French Toast With Banana Puree- A Variation On This Comfort Breakfast Food!

This morning for breakfast I tried the french toast recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious. The puree I chose to add in was banana - I figured it would be good to start with something safe! (Ok...safe and sweet!) Although I really like white bread, I decided to go ahead and buy some wheat bread for this recipe, as that is what Mrs. Seinfeld suggests in her recipe, and I know it's better for us too!  With fresh strawberries, blueberries and raspberries on top along with a touch of pure maple syrup, these came out delicious and filling! Great!  We also had some Canadian bacon alongside the french toast, which added a nice salty flavor to balance all of the sweet.
Here's a picture. :-)

I purchased this cookbook a couple of years ago, while we were still living in New Orleans.  I was making purees for my baby to eat (he's three now!) and when I saw this cookbook, I was excited to try it! We tried several of the recipes, and found most of them to be scrumptious.  It made us happy to know we were packing extra nutrients into the food, too! But for some reason, I haven't made a recipe from this book since moving to New England a year and a half ago.  Actually, I attribute it to the huge shock I have been going through since moving.  Due to the move, the custody arrangement I had with my ex-husband changed from an even 50/50 to him having our two children during the school year, with me ending up with only summers and holidays.  It was, and has been completely devastating.
As time has gone on, I've slowly started to find ways that help me to cope.  I've discovered that sending packages is a lot of fun!
So anyway, I'm ready to bust out the purees again.  I'm so glad I did - this breakfast was satisfying to make as well as to eat! Everyone enjoyed it, from my one-year-old to my three-year-old (who wanted seconds on the fruit!) to my husband and myself.  Thank-you, Deceptively Delicious! It feels good to be using this cookbook again.

Spring is Coming

Spring has finally arrived in New England. I have been TERRIBLE about updating this blog...and in the meantime have gone through a huge range of emotions. I've started and stopped trying to give up Mt. Dew several times in the interim...currently I am on about day 6 of trying again. This time I tried weaning myself slowly to help with the headaches that always occur from withdrawal. It has helped some - my head has hurt, but not in a disabling manner. But it doesn't help the craving for sugar. That always seems to be the kicker when I try to stop drinking the dew. I end up eating more sugary snacks to compensate for the lack of sugar! Crazy! At this rate I am sure to end up with type II diabetes...which is no laughing matter. My mother was recently diagnosed with a whole host of food allergies, top on the list being sensitivity to glucose, and apparently, it's genetic and I may be a carrier. She has been encouraging me to get tested. But honestly, I don't know if I could handle giving up bread and dairy - just a couple of the foods she has had to sacrifice, and finds herself grieving for right now.
My son is now out of detention. He is living with his grandparents on his dad's side. It's not a perfect solution, but he seems to be slowly improving. I am still grieving for him. And for my daughter.
I've decided that while I do want food to be comforting, and a source of happiness for my family (I think often about all of the meals spent together around the table with my family growing up, and they are wonderful memories - I didn't realize how much they meant to me until recently), I want the things we are eating to be good for our bodies. I'm tired of wallowing in despair and taking my frustration out on my body by the crap I'm feeding it. I want to be able to create wholesome meals, as organic as time and finances will allow, that are fun, creative and TASTE GOOD!!!
So...here is another attempt at writing about my discoveries in the kitchen. It most likely will not be daily, but I will try to be more consistent. Who knows where this journey will lead? Hopefully towards the light, and away from the darkness.