April 4, 2008

Pie For Breakfast

When I was a kid, my dad would occasionally eat leftover pumpkin pie for breakfast. I thought it was the ultimate in adult self-indulgence. When it was offered to me it just felt too hedonistic, even for a kid. That would be something that I would earn over time, along with wrinkles and paying for babysitters…

So here I am, a hundred years later, having met the above qualifications outlined by my juvenile sensibilities. And what do I do with my adult liberties? Feed pie to my kids for breakfast! Not because I am making up for my childhood asceticism, but because I am confident in the healthy ingredients making for a nutritious meal. Not only do I feed them pie, but also rice pudding. Both are staples in our home; they make great after-school snacks and dessert, the amount of sugar can be modified, extra eggs can be added, you can use your choice of milk, and one can choose to use a pie crust or not. We make more “pudding” than actual pie in our home. Keep in mind that anytime you combine milk, eggs and heat, it will eventually gel into a custard, the exact proportions can vary. The texture will be dictated by the ratio of eggs to milk.

My youngest, Xander, who is almost two, has a legendary “thing” for pie. It was one of his first words – sounds more like “bye” than pie. It can be a bit deflating to pull a toddler out of his crib first thing in the morning to be met with “Bye!” unless one knows how to read the timing and inflection. Regardless, today was his lucky morning. Links to recipes for his waking delights: Pumpkin Pie (or pudding), Almond Pie Crust (gluten-free!).




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think any food that is healthy should be considered for any meal of the day. Breakfast is about starting the day of right, and I don't know where the idea came from that only specific foods should be eaten in the morning.

On a side note, your post reminded me of an old comedy routine by Bill Cosby where he got into trouble from his wife when his kids talked him into serving cake for breakfast.............:)

Krista Anderson-Ross ND said...

I agree, and sometimes it is all about dropping commonly held beliefs about what foods are considered "appropriate" for each meal of the day. I love the Bill Cosby analogy!

Sparkle Inc. said...

Just wanted to say that I have now made this pie 6 times. It has become a staple in our house for afternoon snack, breakfast or dessert. My kids absolutely love it and so do I. I am not a cook but I could actually do this.. which was refreshing. I also made the flaxmeal cookies. Fantastic! My kids went nuts over them. Thanks for all the great ideas/info.