Breakfast for babies (that mom and dad will love too)

My kids started refusing their food in favor of mine this week. They crawl up to me begging for daal and farro, and I wonder why I bother making them their own food in their own special plates—no, but seriously, why am I making them their own food in special plates?

In my research, I found that what’s best to heal the girls’ guts after surgery and antibiotics is a plant-based diet, that’s what we’ve had them on. There’s been some debate as to whether it’s “realistic” for everyone to be on that diet, and we decided (read: husband finally agreed) that we want to model behavior for our daughters. So last week, we went vegan, which means we can all eat the same stuff now…no need for a separate pot of oatmeal or a separate sheet pan meal, we are streamlining up in here and it feels so good.

Now that my husband, Jerod, has traded in his over easy eggs for ground flax seeds, he has fewer dirty dishes to deal with and I have less to meal plan for. 

But here’s the catch…there’s always a catch…

Historically, I haven’t been one to overthink what the babies eat. They are still binge drinking breast milk every four hours. If they don’t get any protein or fat in their meal, they will continue to thrive. Jerod, however, will surely perish. 

He is one of those annoying, fast-metabolism types who—for most of his adult life—subsisted on Chick-fil-a and Chipotle, and suffered nothing but a little sodium bloat as a consequence. He gave up the (chick-fil-a) sauce when we got married, because I was not about to get on the weight gain (heart disease and diabetes) train, and the result was a 20 pound weight loss that he has not forgiven me for. 

He is here for the health benefits of the vegan diet, but he would be lying if he told me he wasn’t wondering where’s the protein. As such, it’s become my mission to prove to Jerod that if Rich Roll can be a vegan ultra marathoner, he can be a vegan who does a couple of push ups and goes to work for 8 hours a day.

And now, you get to enjoy the fruit of my labor an omega-rich oatmeal alternative that the whole family (as long as they can sit up and eat solids) can enjoy. 

Banana Coconut Porridge with Pistachios

Servings 3-4, depending on how hungry your husband and your babies are.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of coconut flour
1/2 cup of golden flax meal or ground flax seeds
2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg powder
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
2 pinches (or 1/4 teaspoon) of clove powder
2 1/4 cups of water
1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
2 teaspoons of maple syrup

Toppings:

Chopped Banana
Shelled pistachios (or nut of your choice)

Instructions:

Bring water to a boil

Wisk in the coconut flour, flax meal, and spices until smooth, lower the heat to a low simmer. Stir in remaining ingredients except for the maple syrup. Once the porridge is almost as thick as you’d like it (for me it’s been 5-7 minutes), add the maple syrup and remove from the stove top. 

Serve in a small bowl and top generously with chopped banana and shelled pistachios (or nut of your choice).