Back to routine!
To say that this summer has flown by would be a huge understatement!! After a few extended weekend trips sprinkled over the calendar since June; a week in Virgina with Nana and a trip to the Nats game on the 4th of July; time spent at the pool and dinners with great friends; and a fabulously relaxing and memorable week at the beach with my family (16 of us), we are taking this week to get back into the swing of things! A routine which, on the side of work and school, initiates the inception of our fall frenzy; consisting of kids sports, football games, school events, birthdays, holidays fun and inevitably more long weekend trips out-of-town to visit family and friends.
Summer is undoubtedly my favorite time of year – defined by play; boats, water & sun, farmers markets, cocktails, vacations & the beach, slow mornings, afternoon thunderstorms, fresh fruits & vegetables, a good book, bathing suits, the pool, Coppertone, laughter………….oh, sorry! Back to the point.
However, I must say that as of this week, I am ready to get back into a routine. The kids are in desperate need of structure, as am I. Bedtimes are almost back to normal this week and the amount of time spent on electrical devices has been markedly curtailed. The kids have their teacher assignments, school supplies are purchased and backpacks ready to go! 5 days left until the kids start 2nd and 4th grade – and I am not totally sure how we got to this point so quickly! They really go grown up to fast!
How do they go from this…..
]To this…..
????
As we are all getting back on track, we are also getting the kids back to their habits of healthy eating and smart snacking to fuels their bodies and brains for the school day and after school events that follow. I thought this healthy recipe looks delicious and would be a great one to share with the kids; possibly on their first day of school. Enjoy 🙂
Quinoa Cinnamon Bake (can be made the day before)
- 2 1/2 cups quinoa, cooked and cooled
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup vanilla soy milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Makes 9-12 bars
- Preheat the oven to 375º . Place the quinoa in a large mixing bowl. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with lightly greased parchment.
- In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, soy milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Add maple syrup (if using) and whisk.
- Add egg mixture to cooked and cooled quinoa. Stir to combine. Pour into the parchment-lined baking dish and spread it around to ensure that it’s even.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until set and golden.
- Using parchment, remove bake from pan as soon as possible so that it doesn’t steam.
- Cool completely and cut into squares. Serve with a bit of nut butter.