Ice Cream For Breakfast?

Earlier this week, Kate at Cooking During Stolen Moments posted about giving her kids ice cream for breakfast occasionally.  Reading her post, I remembered that I had done a post on the same subject a few years ago on my old blog.  I had moved a draft of it to this blog, waiting for the right time to post it again.  Now seems to be the right time.

Edited on 10/20/10 to current nutritional information per the products' websites.

This morning Kat asked if she could have ice cream for breakfast. At first I told her no and offered her other things, all of which were refused. Then I mentally compared a small bowl of ice cream with a doughnut and decided it couldn't be any worse for her nutritionally. I was right. Here's how a bowl of ice cream compares to some other, more traditional, breakfast foods.

FYI, the information for the doughnut was just a generic Google search. The rest of the figures came straight from the product packaging or product website. The ice cream we had was homemade from a mix and probably nutritionally a little different than store bought or homemade without a mix. I threw in a couple of tablespoons of dry roasted peanuts for a little protein, but those aren't included in the information (much like the syrup isn't included with the waffle's info and the milk isn't included with the cereal).

1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
Calories - 120
Fat - 3 g
Carbs - 21 g
Protein - 3 g
Cholesterol - 10 mg
Sodium - 40 mg
Calcium - 10%

1 glazed donut
Calories - 180
Fat - 8 g
Carbs - 25 g
Protein - 3 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 250 mg
Calcium - 0%

2 Eggo waffles (1 serving, before adding syrup)
Calories - 190
Fat - 7 g
Carbs - 27 g
Protein - 4 g
Cholesterol - 15 mg
Sodium - 370 mg
Calcium - 10%

1 oz. Honey Nut Cheerios (before adding milk)
Calories - 110
Fat - 1.5 g
Carbs - 22 g
Protein - 2 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 190 mg
Calcium - 10%

1 Pop-Tart (frosted strawberry)
Calories - 200
Fat - 5 g
Carbs - 38 g
Protein - 2 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 170 mg
Calcium - 0%

While I don't really consider any of these to be an ideal breakfast, they're foods most of us probably give our kids (or eat ourselves) from time to time. I don't think the ice cream is any worse a choice than any of the others.

I think eating anything for breakfast is better than eating nothing, so I'm not going to worry about a bowl of ice cream now and then.




So, what do you think?  Did ice cream fare better or worse than you expected?  Did the nutritional info here change your mind about serving ice cream for breakfast?  Do you ever serve your family any of the other food items listed here?

It's On Sale! Or Is It?

I originally published this post about a year ago, but have decided to repeat it. My friend Janelle, at her blog Not Just Leftovers had some readers who questioned the value of using chicken leg quarters in recipes versus other cuts of chicken. Depending on the price point, leg quarters can be a good buy. But it's often hard to know if a sale price is a good buy or not. The meat cuts spreadsheet linked below can help shoppers figure out if they are getting a good deal.

**********

Most of the grocery ads I look at every week are pretty straightforward. One store has Jif on sale for $1.49 and another has the same size jar of Peter Pan* for 79¢. If you don't mind which brand you buy, then the choice is a no-brainer.

But when I start looking at the meat section of the ads, my head starts swimming. For starters, one of the larger Midwest grocery chains doesn't always price meat by the pound. Sometimes they price it by the 8 oz. portion, the 12 oz. portion or even by the piece. I wish they'd cut that crap out. It's confusing, and to me, it borders on being deceptive.

Even the stores that do always price meat by the pound have confusing ads. Chicken breast fillets are $1.49 per pound here. Whole chicken is 69¢ per pound there. Thighs are 99¢ per pound at a third store. I have trouble knowing which is the best buy for my money. Same goes for all other cuts of meat.

Problem solved! At the MeatnPlace they have a meat cuts spread sheet. All you have to do is find your cut of meat on the list and determine how many servings per pound it yields. Divide the cost per pound by the number of servings and you'll wind up with the cost per serving. Whichever cut has the lowest price per serving is the best buy. Don't worry if your afraid of doing the math. Just scroll down a bit more and there is a chart listing the cost per serving for you. All you have left to do is look and compare.

The MeatnPlace is geared toward retailers and consumers alike. You'll find a lot of great recipes, tips and other information there.