Category: Breakfast

Recipe on the Go: Overnight Chia-Oat Pudding

Are you ready for another recipe from our “Recipe on the Go” series? The idea behind this collection of recipes is to provide you with quick meal ideas when you have no time to spare. We know what it’s like to always be on the go, and we want to help you with tips and suggestions for maintaining proper nutrition even when life gets unusually hectic. A quick recipe at home is still better than most options you will find at chain restaurants and local delis.

This time, we are bringing you a make-ahead breakfast (or snack!)— a delicious overnight chia-oat pudding that sits in the refrigerator all night and is ready to eat in the morning.

If you like to eat breakfast at the office, mix all of the ingredients into a mason jar or some other type of portable container so you can grab and go without any hassle.

I love this overnight pudding because it’s satisfying without being sweet. You’ll notice that I include an optional ingredient (maple syrup) to sweeten the mixture, but I actually do not use the sweetener at all. Perhaps you will not need the sweetener either — it all depends upon your palate. Feel free to top your pudding with some fresh or frozen berries to add texture and additional flavor and nutrients.

Ingredients
(One Serving)

½ cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon almond butter
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup milk (I use cashew milk)
1 teaspoon maple syrup (or more, to taste)

Mix all ingredients in a jar, portable container or drinking glass. Place in the refrigerator overnight. Serve as is or with berries/fruit.

Helpful hint: If you prefer a sweeter pudding, consider using a sweetened almond or coconut milk — or drizzle honey on top. For added texture consider adding nuts. The possibilities are endless!

April 20, 2015
Banana Bread – An Updated Classic

The icy weather outside kept me indoors today, so I had some extra time on my hands to experiment in the kitchen.

I had two nearly black bananas staring at me — begging me to do something with them. So, I decided I’d try to make a gluten free banana bread — with no white sugar. I’ve never made such a thing before. When it comes to dessert, I generally go all in — white flour, white sugar, butter, oil. I don’t like to skimp on dessert since I hardly make them given my hectic schedule. However, today I thought I would try to alter a traditional banana bread recipe – a classic, if you will.

I knew there were certain items that I wanted to use — brown rice flour, almond meal and maple syrup, specifically — oh, and those two over-ripe bananas. So, I pulled together other traditional cake ingredients — eggs, a little vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and yogurt . . . . . and, voila, I had banana bread deliciousness baking in my oven!

I could hardly wait the 60 minutes it took for the bread to bake. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how the brown rice flour would work in this recipe so I was anxiously waiting for the timer on my oven to sound.

I’m happy to say, I was soooo pleased with the results! In fact, I was overjoyed. I can’t explain the excitement I feel when I make a healthy version of a generally not-too-healthy recipe — especially DESSERT! However, this recipes proves that you can lighten up your desserts and still retain the delicious flavor and texture you are used to – you just need to use some creativity.

Also, just a side note, banana bread is a completely acceptable breakfast — at least in my house!

So, here’s my Banana Bread recipe. I hope you try it — modify it — make it your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen — I’m so happy I wasn’t!

Banana Bread–An Updated Classic
Yields 1 loaf

1 ½ cups of brown rice flour
½ cup almond meal
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
½ cup of maple syrup
⅓ cup of coconut oil
⅓ cup of plain yogurt or sour cream
2 over-ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional — add ½ cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips or shredded coconut — or whatever addition suits your fancy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with an oil of your choice.

In a bowl, add your dry ingredients — brown rice flour, almond meal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a larger bowl add your wet ingredients — eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil (heat to liquid form), yogurt/sour cream, bananas, and vanilla extract. With a hand mixer, beat all wet ingredients until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat until incorporated.

Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let it cool. Slice and serve.

January 26, 2015
Make Ahead Breakfast: Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake

Who doesn’t love a hot bowl of oatmeal in the morning — especially as the weather starts to get a bit chilly? But, who has the time to prepare oats in the morning — aside from the instant ones that tend to be full of sugar? If you want to get your oatmeal fix, but have little time to prepare them in the morning, consider making an oatmeal cake. You can make it in advance and enjoy it throughout the week. All you need to do is pop it in the microwave to heat it, and voila, a healthy breakfast is served!

I got this idea from Cooking Light that offers a baked oatmeal recipe. However, the Cooking Light recipe includes butter and brown sugar. I wanted to lighten up the recipe, so I swapped out the butter and the brown sugar, replacing them with safflower oil and maple syrup.

