bed. I go down and start the coffee and bagels while Jason starts their Sunday morning movie. We've found that it's much easier to leave the TV off throughout the week if they know they have at least one day where they get to watch a movie, without a fight. And, we no longer have a battle about watching television. Everyone knows it's a Sunday morning special, and there are rarely complaints or even requests. It makes movie morning a special event.

Rolling into our bed and getting snug under our comforter. Piling up the pillows while Netflix gears up a movie. This one was last week's flick and everyone loved it. I usually read, Jason usually picks up the house or goes back to sleep and the kids enjoy breakfast in bed and a movie. It really has become a huge treat for them, for everyone.

Adorable mug provided by my adorable sister-in-law. Thanks, Andrea!

Well, yesterday I came across some inspiration via the ever addicting and reliable Pinterest to make our lazy Sundays even more lazy. Could it be? Breakfast could be ready when I was rousted by the excited shouts of a little blonde boy? By the sly smile of a bed-headed little girl? To me, this was very good news. When I got home from work last night at about 11 p.m. I mixed up four ingredients. I was in bed by 11:20.

When we woke were awoken this morning, I went downstairs to brew some coffee like every other Sunday. Except this morning...magic. A warm bowl of pudding-y nourishing breakfast awaited. I stirred in two more ingredients, portioned into bowls and topped with some dried fruit. And, friends, Sunday was off to a very good start. Before my boyfriend Pharrell had even sung the intro song.

Dreamy Oats While you Dream - Ever so Slightly Adapted from This to be vegan and yield more. Because we're some eaters!

3 cups water
1 1/2 cups almond milk
3/4 cup steel cut oats
pinch of salt
1/3 cup almond butter
3-4 T honey (hopefully you have local, we didn't at the time)

Use a 4 cup glass measuring cup and mix up the first four ingredients. Your cup will almost runneth over. Just stir gently and all will be well. Carefully, without spilling like I obviously did, place the measuring cup in the slow cooker and fill a quarter of the way with water. Turn it on low and go pass outwash your face, brush your teeth and go to bed.

In the morning, stir in the remaining ingredients. It takes quite a bit of stirring to get the nut butter to dissolve but it will get there. Divy up into bowls and top with any of the following: dried fruit, nuts, extra drizzle of honey, fresh berries or other chopped fruit, little pour of cold milk...whatever suits you.

Notes: The nuttiness from the almond butter was one of my favorite elements. If you're not into that, any nut butter will work. I imagine any fruit puree would be delicious as well. Think pumpkin puree or apple sauce. A whole bevy of spices would be welcome here too. There was just something about the simplicity of these flavors that I really loved. Also, I'm pleased to announce that I just finished the leftovers while I typed this, reheated in the microwave and they were every bit as good as day one. And if you must know, yes, I lied to my kids this morning and told them it was all gone. Don't judge. I know you've done it with your good dark chocolate or your special flavor of Fage.

Overnight Oats Elsewhere:
Apple Pie Overnight Oats
Oatmeal with Apricots and Buttermilk
Spiced Overnight Oatmeal for a crowd
Overnight Pumpkin Spice Oats

Pomegranate Lime Juice from Trader Joe's. Totally Bomb. Get some.

Breakfast @ 226 - Breakfast Pizza

Okay, I know what you're thinking. I'm going to make you get out of your Pottery Barn sheets and slip into your sweatpants two hours earlier than normal and make you trudge down your squeaky wood stairs to start some pizza dough for your beloveds. But, there is obviously something you do not know about me. I love sleep. Almost more than I love my beloveds.



Elaborate breakfasts are almost never on the menu. Jason's pancakes serve as our WOW breakfast for the kids. And, I often scurry into the kitchen with my pants on backwards and unwashed Sumo Wrestler like hair on top of my head, quickly throwing together a fruit syrup, just to say that I've contributed. I've honed my scone-making down to a 13 minute process, start-to-finish so that I don't have to get out of bed one minute earlier than normal to make an impressive pastry. There's occasional Purple Sweet Rice at our breakfast table, but more often than not I stick to food that takes fewer than three minutes to prepare if the clock reads any hour earlier than 9 a.m. I save my elaborate cookery for the PM hours, after I've been fueled with caffeine, and other harmless drugs.



So, now that you know this, you know that this breakfast pizza is simple as can be. The idea came to me when I saw leftover broccoli in the fridge. I opened the egg container and saw four sad ovals, begging to be thrown into a hot pan. Really, it took little forethought and next to no effort. The results? Uh, the kids thought they were eating pizza. For breakfast. How could that be bad?



