Summer Routines

I have had quite a dilemma this summer in the varying times both of my children wake up.

My younger child wakes up bright and early three days a week when he has swimming, but on his off days I am lucky if he is up by 10:00am. The older guy is always, without fail, awake by 7:30am. He is my little alarm clock and always has been. That's great during the school year, but in the summer feeding them breakfast at two different times can be a real drag. I have not graduated to the level of the mother that lets her kids forage for their own meals yet, and I don't know if I will ever get there.

What I have decided is that I need to have something on hand for each of them to grab and eat at their chosen breakfast time. That way I don't feel like I am in the kitchen so much. Some mornings I feel like I no sooner get breakfast cleaned up when one asks about lunch! I know those of you who are home with your kids right now know what I mean.

Food At The Ready

So, to combat their early morning cravings I keep a few dishes on hand and at the ready.

Of course baked oatmeal is a family favorite as well as fruit salads and granola. We eat a lot of this during the school year so I like to shake it up a bit and try new things.

This is where the peaches comes in.

I have a base muffin recipe that I use and I add in whatever is in season or what I have on hand. Right now I have a bounty of peaches.

This is a hearty morning muffin that is healthy and not one you would have to worry has fillers and artificial flavors. I do not add sugar to the batter but if you want it to have a sweeter taste you can add two tablespoons of brown sugar. It all depends on how ripe your peaches are. The more ripe, the better.

Whether you eat this with a little yogurt or as a snack in the morning, this muffin is filling, healthy and has a little bit of summer in every bite.

So, next time you are at the farmers market grab something new. Maybe a basket of peaches will be calling to you like they always do to me. Grill them, saute, add to a fruit salad or on a pizza. The fresh taste of summer can be yours!