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: Easy Morning Quinoa

Start your day off right with this easy and tasty dish full of protein, fiber, and flavor. It will fill you up and keep you from being hungry until lunchtime - no snacking needed! Even the kids will like the mild flavors and sweetness of the dried fruit - especially if you tell them this is porridge the Three Bears ate for breakfast! :-)

Easy Morning Quinoa
(Serves 3-6)

Red quinoa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 cups whole milk or rice milk
1 cup chopped apricots
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp golden raisins

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and milk and bring to a slow simmer over medium heat, cover and cook for fifteen minutes until quinoa is tender. Stir in vanilla, apricots, and raisins.
2. Transfer about 1 1/2 cups of quinoa mixture to a blender and purée.
3. Return this puréed mixture to the pan and stir well to mix. 
4. Serve immediately or chilled as desired. 
5. Yields six 1/2 cup servings.

Recipe: Morning Blueberry Quinoa

Start off your day right with a boost of protein from this delicious grain (really a seed). This simple recipe incorporates several healthy, whole, and tasty ingredients to give you a great start to your day and keep you full 'til lunchtime.

Morning Blueberry Quinoa
(Serves 2.)
 
Ingredients:

Cooked red quinoa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 cups milk (preferably whole and non-homogenized - raw is even better for you if you can find it)
1 cup quinoa, well-rinsed
3 tbsp light-brown sugar (or 2 TB maple syrup if preferred)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup fresh blueberries

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring milk just to a boil, then add quinoa and return just to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 15 minutes, until 2/3 of the milk has been absorbed.
2. Stir in cinnamon and sugar or maple syrup, cover, and cook an additional 8 minutes, until most of the remaining milk has been absorbed. 
3. Stir in blueberries and cook for just 30 seconds 'til warmed through. 
4. Serve with additional cinnamon, sugar, milk, and blueberries as desired.