Tasty breakfast or handy snack idea....fresh in season berries!

How many of you find yourself scrambling for fresh breakfast and snack ideas this time of year? I know I do. For one thing, the mornings are getting warmer and life is moving faster it seems. Another motivation for me is that fresh fruits are starting to make an appearance again.

My family loves fresh berries, any kind of berry is always a hit in my house. What to do with the fresh berries that are appearing in your local produce markets and farmer's markets is another question. The options are vast and quite tasty!

My family raises dairy goats, so fresh milk is always on hand. I make yogurt a couple of times a week and my family loves to have fresh berries in their honey sweetened yogurt. Add a bit of gluten-free granola and you have a pretty filling and tasty breakfast that can easily be taken in the car on the way to school.

I know some of you are thinking I'm nuts, that you are not going to make your own yogurt. Not to worry, you can enjoy the same fresh breakfast treat with many store bought varieties. There are many tasty and gluten-free yogurts out there. Pair your berries with a yogurt that is already flavored, or buy honey sweetened yogurt with no other flavor added. However you dish it up, your kids will love it and so will you!

Another of my family's favorites lately have been muffins. I go in phases where I make a lot of muffins and then other times I never even think about them as an option. Since we have been avoiding gluten, muffins have not been as big of a focus as they have been in the past. Recently, however, I've pulled out my favorite muffin cookbooks and recipes and I've been playing with them with some gluten-free flour blends. The results have been amazingly good!

Muffins are not hard to make and are also easily converted from wheat based versions to gluten-free. The most important thing to remember is to add a teaspoon of xanthan gum for every cup of flour and use a good gluten-free flour blend in place of the wheat flour. So far, I have had really good results from every recipe I have tried.

Such a wonderful way to enjoy the berry seasons that are soon to be upon us. Take advantage of the fresh fruits that are in season. Your breakfast menu options are about to get much easier, as well as more tasty snack ideas!