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  1. #11
    jgenie is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by gatorsmom View Post
    I highly recommend that your Dh hide his cereal somewhere where ds doesn’t see it. My Dh keeps his snacks in his car otherwise our kids eat them (and unfortunately so do i).

    This isn’t an fast recipe but it’s easy and can be made with whatever you have available. We make it on a Sunday and it can keep refrigerated for a week making it a very convenient breakfast choice. It’s good cold or reheated. Also, I find that when my kids have helped make something they are more likely to eat it themselves. Have your son start helping make it. Let him play around with the ingredients. Each of my kids have invented a new flavor. We have made it dozens of times and different ways- put favorites have been chocolate coconut, apple pie rum raisin with Craisins, tropical pineapple mango. Frequently my kids eat it for dessert. Delish!

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.epi...st-article/amp

    It’s basically this:
    -1 part dry ingredients- rolled oats, granola, nuts, chocolate chips, seeds, coconut flakes, spices, etc
    -1 part fruit- any kind of fruit, fresh fruit, canned fruit, pie filling, chopped, frozen berries, etc.
    -1 part wet ingredients- any kind of milk, water, yogurt, juice, applesauce, keifer, etc.
    -1/4 part sweetener- maple syrup, honey, white or brown sugar, etc.
    -One or 2 eggs

    Ive discovered that for a 9x13” pan 1part equals 4 cups (in other words 4cups wet ingredients, 4cups dry ingredients, 1cup sweetener, etc). It will fill up the pan to almost the top but it won’t overflow. For a 8x8” pan 1part equals 2 cups.
    Thanks for sharing! Do you think I could use ricotta cheese or cottage cheese as my wet ingredient?

  2. #12
    ciw is offline Gold level (500+ posts)
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    Do your DH and DS eat breakfast at the same time? If so, I think it is going to be hard to convince your DS not to eat cereal if the person next to him is eating it. Could you try to wean them both off sugary cereals? Empty the box of sugary cereal into a large canister as soon as it comes into the house and mix it with a sugar-free cereal -- half and half to start, then gradually increase the sugar-free portion until it is basically all of the sugar-free cereal. I'd try the same approach to other options. I'd stop buying Nutella, but let him have Skippy or Jiff on his toast. After a while, I'd try the natural PB again but top it with something sweet like honey or sliced bananas or apples. Would he eat something like pumpkin pancakes or waffles topped with fruit? We make and freeze big batches of french toast, zucchini/pumpkin/other fruit pancakes/muffins, baked oatmeal etc. on the weekends and then everyone can pull out what they want during the week and reheat.

    If all that fails, I'd be tempted to let him eat his favorite savory foods -- pizza, mac and cheese, meatballs, hummus and veggies, ham sandwiches, etc. Basically, I'd let him have whatever he liked that was sugar-free (and preferably had a protein) if it was something that I could make in big batches ahead of time for quick access at breakfast. Actually, the cornbread and strawberries with milk wouldn't be too bad for breakfast if you made it without sugar - no protein but probably better than a sugary cereal.

  3. #13
    jgenie is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by ArizonaGirl View Post
    We struggle over here too. I don't love a lot of baked oatmeal because it's pretty "mushy," but this one below is divine.

    Attachment 5199

    I lower the sugar to 2/3 cup, but it's divine!
    Is that 2 tsp baking powder? Is it vanilla and almond extract?

    Completely unrelated, your signature makes me smile every time I see it. For the longest time I thought your DC’s middle names were December and August. I have no idea why because once I realized it was their birthday months it made complete sense. I still read it as Shawn December and Lilian August.
    Last edited by jgenie; 01-24-2021 at 06:36 PM.

  4. #14
    Myira is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Is there a way you can buy cereal without the added sugar? I know Seven Sunday muesli at Costco has rolled oats along with chia, almond, coconut flakes etc., no added sugar. I’m sure you may find some other options at Whole Foods etc.
    That being said, I agree with not keeping sugary cereals handy. We eat steel cut oats made in the instant pot for breakfast 5-6 days a week. You can give him a variety for toppings. Does he like smoothies or smoothie bowls? If he does you can make them filling and still get him his fix for sweet without added sugar.


    Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains
    DD 10/2008
    DS 09/2011

  5. #15
    basil is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    I think it will be difficult to wean DH off cereal. I think he's eaten cereal for breakfast for every single morning since he was a child. Like, we never go out to breakfast because "why would you go out to eat for cereal?" level.

    DS goes through phases where he will eat plain cheerios with fruit mixed in. Generally I think that's fine, but because he has to do more work to cut the fruit, he often gets lazy and just goes for the plain sugary cereal.

    He does like smoothies. He'll often eat one as a snack on his remote days (frozen strawberries, milk, maple syrup, banana, whatever other fruit is in the fridge).

    I'll have to try the steel cut oats. I'm not sure though. I usually make oatmeal for my DD by mixing old fashioned rolled oats with milk and microwaving, then adding maple syrup at the end. He doesn't like that, so I dunno if he would like the steel cut.

    I've tried to get him to eat savory nontraditional breakfast foods that he likes. Like carrots and hummus or pretzels or crackers and cheese. So far no go.

    DS and I made a batch of baked oatmeal roughly following this recipe: https://cookieandkate.com/baked-oatmeal-recipe/ we omitted the nuts and used the leftover berries we had in the fridge. We'll see how he feels about it in the morning!
    DS- 8/11
    DD- 5/14

  6. #16
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    If your choice is between sugary cereal and something with Jiff/Skippy on it, the kid will be fine with Jiff!! My brother was the pickiest eater ever. He lived on Lucky Charms cereal, peanut butter/jelly sandwiches/ icecream, and milk. I don't know that i remember him eating vegetables!! He went on to 4.0 Stanford as a mechanical engineer, get an MS from MIT, and then back to Stanford for PhD. He was also on a com soccer team. I wouldn't advocate his diet for kids....but compared to that, Jiff is an easy pick
    Mom to:
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    Percy--the wild furry child!!! 2022----
    Simon--the first King Charles cutie 2009-2022
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    "The task of any religion is not to tell us who we are entitled to hate but to teach us who we are required to love."

  7. #17
    ArizonaGirl is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by jgenie View Post
    Is that 2 tsp baking powder? Is it vanilla and almond extract?

    Completely unrelated, your signature makes me smile every time I see it. For the longest time I thought your DC’s middle names were December and August. I have no idea why because once I realized it was their birthday months it made complete sense. I still read it as Shawn December and Lilian August.
    Yes it is 2 tsp baking powder, and both almond and vanilla extract. It is so delicious and freezes really well.

    Awe, thx. I can totally see how you could read it as Shawn December and Lilian August!
    Lindsey

    Married to DH June 2005 gave birth to Shawn December 2008 and Lilian August 2012




  8. #18
    mmsmom is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    I would encourage not having anything in the house you do not want him to eat.

    How about breakfast cookies? I loosely follow this recipe but usually just do banana, oats, nut butter and a few chocolate chips. You do not need to add any sweetener- the bananas are enough.

    https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/br...ookies-recipe/

    ETA: We also do pb&j or pb,banana and honey sandwiches for breakfast. We use TJ’s low sugar fruit spread and no sugar added PB. I agree with previous poster about phasing out the PB with sugar.
    Last edited by mmsmom; 01-24-2021 at 09:23 PM.

  9. #19
    gatorsmom is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by jgenie View Post
    Thanks for sharing! Do you think I could use ricotta cheese or cottage cheese as my wet ingredient?
    Absolutely! Give it a try. We have tried some of the wackiest mixes of ingredients. They weren't all appreciated but then you can dress it up with some spices or jam or a little canned pie topping to add flavor or sweetness or whatever. Melted chocolate chips on top solved a lot of poor ingredient choices.
    " I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mahatma Gandhi

    "This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems." Martin Luther King, Jr.

  10. #20
    Liziz is offline Emerald level (3000+ posts)
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    Oh man, I completely relate! My DH only eats high-sugar (ok, maybe not high sugar, but certainly not low-sugar) cereals for breakfast too! I tried hard to change that, but years ago he totally just said "look. I eat healthy in all other regards. I exercise regularly. I am healthy by all indicators. I work hard to be a great dad and good husband, but I'm an adult who just wants to be allowed to make the choice to eat what I want for breakfast!" -- and I realized I couldn't fight that battle. So I don't. Although - he used to insist on also drinking a huge glass of sugar-filled juice each morning b/c his parents brainwashed him into thinking that "healthy juice is required for breakfast" (I swear, they spent years frustrated that I wouldn't serve my children juice each morning "to be healthy"), and somewhere in the past 5 years he decided for himself it wasn't the best way and switched to whole fruit instead, so -- maybe there's hope someday?

