Grandma's Pie Invention

My grandkids are the pickiest eaters imaginable and getting them to eat breakfast is a frustrating chore. I came up with a breakfast meal that's nutritious, tasty and fun to prepare. They call it Grandma's Pie Invention and now they ask for it when they come to visit. And it's so simple to make the day ahead of breakfast.

With the kids' help, we brown a couple of graham cracker pie crusts then set them aside to cool. I do admit to cheating and using the ones from The Dollar Store.

We clean and slice fresh apples, peaches or pears (5 or 6 fruits are sufficient) and blanch them with a bit of water for a few minutes until they're soft but not mushy. No sugar is added. We add a few tablespoons of tapioca starch to thicken the fruit/water mix, remove from the stove when thickened, then add about 4-5 cups of plain corn flakes. The resulting mix is thick.

The hot fruit and cereal mix is put into the cooled pie crusts and sprinkled with demerrara sugar.

Let the breakfast pies cool overnight (if possible with kids) and serve the next morning. The pies will have continued to thicken up and can be sliced.

The pie can be eaten as is or with milk over top. Sometimes what I've done is make a big happy face on the pie with whipping cream or Smarties (agreed, it's not overly healthy, but it encourages the eating) and this has gone over well too. Besides, what are Grandma's for but to see that the kids eat fruit and fiber, have some fun and be spoiled a bit.

This pie is off the beaten track as far as traditional pies go, and I do hope that your efforts are as rewarding as mine have been.