Starting The Day Right With Honey Bunches of Oats Breakfast Biscuits

By Meg Hodson

Disclosure: I received complimentary samples and compensation for my post. But trust me, if food tastes crappy, I won't lie about it.

It was another typical morning as I whirled around the kitchen, getting the day started on a weekday with three grade school age children and my husband. I was making my coffee and loading up the counter fairly high with lunch box fixings as well as breakfast items. 

Trust me, on those extra hectic mornings, it's nice to have an option that makes life just a little easier. So, on this particular morning, I welcomed the chance to try the new Honey Bunches of Oats Breakfast Biscuits. Yep, the same great, family-pleasing cereal has come out with a breakfast bar made from 100% whole grain. Kids definitely need a good boost of energy to carry them through the morning until lunchtime at school.  And let's face it, so do parents!

My family won't just eat any cereal; they are fairly particular about taste and texture. I am also picky about additives and excessive sugar in cereals. The Honey Bunches of Oats Breakfast Biscuits come in three flavors: Honey Roasted, Strawberry, and Dark Chocolate. One serving is packed with 4 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and more than half of the daily recommended serving of whole grain. It's a win-win on paper.....but what about the taste?

My husband loves them! He said he was "pleasantly surprised" at how good they were and even keeps a stash at work now for a midday snack. As for the kids, overall is was a resounding "yes" in regards to the flavor. My youngest loved the strawberry, my other two went straight for the dark chocolate. My daughter did remark that they were a little too crispy for her, yet she still polished them off. I am in her camp, too. I tend to not like crispy biscuits or cookies, but once I dunked them in my morning coffee, I was good to go. 

I'm excited to use these as a perfect go-to snack on an upcoming road trip we are taking. I'm pretty sure these Honey Bunches of Oats Breakfast Biscuits will make a perfect "snack biscuit", too.

How do you make your busy mornings easier? 

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Creamy Lemon Yogurt French Toast

By Meg Hodson

French toast is just not one of those breakfast items that I fix very often. Eggs, yes. Pancakes, that's a no-brainer. I think the mood struck me this weekend to fix French toast because I had some delicious sour dough bread on hand and I thought it would make good French toast.  

Since I routinely tweak and create recipes, this French toast escapade would be no different. Hmm, what to do, what to do? One thing that doesn't make French toast one of my favorites breakfasts is that it always seems dry to me. So, I decided to play around with yogurt as an additive to the toast, as well as a little lemon juice. 

The results were kid-tested and approved by me as well. This French toast is moist without being soggy and the lemon juice adds just the perfect amount of tartness to the sweetness of the toast. I hope you enjoy it!

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

Sour dough bread

3 eggs

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 tablespoons unsweetened coconut milk or whole milk

In a wide rimmed bowl, crack 3 eggs and whisk gently. Add the yogurt and whisk until completely incorporated. Add just enough milk so that it is creamy, but not runny. Finally, add the lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla and blend well.  

Soak both side of the sourdough bread with the mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side over medium heat in a lightly oiled skillet. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Enjoy!

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Pancake Sandwiches With Jimmy Dean Sausage

By Meg Hodson

This is a sponsored post for the Mom It Forward network. All delicious, tasty opinions remain my own.

Wow, my mornings are hectic with kids during the week. It's a rush of checking off homework, prepping breakfast, making school lunches, and making sure everyone is dressed. But I know the importance of a good breakfast to get the day started. 

I fix pancakes quite a lot, but I like to make sure my kids are getting a good boost of protein in the morning, too. I picked up some Jimmy Dean refrigerated sausage recently at Safeway. They have TONS of Hillshire Brands protein choices to choose from. Simply slice and cook! It couldn't be easier. I jazzed things up a bit this time and made pancake sausage sandwiches. 

Choose your favorite pancake recipe, but be sure to make them dollar-size pancakes. Once you flip them, be sure to flatten them gently with a spatula (this makes them a bit thinner and better for "sandwich making"!) Then, simply place a cooked Jimmy Dean sausage patty in between two small pancakes and slice in half. My children were pleasantly surprised and liked the change up.

I recently signed up for the Safeway Just 4 U program. It makes it super convenient to save coupons and offer right onto your Safeway Club Card. Then, when checking out, your discounts are automatically applied to your purchase. You can sign up for a Safeway club card at your local store; once you have that, you can sign up for the Just 4 program. Trust me, I am not one to cut a lot of coupons and use them---I always forget I have them. But with them pre-loaded on my card, they are easy-peasy to use. 

Some of my fellow blogging friends have also done some amazing recipes with proteins like sausage to create some delights that any family will love. Here are some of my favorites:

Spinach, Sausage, and Cornbread Muffins from The Kim Six Fix

State Fair Corn Dogs from Mom's Tried and Tested

Hillshire Farm Sausage Sweet Potato Mac-n-Cheese from Sweet and Sour Deals

Gluten Free Sausage and Pea Alfredo from I Like It Frantic

Cheesy Sausage and Spinach Pasta from Inspiration For Moms

Glazed Sausage Waffle On A Stick from Bay Area Mommy

Potato Salad With Hillshire Farms Sausage from Glued To My Crafts

Crustless Sausage and Zucchini Quiche from Simply Stavish

 

Chocolate Hazelnut Banana Breakfast Sandwich

In honor of National Breakfast week, my friends at eMeals encouraged their blogging friends to share this amazing (and simple!) recipe for breakfast.  Combining French toast with nutritious bananas and creamy Nutella, it is sure to please both adults and kids alike.  

If you haven't heard of eMeals, you should!  If you are ever stumped on how to keep variety and fresh ideas for your home cooked meals, then you need eMeals! There are many different plans to choose from (including my new favorite, the Costco plan). Your menus, complete with shopping lists, are delivered to your inbox for easy meal planning and stress-free shopping for the ingredients.  

Chocolate-Hazelnut and Banana Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients

• 8 slices frozen whole grain French toast (prepared)
• ¼ cup chocolate-hazelnut spread
• 2 bananas, thinly sliced

Instructions

Cook French toast according to package directions. Spread 1 tablespoon chocolate-hazelnut spread on each of 4 slices of French toast. Top with banana and remaining toast slices.

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