By now, you probably know that I use maple syrup a lot as a processed sugar replacement. Maple syrup is a natural sugar, and I find that I can easily replace an equal amount of white sugar (or brown sugar) with maple syrup. It works really nicely in this oatmeal cake recipe.

You can flavor the oatmeal cake any way you’d like. I decided to make a pumpkin oatmeal cake, because it’s fall, and I love pumpkin! You can also use mashed banana or applesauce in place of the pumpkin puree. If you don’t consume dairy products, try making the cake with almond or soy milk. I added raisins to the Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake, but you can throw in cranberries or currants or chocolate chips! You can also top it with a little extra maple syrup for some additional sweetness. It’s really a very versatile recipe. It’s also a great recipe for the non-oatmeal lover in your life.

If you happen to follow a gluten-free diet or have a gluten allergy, make sure to use oats that are labeled as gluten-free. While oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often cross contaminated with grains containing gluten during the growing process.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cake
Yields nine servings

2 cups of oats (not quick cooking)
1/3 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 cup of maple syrup (grade B)
1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons of safflower oil
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 by 8 inch square pan. Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, add the milk, maple syrup, pumpkin, oil and beaten egg. Mix to incorporate and then add the wet mixture to the dry mixture. Stir well. Pour the oat mixture into the greased pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until firm. Serve warm or refrigerate it and enjoy throughout the week!

Helpful hint: You can make the oat mixture the night before, store it in the refrigerator and bake it in the morning! I found the cooking time remained the same, but all ovens will vary.

September 25, 2014
Make Ahead Breakfast: Easy Baked Frittata

I’m not a morning person. It’s hard enough for me to get up and ready and out the door, but squeezing in a healthy and nutritious breakfast is nearly impossible. However, you know what they say — breakfast is the most important meal of the day! So, over the next few weeks we are going to offer you some suggestions on healthy breakfasts that you can make ahead of time and, in some cases, ones that will stretch throughout the week.

We are starting with our Easy Baked Frittata. I make mine in a pie dish so it’s easier to divide and portion. Baking the frittata is so much easier than cooking it on the stovetop. You just pour the ingredients into a greased pie plate and pop it into the oven for approximately 20 minutes. I suggest making it on Sunday and slicing it throughout the week. Or, plan to make one when you know you will have leftovers to incorporate into the dish.

Our frittata has a few basic ingredients — eggs, milk, veggie/meat, cheese, salt and pepper. The picture you see to the right is made with leftover roasted vegetables and goat cheese. One of my favorite versions incorporates leftover roasted potatoes and onions and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. You can nix the cheese altogether and throw in more veggies. You can also add meat to the frittata. At the end of the day, you can really modify the frittata to your liking but the point is that you are making it in advance — and hopefully getting rid of leftovers in the process!

Additionally, a frittata is not only something you can enjoy for breakfast. It can be eaten for lunch or dinner alongside soup, such as our Roasted Potato Leek Soup, or alongside salad, such as our Shaved Fennel Salad.

Easy Baked Frittata
Yields 8 slices

8 large eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1/3 cup of cheese
1 cup of veggies (or meat)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In the meantime, grease a 9 inch pie plate. Beat eggs and milk until thoroughly combined. Add cheese, veggies and/or meat, salt and pepper. Mix until incorporated and pour into the prepared pie plate. Bake in the oven 15-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Helpful hint: We used a ceramic pie plate. Cooking times may vary depending on what your pie plate is made out of — metal or glass may take more or less time.

September 12, 2014
Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie

When I was a kid in summer camp, I remember being offered an Orange Creamsicle bar every afternoon. It was such a cold, sweet treat after a long day in the sun. The creamy orange flavor will always remind me of the carefree days of summer. Although I no longer sit around eating Creamsicles every afternoon, I love recreating the delicious flavor of my favorite childhood ice cream treat by blending orange smoothies! It’s a great, healthy alternative to store-bought frozen desserts. Enjoy!

Ingredients
-Zest from 1 orange
-1 peeled orange
-1 frozen banana (sliced before freezing)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-2 pitted dates
-½ cup soy milk (or milk of your choice)
-Handful of ice cubes

Directions
If possible, use a washed, organic orange for this recipe, as we will include the outer skin in the smoothie.

Orange zest is the top layer of an orange peel and is the source of essential oils, which adds great orangey flavor to your food. In order to zest an orange, use a fine grater and scrape only the orange coloring from the peel. Avoid grating the orange down to the white pith, which tastes bitter.

Add the zest to your blender, along with the peeled orange, 1 frozen banana, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 pitted dates, ½ cup of soy milk, and a handful of ice cubes. Blend all of the ingredients until you have a creamy consistency.

July 2, 2014
Double Chocolate Chip Pancake Surprise

This recipe is regularly on the menu in my house. My kids get so excited when they see chocolate pancakes on the table. They have no idea that mama put a nice collard green-blueberry surprise into the batter. Don’t worry—you won’t notice either, and it’s a great way to use up all of those hard collard green stems that usually end up in the trash.

Last week, I walked you through my daily routine of preparing greens. In that article, I mention that you should save all of the hard collard stems in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Hopefully, you have those stems ready to use!

(This delicious recipe was inspired by Missy Chase Lapine – aka the Sneaky Chef.)

Ingredients
10 stems from a bunch of organic collard greens
1 cup frozen wild blueberries
2 tablespoons water
1 cup brown rice flour (or any flour of your choice)
½ cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup soy/almond/rice milk
2 eggs
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
mini chocolate chips (optional)

Step 1
Boil or steam 10 collard stems for 4-5 minutes. Blend the cooked stems, 1 cup of frozen wild blueberries, and 2 tablespoons of water in your blender. This should make about 1 cup of puree. You will only need half of this puree. Freeze or refrigerate the other half of the puree for another day. (Or throw the extra into your next smoothie)

Step 2
Mix all of your dry ingredients into a bowl: 1 cup of brown rice flour, ½ cup wheat germ, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.

Step 3
Mix all of your wet ingredients in a bowl: ½ cup of blueberry-collard stem puree, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, ½ cup of soy milk, 2 eggs and 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup.

Step 4
Combine wet ingredients and dry ingredients into one bowl, and mix well.

Step 5
Drop heaping tablespoons of batter onto your griddle. Cook over low heat to avoid burning. Add 3-4 mini chocolate chips to the top of each pancake. Peek at the underside of the pancakes to determine when it’s time to flip them. Serve pancakes with pure maple syrup. Please do yourself a favor and spend the extra money for real maple syrup, and avoid pancake syrups, which are a mix of corn syrup, artificial colors and artificial flavors.

Makes about 16 pancakes.

Tip: Refrigerate any leftover pancakes. They make a great portable snack. When you are hungry, just wrap them up and take them with you. They are thick and sturdy like cookies!

You know I’m always trying to get more greens and veggies into my family’s diet! If you are too, you might want to check out Missy Chase Lapine’s cookbook, The Sneaky Chef.

March 9, 2014
Healthy Quick Tip: Steaming Greens

Creating a healthy lifestyle does not have to be an overwhelming experience. I’m not sure when “all or nothing” became the mantra for healthy living, but it really does not have to be that way. You can build a healthy life, step by step. Simply start by incorporating one small, healthy change into your routine. My favorite quick tip for better health is to steam leafy green vegetables on a daily basis. This is such an easy way to kickstart your healthy eating plan. In the time it takes to boil a few inches of water in a pot, your greens will be washed and ready to cook.

I do this every single day. Let me tell you why.

Finding Inspiration
When I was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness, I went to a natural healing facility to learn how to balance my body and health. I was in tremendous pain, but I did not want to start taking the very harsh drugs that are the usual course of treatment for illnesses similar to mine.

While I was at this healing center, I met a number of individuals with various types of catastrophic illnesses. They turned to this healing facility as a last resort. Many of them were given death dates and told that there was nothing else left to be done medically, and many were told to go see the world and say their last goodbyes. It was only under these dire circumstances that these individuals turned to macrobiotics, a lifestyle and diet to balance the body and mind.

As I spoke to some of these individuals with cancer and tumors all over their body, I learned that some of them were just beginning their macrobiotic journey, but many of them had been living macrobiotically for years and had long since surpassed their so-called death dates. How were these people recovering and healing from illnesses that were deemed terminal?!! It was amazing to witness, and I knew that if they could find healing with these horrific diseases, then I certainly could find healing, too.

I will not go into macrobiotic theory in this article, but I WILL tell you one thing that EVERY one of these sick people did at EVERY meal. They ate large quantities of cooked, leafy green vegetables—leafy green vegetables that are low in oxalic acid (not spinach or swiss chard). Yes, they ate many other very important healing foods, but this is such an easy one for anyone to do! Imagine the health benefits of eating greens three times a day! (Or even once or twice a day.) Who knows what kind of weirdo illness you can help ward off with this very simple habit!

The knowledge that I gained at this healing center was invaluable, and with this knowledge, I have been able to stay out of the hospital and manage my illness without drugs. I have incorporated greens into my daily routine, and I’m here to tell you that it’s easy, and you can do it, too.

