Banana Flax Pancakes (Gluten and Dairy Free)

These are definitely not traditional pancakes, but very delicious nonetheless.  I've made these a couple of times, and each time my kids devoured them served with almond butter.  I will admit that they are a bit difficult to flip, and some of mine looked pretty messy.  You definitely need to keep them small, use lower heat than traditional pancakes, and cook them a bit longer after they start to bubble before trying to flip them over.  Otherwise, they fall apart.  Very simple recipe though with only five ingredients:  eggs, bananas, ground flax, cinnamon, and coconut oil. 

http://www.dailybitesblog.com/2013/03/19/5-ingredient-banana-bread-pancakes/

Since my family is now dairy free as well as gluten free, I've been working to include alternative sources of calcium in their diet.  Almonds and thus almond butter contain a surprising amount of calcium which makes it a great topping for these gluten and dairy free pancakes.

Check out a list of nondairy calcium sources:
http://greatist.com/health/18-surprising-dairy-free-sources-calcium

Berry Coconut Smoothie

We are in the middle of a dairy-free trial elimination, and the kids wanted smoothies for breakfast this morning.  Oh what to do?  Get creative!  I had some leftover coconut milk on hand that I had purchased for another recipe.  It has a higher, fat content and thicker consistency than regular milk, so I thought that it might work to replace the milk and yogurt combination that I typically use for smoothies.  I just blended up 2 cups of coconut milk, about a cup of frozen mixed berries, three tablespoons of ground flax, and a bit of honey. Success!  The kids loved it!  My daughter was also thrilled that it was purple like her shirt.  Shh!  Don't tell them that the smoothies had flax in them.  It a adds a great nutritional boost since it is high in  Omega-3 essential fatty acids and fiber.  Check out the many benefits of flaxseed.

Just a side note about the dairy elimination trial if your curious...

I have been reading Cure Your Child with Food: The Hidden Connection Between Nutrition and Childhood Ailments by Kelly Dorfman.  My youngest frequently has a runny nose and both kids are still touchy and irritable some days, so I'm trying to figure out what is remaining in their diet that might be irritating them.  Dairy intolerance and/or allergies can be related to congestion and eczema, so we are taking out the dairy for a couple weeks to see if we see any changes.  If you are struggling with chronic health and/or behavior issues with your kids, I highly recommend this book.  Dorfam guides you through case studies of families that she has worked with to find nutritional solutions to common childhood illnesses and concerns.

Breakfast in a Jiffy Please

I must admit that I am not a morning person, so cooking breakfast on early weekday mornings for the kids is just not going to happen.  My kids are also not the best breakfast eaters, so I just do my best in my zombie-like state to get something in them.  Their breakfasts are not too unusual for small kids, but I thought that I'd share our gluten free twist on breakfast.  Breakfast usually includes milk or yogurt, fruit, and some type of grain.

Milk/Yogurt

My daughter drinks soy milk every morning which is nice because I know that she's at least getting some protein.  Her little brother doesn't drink milk very well, so I typically feed him a GoGurt Simple yogurt.  I discovered this morning that I could sneak his antibiotics in with the yogurt with no complaints too.

Fruit

We buy berries in bulk at Costco, so the kids typically have a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries with their breakfast.  Some mornings they have a "chocolate banana" which is just a banana with some Nutella.  I also keep squeezable applesauce on hand which my kid's love.

Squeezable Applesauce

Grains

Crunchmaster Crackers

Sun Butter

My daughter's favorite is to have some leftover homemade bread with nutella for breakfast.  See my post about our favorite bread (Gluten Free Bread).  Otherwise, she might have some Crunchmaster crackers with SunButter.  My oldest has a severe peanut allergy, so my little ones can't eat peanut butter due to the risk of accidentally exposing their brother to it.  He has no desire to eat anything resembling peanut butter, but the little kids love Sun Butter.

I also keep a few different types of dry cereal on hand.  Here's some of our favorites.

As a special treat, my kid's also like Van's gluten free waffles.