This Mama Cooks! Reviews

And now a word from my sponsors...

There’s been a lot of discussion and some criticism in the mom blogosphere on accepting conference sponsorships. Some have called it selling out or consider it giving away our power and voices to the lowest bidder.

Personally, I don’t see that my working with sponsors is any different than a professional athlete like Dana Torres partnering with the milk people. (Though I wished I looked as good doing my sponsorship as she does hers.)

Log Cabin Syrup’s Breakfast Basket winners

Here are the three lucky winners in the Log Cabin Breakfast Basket giveaway:

• Becky from Deep Muck, Big Rake
• Janis at Bite Me New England
• Josie at Yum Yucky

I also want to thank Log Cabin Syrup and Frani at the Bender Hammerling Group for sponsoring my trip to BlogHer09.

I’ve enjoyed partnering with Log Cabin, sharing their recipes with my readers, having a giveaway, and spreading the word that Log Cabin Syrups no longer contain high fructose corn syrup.

Thanks for your support!

More back to school breakfast ideas from Log Cabin Syrups

Some of us, both kids and adults, need eggs in meat in the morning, but are put off by the ingredients in commercially prepared breakfast sausage or patties.

How about trying to make your own with this recipe from Log Cabin Syrups?

Mix up the homemade sausage patties the night before so all you have to do is cook them up in the morning while you’re toasting the English muffins and scrambling the eggs.

Going to BlogHer Food with Nasoya

Earlier this summer I reviewed Nasoya Silken Creations, a tofu dessert product. The kids and I enjoyed using it to make pies and popsicles.

Well, I’m happy to report that Nasoya will be sponsoring my trip to BlogHer Food this October in San Francisco. I’ll be spreading the word – and giving out some free sample coupons – for their All Natural Asian Style Noodles and Wraps. I’m very happy to be partnering with them.

Cooking with Nasoya

To learn more about how you can use Nasoya noodles and wraps, check out the new Nasoya Wrappers Recipe Booklet. Here’s a sample vegetarian dish that would be great to bring to a breakfast meeting or to make for brunch on the weekend.

Back to school with Log Cabin Syrup and without high fructose corn syrup

School starts for us next week! That means getting two sleepy kids out the door for the carpool by 7:30 a.m. This means getting them cleaned up, packed. dressed – and most importantly – fed. After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

According to AboutKidsHealth.com, a site that provides families with reliable, current information about all areas influencing childhood health and family quality of life, teachers observe that children who do not eat a fulfilling breakfast are less attentive and experience more learning difficulties than students who do.

So how do you get your kids to eat a healthy breakfast? Since my daughter, Lucie, claims not to be hungry most mornings, I have to entice her with something yummy and fun like pancakes. Here’s a recipe from Log Cabin Syrup, the brand that recently replaced High Fructose Corn Syrup with natural sugar, and my sponsor at BlogHer09.

Monkey Fun Pancakes

(makes 6 pancakes)

Ingredients:

• 2 cup sifted, self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons Log Cabin Syrup
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Pinch salt

Topping:

• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 2 ripe bananas, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons Log Cabin Syrup
• Confectioner’s sugar
• Whipped Cream

Directions:

1. Sift flour, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. In a second bowl combine syrup, egg and milk.
2. Add wet ingredients gradually to flour and mix until smooth. Whisk in oil until mixture is smooth.
3. Pour the batter by 2/3 cupful onto a lightly greased hot griddle or greased non-stick pan. Turn them over when bubbles form on top of pancakes. Continue cooking until second side has turned a golden brown color.
4. Keep pancakes warm and prepare topping by slicing banana’s into a bowl. add chopped walnuts. Sprinkle Log Cabin Syrup over banana mixture. Carefully mix.
5. To serve, spoon mixture over finished pancakes, dust with confectioner’s sugar and drizzle with more maple syrup. Top with whipped cream.

Tips to make breakfast even more healthy:

• use low or no fat milk
• substitute one egg with three egg whites
• instead of whipped cream, top with low fat yogurt
• omit nuts if your child has a nut allergy and substitute with pine nuts (which are really seeds) which are full of protein
• add some ground flax seed or flax seed oil to the pancake batter for an Omega-3 boost
• add some vanilla protein powder for extra protein

Having one of those mornings?

On those crazy mornings where you’re lucky to get the kids out the door with both shoes on, you may want to keep some Aunt Jemima Frozen Pancakes in the freezer just in case. They recently released a blueberry flavor along with their homestyle, buttermilk, low fat Buttermilk, whole grain and mini varieties.

For a hearty back-to-school breakfast for less than 400 calories, you can microwave 3 Aunt Jemima Frozen Blueberry Pancakes (250 calories), top with half of a sliced banana (54 calories), and drizzle 1 tablespoon of Log Cabin’s lite maple syrup (50 calories).