A bowl of porridge topped with honey, nuts, and fruit is my default breakfast for much of the year, until the weather warms up (Austin is already in the 90′s!) and I can’t stand the thought of eating anything hot. This week, I’ve been revving up my day with a cool Chocolate Monkey Smoothie. It’s filling, it’s nourishing—and it tastes great, too! Try whipping this portable breakfast shake up the next time your kid needs a lightning-fast breakfast on a hot day.

Chocolate Monkey Smoothie
Serves 1-2
1 large frozen banana, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
1/2 cup organic milk (dairy, soy, or almond all work equally well)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon honey (optional)
2-3 ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth. Serve immediately.

Do you or your kid have a favorite smoothie recipe? Let us know!

-Marygrace, KIWI staff writer

Warm up with your family on a chilly morning while enjoying the best of the season’s produce with these festive fall breakfasts.

• Creamy pumpkin pie oats. Prepare plain oats however you normally do, then transfer to a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 cup canned pumpkin for each serving of oats, a few dashes of cinnamon, plus a pinch each of ginger and cloves—then whizz away (blending the oats makes the dish super creamy, sort of like a pudding!). Serve with chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup.
• Open-faced apple-almond butter sandwich. My favorite on-the-go breakfast. Toast two slices of your kid’s favorite bread (I love Ezekial sprouted grain bread, but anything except white, please!) Slather each piece of bread with almond butter, then top with crunchy apple slices and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Kabocha squash pudding. Roast or steam slices of peeled kabocha or butternut squash (perhaps the night before to save time!). Transfer to a food processor, then blend, adding enough milk (dairy or non-dairy, both work) to make a smooth mixture. Add some ground ginger for warmth, then sweeten to taste with a little agave nectar or maple syrup.
• Pumpkin smoothie. In a blender, combine 1/4 cup canned pumpkin with 1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt, maple syrup to taste, plus a pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend to combine and serve.
• Baked apples. These are best straight out of the oven, so save them for the weekend! Slice off the tops of 4 baking apples (like Granny Smith), then scoop out the centers. Stuff apples with a mixture of chopped walnuts or pecans, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon, plus a tiny bit of butter and lemon zest for good measure, then bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. To keep the fruit moist, you can baste them with a little bit of apple juice throughout the baking process.

-Marygrace, KIWI Staffer

We’ve all heard over and over that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You want your kids to start their day off with a healthy, nutritious breakfast…everyday. But are they? One of the best ways to guarantee that your kids are eating a balanced breakfast is to eat it with them. Let’s call this our mid-January New Year’s Resolution. How many times a week can you eat breakfast with you kids? Our breakfast recipes can help you. Enjoy!

––Stephanie Singer, KIWI staff and lover of breakfast