welcome to mitera!

let's look at the proverbs 31 woman and relate it to being a mom specifically. 

today, i want to focus on proverbs 31: 15 ~ (from the message bible) "She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day."

getting up before dawn is definitely not a strong point of mine, i will admit.  i can honestly say i've made an effort in the last few weeks, though, and have actually set an alarm to wake up before 7:00 am.  {when you're a mommy of little ones who do not wake up until late morning, you have a tendency to sleep in as well.}  of course, when they do wake up they are hungry and ready to be fed immediately.  i know it helps me immensely to be able to meet their needs if i have already prepared for my day and possibly even have made breakfast before their feet hit the kitchen.  thus, the alarm clock is my new friend {oh how i truly loathe an alarm clock.  i'm just coming to terms with the fact that i need it in my life.} 

what about you?  are you getting up before dawn?  do you spend time in the word before your children arise and before your motherly duties begin? 

preparing breakfast is the next major directive in this scripture.  american society has programmed us to think of a "good" breakfast as a bowl of {super sugary} cereal, a grain or granola bar{also full of sugar usually}, or {dear Lord help us} a sugary pastry filled with {surprise!} more sugary "fruit" filling.  i don't know about you other mommies out there, but i know my own boys are prone to sobbing breakdowns, super duper hyperactivity, and general disregard for my authority when i allow them to eat these things for breakfast.  yes these items are convenient, and yummy to the kiddos, and just so tempting, but we really ought to look at our directive from God.

as ministers to these little eyes, we should be preparing wholesome meals for our children.  we should spend the time in the morning {or the night before if you're not the morning type} to create a meal for them that will nourish their bodies, nourish their brains, and prevent those sobbing fests and jumping-off-the-walls outrages.  your children are depending on YOU to teach them how to eat....wholesome, good for you foods!   teach them now and as they grow older they will value those foods over the drive-thru lanes and junk food aisles in the stores.

so, to help you get started, and show you just how easy it can be, i am going to give you the recipe to a very simple breakfast that my children love.  it may not be the epitome of health, but it's much better than sugary, preservative-filled cereal bars that have a shelf life longer than the goldfish we just won at the county fair!  it's one recipe.  it's easy.  try it in the next week or two and see what your kids think.  then let me know.  i'm sure they will be asking for more {so make friends with your alarm clock}. 


Cheesy Bacon Biscuits
4 slices of bacon (or more or less to taste)
mozzarella cheese (1 round ball will make approximately 3 pans of biscuits)
cheddar cheese (approximately 3 oz...more or less to taste preferences)
monterrey jack cheese (approximately 3 oz...more or less to taste preferences)
1 can of biscuits (i use the cheapest ones i can find and they are still good in this recipe)

the night before:
i prepare part of this meal the night before i plan to offer it to my boys.  while cooking dinner in the evening, i will cook 4 pieces of bacon in the microwave, let them cool, then crumble them into a plastic baggie and place in the refrigerator. {do you cook bacon in your microwave?  if not, you should.  it saves a ton of time and energy and grease splattered messes in your kitchen.}  also, i go ahead and shred my cheddar and monterrey jack cheeses, placing them into a baggie as well and back into the refrigerator.  the mozzarella cheese i buy for this is in the "ball" form and i just slice it into 1/8 inch slices.  bag the mozzarella and refrigerate as well.  i place all these items as well as my can of biscuits together, front and center, in the fridge.  why?  well of course i do this because the good Lord knows i may very well wake up the next morning and forget what i had planned to feed the kids!  that instant reminder is always nice.  :)

in the morning:
preheat your oven according to the biscuit can directions.  place the biscuits in a round cake pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  place the mozzarella slices over the biscuits.  the slices probably will not completely cover the biscuits, but of course, you could if you really really love mozzarella.  next, sprinkle the bacon pieces over the biscuits, and follow with the other two cheeses.  when the oven is preheated, place the pan in the oven and walk away to do some other important task {like picking up the three pairs of underwear, 1 random sock, and sparkly tiara that were left in the kitchen floor last night by your little blessings.}  i tend to cook these a couple of minutes longer than the biscuit can directions say.  you want to cook them until the cheeses are all melted and bubbly and the small portions of biscuit that you can see under the cheesy mess are browning. 

remove from oven, place on plates, and wait to cool {the hardest part if you ask me}.   hopefully you have small children in your household because a can of 8-10 biscuits will be devoured pretty quickly when your family tastes how amazing these are!  i usually cook two cans if my husband is eating with us because my 7 year old eats like a grown man and can eat 4-5 of these babies all by himself!

now, i realize this is not exactly "healthy" or "wholesome," but it is better for them than the sugary stuff.  and if you really want to add some goodness to this meal, cut up a banana, an orange, or an apple/pear/strawberries.....whatever suits your family's tastes.....and serve it alongside the biscuits.  trust me, this meal is a no-brainer.  and it's good.  and it even satisfies your meat-eating men in the house.  just be prepared to have all these supplies on hand at all times because your family will start requesting this meal often.   God has given you a family to tend.  He wants you to prepare breakfast, and  contrary to what "america" thinks, plopping down a bowl of cereal or opening a wrapper to a breakfast bar just isn't what is going to keep them healthy and on-task and focused during their day.