What's better than warm oatmeal on a cold morning?
Oatmeal is one of my favorite things to make for breakfast, but I like to make it "fancy." By that, I mean adding fruit, nuts and other delicious add-ins. If you have 3 minutes and a microwave, you can easily transform regular 'ol oatmeal into the "fancy" kind that you'll pay $4+ for at your coffee shop.
TO MAKE ONE SERVING OF OATMEAL
1/2 cup of old fashioned oats in a microwave safe bowl
Add 3/4 cup of your choice of milk (cow's, almond, flax, coconut, whatever)
Microwave for 3 minutes
Carefully remove from microwave (it's HOT)
Add in your choice of toppings, stir and enjoy!
Here are some delicious combinations that I like:
- Dried cranberries, sliced apple, chopped walnuts, agave
- Chopped walnuts, blueberries, juice of half a lemon, honey
- Pumpkin seeds, sliced banana, pecans, maple syrup
Use whatever you like and whatever you have! Cheers to better breakfasts.
I've been seeing a popular smoothie recipe trending on Pinterest, so I gave it a try. I love a good smoothie! This one does taste a lot like apple pie, and it's packed with protein, calcium and fiber. It's very easy to make and is great for breakfast. The source recipe can be found here with nutrition facts.
Ingredients:
5 raw almonds
1 red apple
1 banana
3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup nonfat milk (I use almond milk)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
Place all ingredients in blender. Depending on what type of blender you have, you may need to chop the apple and almonds (our Ninja works great). Blend on high for 30 seconds or until desired consistency. Enjoy!
I love French toast. Growing up, my Mom would often make French toast for me before school. It was the best. Ever. This week, I was at a photo shoot for breakfast foods, and one of the components was French toast. Since then, it's been on my "must make" list. This weekend, I found an easy recipe and tweaked it a little bit, using thick slices of farm-style white bread. The thicker the bread, the better.
Ingredients:
1 thick slice of bread
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp sugar
A few dashes of cinnamon
A small dash of vanilla extract
1 tsp butter
Directions:
Whisk egg, milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla in a shallow bowl. Dip one side of the bread in the liquid and let it soak for a moment. Turn over the bread and let the other side soak up the rest of the liquid. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Slide the soaked toast into the frying pan and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes each side. Check to make sure it's not burning out getting too dark. Repeat recipe for multiple slices of toast.
My favorite toppings are powdered sugar and maple syrup. Such a delicious breakfast - especially on a cold weekend day!
Yesterday was one of those rainy fall Saturdays that makes you want to stay inside and curl up with a blanket on the couch. I was in the mood to do some breakfast baking, so I made "healthier" oatmeal blueberry muffins. They don't have a ton of sugar and the oats and blueberries make them healthy, right? I used frozen blueberries that I hand-picked this summer. Just enough sweetness. Perfect for breakfast or a snack. I used ingredients I had on hand, and modified a recipe I found via Pinterest. I'll definitely have to make them again.
Ingredients:
1½ cups rolled oats (uncooked)
1 cup milk
½ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup flour (whole wheat or all purpose)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, roll in flour prior to adding)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
Combine oats and milk in a small bowl and soak for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, egg whites, vanilla and mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add oat mixture to wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, and stir until just combined.
Fold in blueberries.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin.
Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
I like to make quiche for breakfast on Saturdays. Today's recipe was probably the best one I've ever made. I had a couple of unusual ingredients on hand, so I made a few adjustments, which turned out to be especially delicious. I even used my scalloped "tart" pan, which baked wonderfully and made a beautiful "crust" edge. You can find my regular favorite quiche recipes here and here. But if you want to kick it up a notch, here's what I did.
Ingredients:
5 eggs
1 cup of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup Bisquick baking mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup diced ham
1 cup baby spinach (rough chop)
3/4 cup chopped broccoli floretts
1/4 cup leaks diced and sauteed in a little olive oil for a couple minutes to soften (you could use onions instead)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together eggs, both milks, Bisquick, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, toss together cheese, ham, spinach, broccoli and leaks. Spread tossed ingredients into the bottom of a greased (sprayed with cooking spray) 11 inch tart/flan pan (or large deep dish pie plate). Pour liquid into pan and distribute evenly, pressing vegetables down. Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