Breakfast Pizza

2 Whole Wheat tortillas
olive oil spray
2 eggs
1 stalk broccoli, steamed and chopped (leftovers work well + more sleep for you!)
Parmigiano Reggiano (white cheddar or gruyere would work well, too)

Turn your oven to 350 degrees. Spray the tortillas with olive oil spray. Place them on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. Keep an eye on these, they can burn in a second. You're looking for a little crisp and a little browning, like a faux pizza crust. While the tortillas are browning up, scramble your eggs. Do it whatever way you and your peeps like to eat them.* Make sure you stop a few seconds before they're fully cooked because the eggs will spend a little time in the oven, where they will cook a bit more. A little runny is good.

Retrieve your (undoubtedly perfectly browned) tortilla shells from the oven. Spray the tops again with a bit of olive oil. Scatter the eggs and broccoli evenly over the "pizzas." Finally, grate some Parm over the top of the pizzas. Use the bigger holes on your grater. In this application, if you grated the Parm to powder consistency - it would all but disappear once melted. Put the baking sheet back (with pizzas) into the oven for a few minutes. You're just warming the broccoli and melting the cheese at this point. No more than five minutes or you'll overcook those eggs! Finish the pizzas with a sprinkle of sea salt and a grind or two of pepper. Cut into wedges and serve with extra broccoli or fruit.

*I'm a strictly egg girl. I do not like adding cream, cream cheese or sour cream to my scrambled eggs. It may boost the texture but I think it dilutes the flavor. I mix up my eggs with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and scramble them in a hot pan with a little melted butter.

Finish your pizzas and force someone to take photos of you whilst you make goofy faces. If you don't know how to do this, Reed's an expert. Ask her.

Breakfast @ 226 - Purple Sweet Rice

This is going to be a short post because we have two sick kids waking up for some snuggles periodically. Oh, when is the first day of preschool you ask? It's tomorrow. They have impeccable timing. Just perfect. I mean, not even the hint of a cough or trickle of a sniffle in over six months. But, wait...school starts tomorrow? Yup, bring on the illness.



It's sort of a sad sight to watch unfold. We have been talking up The First Day of School for over a month. We got backpacks and met our teachers. We said goodbye to pool season and hello to new friends. We even bought a first day of school themed book. And, they literally could not wait. But, wait they will. Poor things.



To combat these nasty sniffles and dry coughs we've been doing a whole lot of smoothies and there have been noticeable improvements. Our current favorite is mango, pineapple, banana, avocado, rice milk and a touch of honey. But, will it be enough?*



Sick or not we all have to eat breakfast. I rotate between the same reliable options, always trying to incorporate a decent amount of protein, eliminate sugars, and throw in a little fruit or vegetable. But, the constraints stifle my creativity and I usually go back to my trustworthy friend, Almond Butter Toast. But on mornings when my eyelids are pried open a little earlier by two sets of tiny hands, I brew the coffee extra strong and I'm just feeling the love? There's always purple rice! Plus, if you make enough, you can feast on the leftovers. I always do.



This is a recipe that I would never try if I read it on a blog. Luckily, I tasted it before I ever prepared it in my home. That's the beauty of working at an awesome grocery store. Creative people and their ideas around to inspire you all the time. I love it. All I know is that you should go against your instinct and make this. Some of the world's most satisfying foods are also the least photogenic. Agreed? But, wouldn't your 4 or 8 or 10 year old self think this bowl of violet hued rice was pretty cool? Mine would. Errrr, does.




Purple Sweet Rice
1 cup brown rice
1/2 can light coconut milk, or more
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen (or fresh) pineapple
2 bananas, sliced
1-2 tablespoons agave sweetener
slivered almonds, for scattering on top

Prepare the rice according to package instructions. When it's nearly finished and all the water is just about absorbed, stir in coconut milk and all the fruit. You're looking for a creamy consistency, like wet oatmeal. Add more coconut milk if it looks dry. Taste and add a bit of sweetener. Depending on the sweetness of your berries and pineapple, you may not need much at all. Stir the whole mess together until the blue of the berries turns the milk purple and everything is incorporated, and the frozen fruit is heated through. Serve in a bowl with a few banana slices and almonds on top.

I usually double the recipe so I don't have 1/2 a can of coconut sitting in my fridge, tempting me to pour it down my throat. Because I have a major love affair with coconut milk.


*A Triumph. They went to school, more on that later.