Recipe: Quinoa Almond Berry Breakfast

When planning for a healthy breakfast, cooking a few things ahead of time can save time in the morning. For example, in this recipe, you can cook the quinoa the night before and store in the fridge, then just reheat in the morning before serving. Quinoa provides a great source of protein to this healthy and hearty breakfast.

Store-bought almond milk can contain a lot of sugars and not much more, so it's best to make your own. If you prefer, you can substitute whole or 2% milk for the almond milk. Why whole milk when you're trying to lose weight? Adding a bit of good fat to your diet will help your body learn to burn fat while keeping you feeling full for longer so you don't succumb to cravings. Plus, some studies have shown fat also helps your body to metabolize the antioxidants and other good vitamins consumed at the same time.

Quinoa Almond Berry Breakfast

(Image courtesy of Gualberto107 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.)

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk
1 cup water
1 cup quinoa
1 medium orange, zested
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp honey
1 1/4 cup fresh blueberries and/or blackberries
1 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/4 cup honey
chopped almonds for garnish

Directions:

• Put the almond milk, water, quinoa, orange zest, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon honey in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat to low, cover pan, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 13 to 15 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and leave covered while it sits for 5 more minutes.
• Gently stir in berries and serve in cereal bowls, dividing the 1/4 cup honey over each serving and garnish with chopped almonds.

Recipe - Summer Berry Breakfast Smoothie

For nearly the past 10 years, throughout the summer, I have smoothies for breakfast almost every day. I got into the habit when I lived in Texas, and the bounty of fresh fruit was nearly continual (I often had smoothies year-round there). After I moved to Ohio, fruit was less plentiful, but still abundant in the summer, so this became my summer routine. As are most of my "recipes" that I have come up with myself, measurements are merely figurative, and ingredients can vary widely.

Image via WikipediaBelow is a basic idea of my "typical" summer breakfast, but feel free to make your own additions, subtractions, and substitutions, and adjust quantities as desired. I use different types of berries on a regular basis, or sometimes combine several. Before peach season, I leave out the peach and add more berries. Depending on the size and amount of the fruit used, this can make anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 cups, but usually runs right about 20 fl oz, or just under 3 cups. You can also use frozen fruit (I often use a combination of fresh and frozen - e.g. fresh banana and peach with frozen berries.) - I will often stock up on berries when they are on sale, and wash and freeze them in ziplock bags so I can easily pop them in smoothies later.

For those who want more bulk to their breakfast, you might try adding flax or chia seeds, protein powder, or more coconut oil. I am not big on breakfast anyway, and sometimes it is all I can do just to drink the whole thing, so this is plenty for me, and I don't get hungry until right around lunchtime.

Summer Berry Breakfast Smoothie (serves 1 -- or 2 small eaters)

Banana, peach, and strawberry.

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1 ripe peach
5-6 large ripe strawberries
1-2 handfuls blueberries or blackberries (optional)
6 oz plain yogurt (I use my own home-made, from fresh, non-homogenized milk I get in my CSA share)
1-2 TB honey or agave sweetener
1 TB organic extra-virgin coconut oil (or more, as desired)
1 TB chia seeds (optional)
6 oz fruit juice (I have used everything from orange to grape, but my favorite is orange-pineapple combo)

Directions:

• Peel banana, break into sections, and place in bottom of blender or food processor.
• Wash peach well, cut into segments, and place on top of banana.
• Wash berries well, remove stems/hulls (if applicable), and add to container.
• Add yogurt, honey, coconut oil, chia seeds (if using), and juice. Add more juice if desired. I like to add juice just until it fills up all the air holes in the container, but doesn't cover the fruit entirely.
• Blend/process until smooth (I use a nifty contraption called a Ninja - which I LOVE! It is much faster, neater, and easier to clean than a blender. Plus it's not as noisy, and does a better job - you don't have chunks left over like some blenders leave behind in the bottom.)
• Pour into a glass and drink immediately. (These don't seem to taste very good after refrigeration - you need to prepare right before drinking. I haven't tried freezing them, but might be tasty.)

Let me know what you think, and feel free to suggest your own additions below!

Video - Raw Cereal Recipe

Here is an amazing breakfast "cereal" recipe using all raw foods, which will take you less than 5 minutes to throw together. Packed with antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, Omega 3 fatty-acids, and more awesome stuff, it also tastes amazing, and will give you great energy that lasts for hours.  (Quick note: The guy in the video coincidentally also offers a great set of ab workout videos, which we sometimes feature on our fun ways to exercise blog - I didn't even realize this until halfway through the video!)

A link to the cookbook he mentions can be found below the video.

Raw Food Recipes: Delicious Breakfast Cereal
Raw food recipes to die for! Try this "raw" cereal instead of the garbage cereals that come in boxes. For more great raw food recipes get your copy of Eating for Energy today. Visit www.EatingforEnergy.ca


Other Good Raw Food Recipes: