Breakfast Coconut Quinoa with Fruit

Breakfast-Coconut-Milk-QuinoaGet a healthy jump on your day!  This high protein and nutrient rich breakfast from Jeanette Chen, Jeanette’s Healthy Living, is both delicious and easy to make. The quinoa, which can be prepared ahead of time, has become so popular these days because of its health benefits. Not only is it high in protein, but it’s a great source of vitamin B6, folate, iron, and zinc. One cup of cooked quinoa has 180 calories, 2 grams fiber and 7 grams protein. That with the delicious fruit is a real family pleaser.
Breakfast Coconut Quinoa with Fruit
Serves: 2
Ingredients
½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed and drained well
⅓ cup coconut milk
¾ cup water
2 tablespoons organic raw coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
2 tablespoons toasted coconut
2 tablespoons toasted almonds
½ cup fresh strawberries
½ cup sliced bananas
additional coconut milk or almond milk, as desired for serving
Directions
Place quinoa, coconut milk, water, sugar, vanilla and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn heat off and let sit for 5 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls and top with toasted coconut, almonds, strawberries and bananas.
Breakfast-Coconut-Milk-Quinoa2

A Very Berry Breakfast

Berry BreakfastWith the local berry season well underway, we are full of many varieties of organic berries from all our local growers. Lisi from Lisi’s Luscious Desserts shares a healthy hot cereal ripe for your special touches. The hot cereal could be McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oats or Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats, available here at the store. The cereal is cooked with berries and its combined with a little cold almond milk (or milk, soy or rice milk) and the addition of fresh cold fruits (the more colorful the better) which can make for a lot of happy campers. You can also make this with chopped apples, raisins, dried cherries and cinnamon too.

A Very Berry Breakfast

Ingredients

1/2 cup hot cereal (your choice!)

raspberries

blackberries

blueberries

strawberries

pomegranate seeds (so good if you can find)

and

any other fruit – mango is nice, red currants too

1-2 teaspoons sugar (brown is nice) or small bit of Truvia

1/3 cup cold milk (I use unsweetened almond milk – but any milk will do)

Directions

Measure cereal according to package and add water (this one calls for a cup). Mix in about 4-5 raspberries and 3-4 blackberries. Place in microwave for 2.5-3 minutes. The fruits will soften and liquefy to some extent and flavor the whole bowl with berry! Be careful pulling out as it is very hot. Sprinkle with sugar or Truvia. Top with cold milk. Heap on cold fruits.

Begin eating 🙂  A nice addition: Flax seed or wheat germ too.

Enjoy Lisi’s variation on this recipe here

Jeanette’s Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas

Mini-Egg-FrittatasWith off the kids back in school, Jeanette Chen has a great weekday, breakfast-on-the-go favorite. Frittatas are basically an open-faced omelet that is baked in the oven. The base is made of eggs and the toppings are endless – it’s the perfect medium for using up all the little bits and pieces of vegetables in your refrigerator.
Mini Ham and Cheese Frittatas
Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup reduced salt ham, chopped
  • 1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chives or scallions, finely chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, Fines Herbes or your favorite dried herbs
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 large egg whites
  • 2 large eggs
  • cooking spray

Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    2. Heat a large skillet with oil over medium heat. Add peppers and onions and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add ham; saute 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.
    3. Combine cheese, chives, thyme, pepper, egg whites and whole eggs in a medium bowl; whisk together. Add pepper/onion/ham mixture and stir well.
    4. Spoon into 24 miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray (use a non-stick pan and be sure to spray the cups well to prevent sticking).
    5. Bake for 15-20 minutes until set.

{adapted from Cooking Light}
Jeanette Chen, a resident of New Canaan for 20 years, is the busy mom of 4 boys and author of a popular health and wellness food blog, Jeanette’s Healthy Living.  She was recently nominated for Best Health Blog by Healthline and is always looking for ways to make healthier meals for her family and friends.
See more by clicking here