Recipe: Steel Cut Oats w/ Apples & Toasted Walnuts

This recipe comes from my dear friend Tamra whom I met during my training at Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Tamra is a genius in the kitchen and whips up the most incredible, healthy, and wholesome dishes. She can be reached at tamrageryck@gmail.com (Website coming soon!)

A perfect Fall breakfast that can be made the day before…

Steel Cut Oats w/ Apples & Toasted Walnuts

PREP TIME: 10 min.
COOK TIME: 20 min.
SERVES: 6

Instructions / Ingredients

Rinse and cut apples into 1 inch pieces (3 cups)
In a large saucepan add the apples and 1 cup of water, steam apples (2-3 min.) until slightly soft
Drain water and set apples aside
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Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add 1 cup of steel cut oats, cook according to package
While cereal cooks heat 1/2 tbl. olive oil, 1 cup of crumbled walnuts, 1/2 cup shredded coconut, 1 tea. of vanilla, and a swirl of maple syrup. Cook over medium heat and stir constantly until walnuts and coconut are slightly toasted.
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Once Steel cut oats are finished combine apples in separate bowl, add cinnamon to taste
Serve with agave, and butter, add walnut mixture on top and enjoy

Tips: for crunchier apples steam less for mushier apples steam longer. A great recipe to prepare the night before and enjoy on the run!

Variations: use any of your favorite hot cereals, oats, cream of wheat or quinoa. Add your favorite dried or  fresh fruits and other nuts too! Add 1/2 cup of milk, soy milk or almond milk.

Options: Serve with butter, earth balance or any natural butter substitute. Use maple syrup, agave or honey to taste

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Bed-head breakfast advice

Happy Sunday!

I was just goofing around with the video camera. Excuse the ridiculous bed head and Gola yapping in the background.

But that’s my life at 10am on a Sunday morning!

Avocado Smoothie

I tried to think of a cute title to this post, but alas, they were all duds. So I’m keeping it simple.

Today we’re rapping ’bout…you guessed it…avocados in your smoothies.

I’m a huge fan of smoothies for breakfast, especially when it’s 80 degrees at 7am. I had a bunch of extra avocados on hand from making guacamole this weekend, and I thought I’d toss a little bit into my morning smoothie (instead of the almond butter).

The result: Heavenly. But I knew it would be because ANYTHING with avocados is God’s gift to us.

I added about 1/4 avocado and the result was a delicious, creamy, and satisfying meal. And you can’t taste the avocado, btw. Since I also added a bunch of kale, the drink was an olivey green color.

Today’s smoothie:

1/2 banana

ground flaxseed (I dont measure, I just dump in..about 3T)

1T flax/borage oil

bunch of kale

1/2 cup frozen blue berries (frozen from my farmer’s market)

1/2 cup frozen strawberries (Cascadian Farm’s organic)

1T Lucuma powder

2 scoops  rice protein (I use Metagenics)

drop of vanilla extract, dash of cinnamon

1 cup organic unsweetened almond milk

Throw it into my Vitamix and blend. I usually top off with raw cacao but I ran out today.

Drank it up at 8am and was full until 1:30! Now THAT’S a satisfying, healthy breakfast!

Start Your Day with a Switch

This post is about breakfast, my favorite meal of the day.

You all eat breakfast, right? Right? You DO know that breakfast is the most important meal you can eat, and it revs your engine (ie. your body) to tackle the day. Of COURSE you knew that!

If you’re like most people, you probably eat the same breakfast every day. A bowl of fiber cereal? Cereal with yogurt, perhaps? A banana and coffee? Or maybe you have time to prepare yourself a multi-course breakfast on china plates with linen napkins (doubtful, but you never know).

The next two weeks I am engaging in a breakfast experiment where each day…you guessed it…I’ll experiment with a different breakfast. I’ll make notes about how the food feels in my body right after I eat, and then again 2 hours later. Yesterday I had oatmeal (with hemp seed, flax, and berries) and this morning I had two slices of rice toast with almond butter, 1/2 banana, flax, and a bowl of strawberries. I have NEVER had toast for breakfast, and you know what…I REALLY enjoyed it! And better yet, I’m still satisfied.

So, why don’t you give your basic, boring, routine breakfast a little shake up. If you’re starving soon after you eat breakfast, you need to revise. Try adding protein, like a nut butter, seeds, and eggs (you can keep hardboiled eggs for convenience). Perhaps a big smoothie is better suited for you. Just let loose and have fun!

Remember, breakfast is THE most important part of your day and the best gift you can give your body each morning. Don’t skimp!

Getting Sneaky

I’ve been having a little bit of an issue lately (well, a few, but one in particular).

I haven’t been cooking as much as I normally like to. I’ve been so busy with school and work that quite honestly I’ve started to get into a lazy pattern of just eating whatever I’ve got on hand.  Now, if my darling husband (who is probably reading this) could work some cooking or prep work into his afternoon schedule, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Because I haven’t been cooking much, the amount of vegetables I’ve been eating has gone way down (and the amount of carbs way up). It’s been easier for me, at least, to grab Mary’s Gone Crackers (the world’s greatest vehicle for hummus and cheese and anything else!), than to get motivated to steam some broccoli. And yes, I am aware that steaming broccoli takes a minute amount of brain power and time.

I just feel crappier when I don’t eat a lot of veggies. Plus, my digestion suffers (and I’ll spare you of the details–but basically, I could use the fiber)

So, this morning I decided to get servings of veggies in the morning. As much as I’d love to whip up a gorgeous omlette with the works, I usually don’t have the time during the week. So instead I made my usual smoothie and put about 1.5-2 cups of kale into it. That’s right. I added a vegetable to my smoothie! Because I have the amazing Vitamix the greens get pulvarized into oblivion. The result: a poopy brown (but delicious) smoothie that is filled with fruits and veggies and kale. And all before 8am!

So give it a try. Throw some dark leafy greens into your morning smoothie. I also use spinach, which has a milder taste than kale, so start with that. And when you get really pro, you can add other awesome veggies to it. Experiment and have fun!

And just to divulge, my shakes consist of: 1 small banana, 1/2 cup bluberries (more or less), 1/2 cup strawberries (I buy frozen organic berries), 1 scoop of protein powder, handful of kale or other green, ground flax seed, 1/4c lite coconut milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract, 1T unsweetened cocoa powder, 2T maca/hemp powder, 1T Lucuma powder, almond milk, and some raw cacao nibs to give it a crunch. A hearty breakfast to get me going….AND a serving of vegetables!

What’s your go-to breakfast? Does it involve vegetables?