Let me show you how.

Step 1:
Boil water in your steamer pot, or if you do not have a steamer, boil about 1-2 inches of water in the bottom of a pot. While your water is boiling, wash your green leafy vegetables in cool water. (Ideally, you will have access to organically grown produce.) In the photo below, I’m working with collard greens.

Step 2:
Slice the leaf along either side of the hard stem, but do not discard the stems! Organic vegetables are expensive, so you will want to use every part of the plant. Dry the stems and save them in your refrigerator for another day. I will post another article and tell you how I use up my collard stems.

Step 3:
Make a pile of the leaf halves.

Step 4:
Start at one end, and begin to roll your stack of greens into a tube.

Step 5:
Hold your tubes of collard greens on one end, and begin to slice your greens from the other end into thin shreds. By slicing the collards into thin shreds, a typically very tough green can be steamed and softened quickly.

Step 6:
Drop your shredded greens into your steamer or into your boiling water. Cover the pot for two minutes. After two minutes, your greens are ready to eat.

You can have your greens alongside your breakfast (which is what I do) or pack them up to eat with your lunch or dinner later in the day. Throw them into soup or chili, or eat them as a side dish with a drizzle of your favorite vinegar. Remember that preparation is key! The greens will not magically appear if you do not prepare them. Give this healthy tip a try. Be proactive about your health, and fuel up on nutrient-dense foods.

If you would like to ease into macrobiotics, Alicia Silverstone’s cookbook, is a great one to try. The “Superhero” diet that she presents is actually a macrobiotic diet. She also includes many vegan and non-macrobiotic recipes that the whole family will enjoy. There is no pressure at all to adapt a new diet and lifestyle…just a lot of encouragement to dabble and enjoy!

February 20, 2014
Two-Ingredient Pancakes

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any easier than 5-ingredient banana-oat muffins, I am introducing you to two-ingredient banana pancakes. You know why I love these pancakes? I get the SAME amount of credit from my kids for making these pancakes as I do for making a more time intensive flour-based pancake batter from scratch—And you KNOW how annoying it is to pull out all of the ingredients to make real pancake batter with flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, etc. Who has time for all of that on a weekday? Or even on a weekend, for that matter. If the kids don’t even have a preference, I’m going with the two-ingredient version.

Another benefit of these pancakes is that they don’t need syrup. They are naturally sweet. Do they taste like “regular” pancakes? No, not exactly. The eggs certainly give these pancakes a little more of an omelette consistency, but they are passable, and my kids have never asked whether these are “real” pancakes. If you need more of a flour-y texture, add a third ingredient—2 tablespoons of brown rice flour or another flour of your choice! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ripe banana (with brown spots is best!)
1 egg

Optional ingredients: Add 2 tablespoons of brown rice flour for a more typical pancake consistency. Feel free to top each pancake while cooking with mini chocolate chips, blueberries or nuts.

Directions:
Mash the banana and egg together. Mix ingredients into a smooth batter. Heat and grease a frying pan/griddle, and drop tablespoon-sized dollops of batter into the pan. Cook on medium heat, lifting the edges occasionally to check the underside of the pancakes for doneness and to avoid burning.

February 9, 2014
Banana-Oat Muffins

Let me tell you why I love these banana-oat muffins:

They are quick and easy to make.
You don’t need to drag your electric mixer out of the cabinet for this recipe. You just need a big bowl, a whisk, and a good masher—like what you’d use to smash your potatoes. Making the batter is quick, and 18 minutes in the oven is all it takes to have piping hot muffins on your table.

They are minimally processed.
Forget your highly processed pantry items! No need for white sugar, brown sugar, white flour or flour of any kind. These muffins are sweetened with just bananas.

They make use of old brown bananas.
I can’t handle seeing old brown bananas on my counter top, and there are only so many brown bananas that I can save in my freezer for smoothies. I love that this recipe makes great use of bananas that are no longer edible.

They are gluten-free.
This recipe is gluten-free, so it’s perfect to share with all of your friends. These days, we all know somebody with allergies, so it’s nice to have a few recipes for baked goods that work for everyone. If you have a gluten allergy/sensitivity, please make sure you are using gluten-free baking powder. Your oats should also be labeled as “gluten-free”. Although oats do not naturally contain gluten, they could have traces of gluten if the oats have been grown next to a wheat field or processed in mill that also processes wheat.

