Raising Boys No.2 - French Toast healthy breakfast for kids

blog 2014
Written By Andrew Ford

I have been making french toast for my boys for the last few years and it always jumps off the plate with no complaints on a Sunday morning. It's easy and quick to make and believe it or not is quite healthy. 

I'm no master chief.  I like simple food that is relatively healthy and tastes good. Lucky for me, my two boys like the same. In fact I joke to my friends that all I cook for them is pub food: pasta, pizza, tacos, chicken parma, hamburgers...all home made and with quality ingredients makes these simple dishes delicious and full of protein, fiber and vitamins. That's how I manage to run a successful business Social Star, take care of two kids and stay in shapeon the other side of 40.

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. Hot coffee, fresh OJ, eggs, bacon, but most of all maple syrup! This is one of the little treats in life that makes plain, amazing. If you're from Australia you probably have seen the small 200ml bottles in the supermarket for $10 or more. If you're from the USA or Canada, it's about the same price as water - so unfair!  However I will let you in on my little secret of where to get it cheap.

The way I make french toast for my two boys is as follows:

  1. Put some cartoons on for the kids

  2. Turn on the coffee machine, mmm coffee... 

  3. Whisk four eggs with some milk, a dash of vanilla and a generous amount of cinnamon (another mandatory spice I use all the time) in a large mixing bowl

  4. Get a large fry pan out and melt some butter on a low heat 

  5. Cut some fresh crusty bread in a round loaf into generous slices

  6. Soak the bread in the mixture until it has coated the bread, but not gone all the way through

  7. Put the coated bread in the fry pan on low and repeat until you have enough for everyone

  8. Pour first cup of coffee, glance at the cover of the newspaper

  9. Yell at the kids to stop fighting 

  10. Get some bacon or ham and start frying it in a separate pan until crispy

  11. Turn bread over once cooked and then put in oven to keep warm

  12. Ask the kids to set the table and promise a park trip if they will be good

  13. Slice fresh banana, strawberries and blueberries

  14. Once all cooked plate the food starting with the french toast, then natural yoghurt, topped with banana and berries with bacon on the side

  15. Bring the plated food to the kids and expect a round of applause, but they haven't set the table and have run off playing hide and seek instead

  16. Set table, dream of having a live in chief, cleaner, personal trainer...

  17. Yell at kids to come eat the breakfast while hot or else

  18. Second cup of coffee, glance at the sports page of the paper (that's all you will get to read)

  19. Sit at the table and allow the kids to apply their own maple syrup as that's their favourite part, their smiles are enough reward

  20. Eat! Nom nom nom...

  21. Take the kids to the park, as promised, to run off the sugar and enjoy the rest of your Sunday, relaxed in the knowledge that your breakfast is full of antioxidants, vitamins, energy and tastes yummy.

There you have it, my typical Sunday morning.

If you want to see how they make maple syrup from trees in Canada clickhere, I showed my kids and they loved it. I buy mine from Costco for about $15 for a litre which is lucky as we go through it quickly!

Note: Please don't confuse maple flavoured syrup with 100% pure maple syrup. The real stuff is made up of mostly sugar and has a glycemic index of 65, compared to sugar of 55, but also contains loads of Zinc and Magnesium. Read all about it here.

I would love to hear about other recipes that I could try with my boys.

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Andrew Ford
Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.
http://www.andrewford.com.au/
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