If you have kids you’ll recognise this time of year as ‘The Slog’. There’s still a couple of weeks of school left before the Christmas break, and junior school aged children are an intoxicating combination of over excited and tiiiiired. Whoah. So tired.
And yet… the giddiness of school performances and Christmas jumper days is enough to wake my kid up at 5:30am. From there she’s awake until she can get her mitts on her advent calendar. She’s awake, we’re awake, the cat is definitely awake.
Since my wombfruit has the tired complexion of a well used, wrung out tea towel and the decision making ability of one too, the start to the day can be a little taxing. All questions of the breakfast variety are met with vacant eyes and an “I’m not hungry”.
So, waddya do with a ‘not hungry’ child that has the capacity to detonate like an over hungry time bomb? I know my kid, she’s a mess if she doesn’t start the day with some food in her belly. If not fed within two hours of waking she becomes utterly pappy and descends into hangry. Hungry/Angry is not a peaceful place.
Through much experience of The Slog (Christmas edition, Birthday edition and end of summer term edition) I’ve learnt to relieve her of the decision making process. At least…until she’s had some fodder. My first effort this morning went uneaten, luckily I’m partial to cold bagel so all was not lost!
However, with a big day of Christmassing ahead of her it was time to pull out a bit of magic…
Breakfast Ice Cream.
Did I hear a gasp?
Personally, I wouldn’t really mind too much if my kid ate ‘regular’ ice cream for breakfast every now and again if it’ll get her off the precipice of Meh. The cool thing is, she thinks she is.
But between you and me, all she’s eating is fruit. Including her arch nemesis – Banana’s.
Sneaky huh?
I got the recipe for Breakfast Ice Cream from Michael Greger’s fab book ‘How Not To Die’ and it takes less time to make than it takes to have the “I’ve already made you breakfast, no you can’t have something else.” argument that so readily sparks up.
Because here’s the thing, not only is the kid tired, we’re all tired. In which case, why waste energy over matters that are no more than an inconvenience? If there’s an easy win, surely it’s prudent to take it? Especially if it means that you know your kid is eating something nutritious, that seems like a treat, and sets the day up with a smile. The kid eats it, we all eat it, and bada bing bada boom, we’ve had 2 (or maybe more) of our 5 a day already.
There’s only one talent you need to make breakfast ice cream, and that’s the incredible ability to buy bananas, but instead of eating them, spend a couple of weeks ignoring them until they go brown and a bit mushy looking. Then, and here’s the wild bit, instead of slinging them in the compost, sling them in the freezer. Brown, nearly skanky banana’s are sweeter than yellow bananas and have a much creamier texture when blitzed.
Other than that it’s a couple of freezer staples that I always keep on hand because they provide so many quick magical solutions.
Hokay, you’re sold?
Fancy giving it a go?
Then grab your stick blender or food processor and for two portions you need:
½ a frozen banana (chop it into rings, leave it for a minute or two and then you’ll find the skin peels off easily), whack the rest of the banana back in the freezer for next time.
Also ½ a cup of frozen blueberries
And a little more than ½ cup of frozen raspberries.
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
1 heaped blob of peanut butter (I use the same teaspoon)
Pour on a splash of hot water (Definitely do this if using a stick blender or you’ll give the motor a coronary!) and BLITZZZZZZ!
Serve, if I’m feeling really fancy I stick it in an ice cream wafer cone (there’s also less washing up!) and eat it all up!
When life feels complicated, take the easy route. Plus if the easy route feels a bit special, it’s a double win!
That’s what I’m all about – turning potentially flash point moments into ones that feel glorious and add a bit of sparkle to your day. Because we can waste so much of our life pushing and ‘shoulding’ all over ourselves, when we could instead take a small sidestep that opens up an entirely new and enjoyable way of looking at the same situation.
If you need this in your life, I have a special price on 1 to 1 sessions with me right now. Check it out here.
Big love,
Carrie