Pumpkin Protein Breakfast/Snack

Breakfast is probably my favorite meal of the day. So much so that I often have "breakfast" type meals for snacks, lunch and even dinner. I try and pack in the protein in early, if not at my first meal than later in the morning. I thought I'd try for a seasonal breakfast as pumpkin is everywhere right now, full of fiber and vitamin A and is low on the glycemic index. Pumpkin Nutrition Facts

My ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup non-fat greek yogurt

1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 tsp both cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice (I don't measure, just add some)

2 packs Stevia (you may want to add more sweetener)

Ginger Snaps for garnish, optional (I have some on hand for the pie I am making for Thanksgiving, not "healthy" but I can't wait to try it!)

 I love my hand blender! Hoping to get a new more powerful one for Christmas. Just add all the ingredients and blend.

So pretty, right! It is not very sweet so some may like to add in something to give it some more flavor. It has a great texture with the cottage cheese all blended up! I also made this as a smoothie by adding more milk, 1/2 frozen banana, 1 Tbs cocoa and 2 Tbs. ground flax. This made a more substantial breakfast with extra carbs and fiber after a really hard Tonique workout. Even without the additional ingredients this packs in 27 grams of protein in 205 calories. I will be playing with this one some more this week!

(Mostly) Raw Buckwheat Porridge

I was cleaning out my cabinets and came across a back of buckwheat I bought this summer. I once had tried buckwheat cereal at a rave type camp out many years ago and I remember it being really crunchy, bland but hearty. I thought here was the perfect opportunity to try and make my own and improve upon my earlier experience.

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat groats

2/3 cup coconut milk (or other milk of your choice)

2-4 Tbs. agave nectar, maple syrup or other sweetener like Stevia

4 Tbs. chia seeds

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds or other fruit of choice (optional)

Soak buckwheat overnight in 4 cups of water in the fridge.  Rinse thoroughly and put into your food processor. Reserve 1/2 cup of the groats to still in for texture at the end if you want.

 Add milk, sweetener and pomegranate seeds

 Process until smooth

 Stir in the reserved groats.

 Serve with coconut

 or fruit

 or nuts and seeds!

The pomegranate makes this a bit tart. Next time I will be trying this with strawberries or mango. This was a very filling and high fiber way to start my day this week! This porridge will become a staple in my diet because it is cheap, easy and an easy vehicle to get in my chia, fruit and fiber! Buckwheat is awesome for many reasons, check out why here: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=11

Rainbow Quinoa Salad

Hello! Welcome to my recipe only blog. My main focus here is to include recipes that are first of all tasty as well as full of nutrients, will keep you satisfied and help you not miss all the junk you could be eating. Fitness is also a big part of my life, so fueling my body for my workouts and for the rest of my day is very important. Also building digestive and immune health is key to overall well being, and I think that nutrition plays an important role in this as well.

For my first recipe I thought I'd do my newly constructed "Rainbow Quinoa Salad." This is an easy dish to whip up for lunch for the week or to bring to a potluck. It's full of fiber and has a decent amount of non animal protein as well. This would go great with grilled meats or some crumbled feta or goat cheese, or even some roasted almonds. This travels well. I recently took this on a picnic and was delicious!

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used red)
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 cup frozen roasted corn (defrosted)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1-3 Tbs olive oil
juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp. cumin & coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cook quinoa by directions on package. Allow to cool. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Let chill in the fridge for awhile for the flavors to meld or enjoy warm. Makes about 6 servings.