Traditional Meals for the Frugal Family: Breakfast

I received a copy of my forthcoming cookbook Traditional Meals for the Frugal Family last week and it has been a great reminder to me of why I am looking forward to sharing it with you all. This book includes our family’s favorite recipes, tips, and tricks for eating real food on a budget. All of the recipes are gluten-free with dairy-free options and they are all well-loved by our family of eight (some of them we’ve been eating regularly for over a decade!).

To kick off a preview of the book, I thought I’d share with you just a few of the photos from the book of our very favorite breakfast dishes.

Fruity Soaked Baked Buckwheat

I take whole buckwheat groats and soak them and then combine them with eggs, fruit, and spices before popping them into a large baking dish. The aroma of cinnamon and fruit fills the house as my children make their way out of bed and we have a hot breakfast we most often serve with raw milk or kefir.

A Better Kefir-Chia Soaked Granola

Somewhere around ten years ago I began making a soaked granola recipe I found on the internet. It was yummy but turned out more like a giant oatmeal cookie you had to break up than what we know of as a traditional, light granola. Changing the ratio of wet to dry ingredients and giving it a good long soak in either kefir or a blend of coconut milk and apple cider vinegar makes this granola light and crisp and lightly sweetened. I think it took me a couple of years of off-and-on experimentation to get it just to our liking.

Sweet Potato & Greens Hash

I’m all for a one-pan meal first thing in the morning (or any time of day, actually!). This dish takes fried sweet potatoes and greens and then I crack eggs right into the hash. The eggs cook to golden-yoke perfection in the covered pan right on top of the stove and a nutrient-dense breakfast is ready in no time.

Activated Buckwheat Cereal

Cold cereal was out the window years ago – I really don’t know how you fill a young boy up on the stuff without breaking the bank! But to fill that crunchy, milky void I created this recipe using whole buckwheat groats, coconut, and seeds. The buckwheat gets a good long soaking to “activate” it (or begin the sprouting process) and then it all bakes up to crunchy golden perfection. A big batch of this alongside the soaked granola will give you breakfasts for days.

Buckwheat Breakfast Cake

My children all love a good pancake for breakfast, but I found myself unable to tend a hot griddle pan when babies need tending or animal chores need doing in the morning. So I soak buckwheat flour overnight and then turn it into a pancake batter. Instead of cooking them one-by-one I just bake the batter in a big casserole pan and we call it Breakfast Cake and everyone is happy.

There are, of course, several soaked pancake recipes, along with our favorite grain-free pancakes to add to your breakfast options. Several other nourishing starts to the day round out one of our favorite meals of the day – all simple recipes ideal for hungry little ones and busy mamas looking to nourish their babes without breaking the bank.

Traditional Meals for the Frugal Family launches in March, but you can pre-order your copy today.