    Anyhow, my kids are sugar addicts in the morning too. Here's some things I've found that they like, and ideas that help ....
    *Breakfast quesadillas - tortilla with cheese and turkey sausage (when I have the time it's homemade turkey sausage, usually it's the pre-cooked turkey sausage patties)
    *Avena - it's oatmeal, but my kids adore it in this specific form and are willing to eat it with way less sugar. For a treat, I'll buy a natural coffee creamer (one without lots of additives) and give them a portion of it in a fancy glass (usually a shot glass, lol), and allow them to pour it on top of their oatmeal. I normally sweeten with a small bit of xylitol and a small pat of butter. https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/oatmeal-recipe/
    *Greek yogurt with mashed banana - the banana is sweet so that helps a lot. My kids definitely prefer mashed banana to jam. You can start by adding extra sweetness with a touch of honey then dial it back slowly, if you think it's needed.
    *Substitute the Nutella - I used to buy Nutella, but my family was consuming it in absurd amounts, and it's basically fat and sugar with a sprinkling of nuts. I replaced Nutella with a chocolate nut butter that, while still sweetened, is a vast improvement over Nutella. The brand I currently have is Peanut Butter & Co, but I've found several options. I find that they still enjoy it, but they use a more reasonable amount.
    *"Pink Balls" - When I have the time to make these, they are devoured by my kids. Mix together: 1 1/4 cups quick oats, 3/4 cup almond flour, 1/3 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut, 1/2 cut defrosted and smashed frozen raspberries (you want 1/2 cup after smashing), 1 banana, smashed until smooth, and 1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted. Scoop small scoops and roll into balls.
    *Pancakes/Waffles - There's so many varieties here, and many ways you can make them (or buy them) that includes some good fiber and protein. I find my kids much more willing to eat them if I allow even a small number of chocolate chips on top.
    *Overnight oatmeal - I haven't done it in awhile, but we used to do overnight oats. They were a success because I had my kids make their own oatmeal the night before, and so they woke up excited to eat their creations. Things like cut up apples, fruit, raisins, and cocoa powder (unsweetened) helped make them exciting each morning.

    I'd also recommend a few strategies to improve things over time:
    *phase out sugar slowly -- if he's currently happy eating oatmeal, but only with a big scoop of sugar, then allow that for now -- and over time, slowly dial back the amount of sugar you're putting in until you're at a point you're comfortable with. Same goes for things like waffles or pancakes -- it's okay to start with "normal" white flour pancakes/waffles if that helps the transition, and slowly move to more of the better stuff. I'd also do thing like toasting one eggo with one kodiak waffle and cutting them up and serving them together, if that helps.
    *slow transition to healthy PB - it was a slow transition for my family to be okay with natural peanut butter. For awhile, I bought both and would make toast or sandwiches with a mix of the two. Then I stopped buying JIF, but I'd put a drizzle of honey on toast made w/ the natural stuff. Over time, I reduced the honey until it wasn't being used at all. Now everyone at my house is totally used to the natural stuff and eats it without issue.
    *"no repeats" breakfast rule - I can't remember where I came across it, but some blogger suggested the concept of not allowing the same meal twice in a row. So if breakfast yesterday was cereal, today must be something other than cereal. It doesn't solve the problem entirely, but it does force some branching out. I used it with success for awhile when my kids seemed stuck in an unhealthy rut.
    *"First Bowl" and "Second Bowl" cereals - Ensure you have some reasonable cereals that aren't full of sugar and consider these the "second bowl cereals". Label the high-sugar stuff as "first bowl" cereals -- it's fine to have one bowl, but then if he's still hungry, he needs to choose a "second bowl" cereal instead.

    Good luck! I know it is *not* an easy battle and I've dealt with my fair share of tears over the injustice of lack of sugar at the breakfast table, so I'm cheering for you!!!
    Lizi

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