Blackberry Pistachio Mini Bagels 

Some of you might have been lucky enough to have mom or dad at home and who had a snack ready for you.  Or you ate a pop tart or a slice of American cheese like I did. My daughter is only in preschool, yet I’ve noticed she’s already begun the ritual of looking for food after school or a play date.

It’s my job as her mom to make sure she has some healthy choices.  Sure, I am not so uptight that she can’t have a pop tart because I am still helpless before the cherry flavor.  But I want her to have a balance of mostly good stuff with only a bit of the naughty stuff. Just because something is nutritious, doesn’t mean it has to be bland or bad tasting.  Take these little bagels. I came across them in the store when I had been craving bagels.

One bagel is just too much carb for me, but these mini ones, well I can somehow justify and rationalize eating one. I will never forsake cream cheese, so a small amount is also justified.  The addition of both the pistachios and blackberries made the bagel feel fancy while adding much needed antioxidants, protein, and other vitamins and minerals.

The blackberries were slightly tart, so I drizzled some agave syrup, but honey would work just as well.  Finally, since my mint plant is growing like the weed it is, I chopped some up as a garnish.I absolutely loved these.  Making 4 bagels took me less than 10 minutes, that includes toasting the bagel and prepping the berries and pistachios.  My girl ate two of them.  These are definitely staying on my afterschool snack menu.There are no real measurements to this recipe.  If you have one kid, make one, if you have ten kids, make ten.

Enjoy.