They are guilt-free.
All natural ingredients and no added sugar or flour? I would definitely say that this qualifies as a guilt-free recipe.

And, they are kid-approved.
My kids will actually eat these muffins. I usually sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on the top of a few of the muffin tins before baking. It adds a little sweetness and feels like more of a treat. Feel free to add your own toppings like blueberries or coconut!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups old fashioned oats
2 eggs
3 brown bananas, mashed
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

Mix all ingredients together, and divide into 12 muffin tins. Bake for 18 minutes.

February 5, 2014
Green Smoothies 101: Buying the Basics

One of the quickest and easiest ways to improve your diet and to start each day with a nutritional bang is to blend green smoothies. If you are ready to join the green smoothie bandwagon, you will need a few kitchen staples on hand to make this a simple, natural process each day.

Stock Your Kitchen

Surprisingly, you can create many different, delicious green smoothies with the same few base ingredients. Just mix and match the following items in your blender with a couple of new ingredients each day to change the flavor. If you are working with recipes rather than mixing up your own concoctions, don’t worry—many recipes will include a few of these ingredients. You might need to add one or two new items from the supermarket, but the staples listed here will be used repeatedly. Nothing listed here will be wasted.

-Greens

In order to make green smoothies, you will obviously need to keep green leafy vegetables on hand. If you are short on time, you can buy plastic containers full of pre-washed organic greens from the produce section of your supermarket. It’s as simple as grabbing a handful of leaves and throwing them into the blender with your other ingredients. If you happen to have an autoimmune illness that affects your joints, I recommend working with greens that are low in oxalic acid, such as kale or collard greens. Stay away from spinach and swiss chard, which are both high in oxalic acid and can aggravate your joint condition.

-Frozen berries

These days, you can find bags of frozen organic berries at most supermarkets. Buy a couple of bags of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries. You can buy mixed bags of berries or bags of each individual type of berry. I recommend buying berries that you typically DO NOT eat often or do not enjoy. It’s a great way of adding variety and new nutrients to your diet. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but smoothies happen to be a great way of consuming foods that you’d rather not. Flavors and textures of any particular fruit or vegetable just disappear into blended goodness. Personally, I am not a huge fan of eating fresh blackberries. I happen to enjoy the flavor, but I can’t deal with all of the seeds. It drives me crazy, so now I consume all of my blackberries in pureed form. I just throw a nice big handful of frozen blackberries into my blender, and I get all of the benefits of eating them without actually having to deal with the unpleasant texture of the seeds.

-Frozen bananas

Buy a bunch of bananas, and allow them to ripen on your countertop for a few days. Brown bananas are not particularly appetizing to eat as a snack, but they are perfect for smoothies. Slice each banana, and freeze the slices. Frozen bananas slices blend much more easily than frozen bananas that haven’t been sliced.

-Liquid for your smoothies

I like to stock my pantry with organic, non-GMO soy milk, almond milk, and coconut water. If you prefer a smoothie with a juice base, keep your fridge stocked with orange juice, apple juice, or whatever it is that you prefer.

-Almond butter

If you are worried about getting hungry within an hour or so after consuming your smoothie, turn your drink into a stick-to-your-ribs meal by adding a tablespoon of almond butter to your blender. If you aren’t a huge fan of almond butter, try another type of nut butter, or maybe even a piece of non-GMO organic tofu.

-Fresh Ice

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve reached into my freezer to grab a handful of ice for my smoothie and realized that my ice smelled a little funky. Whether you have an automatic ice maker in your freezer like me or a few trays of ice that you fill with water and freeze yourself, check your ice before you actually need to use it! Once a month, I dump all of my ice out of the freezer bin that collects my ice cubes from the ice maker. I scrub the ice container with hot soapy water, and I collect all new ice cubes. There’s really no easier way to ruin a delicious smoothie than to fill your blender with old, stinky ice. Take the time to make sure you are using good ice. And don’t forget that you always have the option of skipping ice altogether and just adding more frozen berries instead!

-Lemons/limes

When you first start making green smoothies, you will most likely dapple with recipes that include lots of fruit. Once you become accustomed to these smoothies, you will probably start lowering the quantity of fruit and increasing the quantity of greens and other vegetables. If you move on to these more savory green smoothies, you will want to have fresh lemons and limes on hand. A good squeeze of lemon or lime really compliments any greens or herbs, like parsley, that you might add to your blender. Lemons and limes have quite a long shelf life in the refrigerator, so go ahead and buy a few. Even if you don’t use them today, you can use them in a few weeks, and they will be just as good.

January 26, 2014