Lazy Morning Breakfast
There’s nothing like a 3-day weekend. This Columbus Day was special because the whole family either had or took the day off. My plan for the Monday holiday was to drop the kids at my gym’s babysitting and take a great cardio class while my dear husband spent some time at home painting the bathroom that we’re remodeling. Well, that plan was dashed when we all slept until 9 am! I guess we all needed our beauty sleep. We also needed a lazy, quality-time family day since I’m now headed into an 11-day work week that includes a trip to the American Dietetic Association conference in Denver this coming weekend. So instead of exercise and home improvement, we spent some fun time in the kitchen trying a few new things.
The kids wanted pancakes so it was the perfect time to try out the Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat Blend Pancake mix that I picked up on a recent shopping trip. I figured that it must get a better NuVal score than the Original and I was right!
Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat Blend Pancake Mix 24
Aunt Jemima Original Pancake Mix 5
I also will confess right here that I used to give my daughter Aunt Jemima Frozen Mini Pancakes – until I found out that they scored a 6! I’m still getting over the guilt.
Here’s what the pancakes looked like. You can see that they are pretty wheaty!
Somehow the kids could sense that Mommy & Daddy really wanted to hang out, read the paper & drink coffee. The sight of Mommy & Daddy relaxing on the couch is foreign to my children. Mommy & Daddy must be busy, busy, busy. So, they next asked for fruit smoothies. No problem. I got out my old blender (a 12-year old wedding gift that my sister makes fun of) and put in the following ingredients:
some plain Greek yogurt (Score of 91)
some skim milk (Score of 91)
a banana (Score of 91)
some strawberries (Score of 100)
some frozen blueberries (Score of 100)
That was one healthy fruit smoothie. And somehow, everything is more exciting when you put a straw into it.
The kids loved the whole wheat pancakes so we made a whole bunch and put the extra in the freezer for quick heat-ups during this crazy stretch of work that I have ahead of me.
In the meantime, I’ll be preparing for my absence from home for four whole days. Thankfully, my mom will come to the rescue, my DH is SuperMan, and my BFF can’t wait to take by daughter to ballet (she has 2 boys!). The bad news is that I will be away for my daughter’s School Picture Day. Horrors! I mean my DH is amazing, but his talents end when it comes to doing my daughter’s hair. One of my friends suggested that I cancel my business trip. Oh well, there’s always Picture Retake Day!
Posted by: Melissa 5 comments
Posted in: Fruit Smoothies, Pancakes
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
An 11 day work week is definitely a harsh end to the long weekend.
Making bready food for the fam and keeping it in the freezer until they want it is a good way to know they're eating right when you're gone. I love going home and taking a bunch of frozen baked goods out to bring to my dorm.
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I cant believe the 12 year old blender still works. I've gone through 2 food processors and 2 blenders in 3 years.
Good luck at the ADA conference!
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Don't feel guilty! That smoothie was nearly a 100 when all was said and done, and I'm sure it was delicious!
Out of curiosity, how does Fiber One pancake/waffle mix stack up in NuVal scores?
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 7:11 am
I love lazy days like this…and pancakes. I avoided the boxed pancake aisle for so long but I just might go back now knowing there are whole wheat options now. Thanks, Melissa!
on Oct 15th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I buy that same pancake mix and my boys love it. Glad to know it is a good choice. Would love to get the score on the Fiber One mix as well as the Bisquick Heart Healthy Mix. Thanks!