Back in December I posted a recipe for whole wheat blueberry muffins. Although my body does not tolerate wheat, my fiancé does not appear to have any issues with this whole grain so I find myself experimenting with whole wheat every now and then. These muffins quickly became a breakfast staple and I was thrilled because that meant fewer store bought granola and cereal bars. My fiance leaves for work fairly early in the morning to beat rush hour traffic so his breakfast needs to be easily transported.

Every time I was in the kitchen I saw these muffins. They looked so delicious, but I knew even one bite would make me miserable. After a few weeks I had enough. It was time to come up with a blueberry muffin recipe that was “P-friendly” (my fiance’s label for foods that agree with me).

This is what I came up with. I haven’t made any whole wheat muffins since. We both happily enjoy the “P-friendly” version.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa flour

3/4 cup tapioca flour

1 egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup sucanat

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

1 cup frozen blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease muffin pan

Combine all ingredients except for the blueberries in medium mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to combine ingredients thoroughly.

Pour in blueberries and use a spoon to mix into batter.

Use a spoon to pour batter into muffin pan. Fill 1/2 to 3/4 of the way full. The batter will rise.

Bake until the tops are firm – about 24 minutes.

May be it’s the cold weather, I don’t know, but lately I’ve been eating more grains than usual. Sure, they’re whole grains and all that, but too many grains and I start feeling heavy. No, I’m not talking about my weight. This isn’t about weight at all. I’m talking about my energy. I feel more sluggish. I snack more often. I just feel out of sorts. Just because I’m a health coach doesn’t mean I don’t have to make tweaks every now and then. I’m still human.

Anyway, in an effort to cut back on my daily whole grain consumption I came up with this delicious breakfast. I made a big batch of cabbage earlier in the week and have been eating it throughout the week. For me to eat well on a regular basis, I have come to learn that I need to cook in larger quantities and reheat leftovers. I simply don’t have the time or desire to cook 7 days a week.

But I digress -

This morning I pulled my Pyrex container of cabbage out of the refrigerator. I chopped ¼ of an apple and tossed it in a small pan with a little bit of water to help it cook. When the apple was soft, I drained any extra water that remained and added the cabbage to heat it up and then everything went onto a plate. I used the same pan to fry and egg and added it on top. The whole thing took about 5 minutes and I had a sweet, nutritious and filling breakfast to enjoy. Not a bad way to start the day!

This is the recipe I used for the big batch of cabbage. I use the word “recipe” very loosely here. You can add as much as you want to your plate for breakfast.

Ingredients:

½ medium green cabbage, chopped into large pieces

1 small onion, chopped into large pieces

1 cup cooked or canned Cannellini beans

A couple of shakes of Balsamic Vinegar

Grapeseed oil or water

Directions:

In a large skillet, add a little oil or water to create a thin later on the bottom of the pan.

On medium heat, add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the cabbage. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add oil or water as necessary.

Add the beans. Drain any remaining water and add a few shakes of balsamic vinegar.

Once the cabbage is soft enough to insert a fork, remove from heat and serve or put aside to cool and store for breakfast.

What are your favorite breakfast foods? How do they make you feel?

My fiancé has a potluck holiday party at work today. The idea is that everyone in the office brings their favorite holiday dish to share with coworkers. Easy. Simple. Great way to keep costs down for the company and still boost morale. Sounds good to me.

Last week we discussed a few different dish options he could bring. Planning ahead. Go us.  Then we completely forgot about it. Until 10pm last night. Whoops.

One of us could have run to the store and picked up something pre-made. But that’s just not how I roll.

Lucky for us (him?) the potluck was an all-day party and we figured a breakfast-friendly dish made with whole ingredients would be a good contribution to help balance out the probable surplus of dips and desserts.

Going through our kitchen pantry could have been a challenge, but we almost always have these basic ingredients in stock – flour, sweetener, milk, eggs, oil and baking soda. Frozen blueberries is also a must for us during the winter when they aren’t in season in Ohio.

The muffins came out of the oven looking large, moist and delicious. Since I don’t tolerate wheat very well, I have to admit that I did not try them myself, but watching Ryan’s reaction when he popped one into his mouth reassured me that these muffins would be a hit at the potluck.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups frozen blueberries

1 cup coconut milk (or other full-fat milk)

3/4 cup honey

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease muffin tin

Combine all ingredients except blueberries in a medium mixing bowl

Use electric hand mixer to combine ingredients thoroughly

Fold in blueberries

Pour batter into muffin tins

Bake until tops are brown – about 30 minutes

Lately my schedule and commitments have required me to leave the house for the day before 7:30am. I don’t mind – I’m a morning person after all, but getting myself together in the morning and squeezing in time to eat breakfast doesn’t always happen.

Skipping breakfast entirely is not an option for me. If I do, it’s difficult for me to focus, I feel tired and by the time lunch rolls around I can’t get the food into my mouth fast enough. It’s not pretty. Trust me.

Being able to bring breakfast with me on the go is a necessity. I’ve done the oatmeal thing plenty, but in this heat I’m not craving something that heavy. A smoothie however – raw and cooling – well, that sounds perfect.

It’s a great way to get dark leafy greens in first thing in the morning. The protein in the kale and peanut butter keeps me feeling full all morning. A fruit smoothie on the other hand is full of sugar so I always feel starving an hour later.

The best part was that it took less than 2 minutes to make. I now get my peanut butter fresh in the bulk section of my grocery store, but a few years ago I used to buy the natural organic peanut butter that came in glass jars. Each time I finished a jar I held onto the container, peeled off the label and now I have a tiny collection of large jars with lids that make the perfect container for transporting smoothies.

One more point that the budget conscious gal in me has to make –

Cost of a smoothie at a restaurant or take out place – $6 minimum

Cost of smoothie in your own kitchen – less than $2

Enough said.

I know that the idea of blending kale, spinach or your dark leafy green of choice may sound a little bizarre. But truth be told, when paired with a little fruit and nut butter is actually quite delicious.

Ingredients:

1 banana (frozen is recommended for a creamier smoothie, but fresh is great too)

1 leaf of kale

1 cup of water

1 generous tablespoon of natural peanut butter

3-4 ice cubes

Directions:

Tear kale leaf into large pieces and toss into blender

Add remaining ingredients

Blend until smooth

Place a handful of ice cubes into transportable drinking container. Add smoothie. Seal and you’re on your way!

Ryan and I just hit our four-month anniversary as Cincinnati residents. I have to admit that the time has really flown and I am much happier here than I originally anticipated. It just goes to show you – some things are never what you expect them to be.

Since the farmer’s markets have opened for the season Ryan and I have fallen into a very comfortable pattern on Sunday mornings. We head over to the Hyde Park farmer’s market, which on a Sunday morning takes less than 10 minutes and usually arrive shortly after it opens. Although there is a good selection and wide variety of vendors, the market doesn’t take too long to walk through and by now we’re familiar with the general landscape and know which vendors we like to go to for each item on our list.

We’re home a little after 10 and whip up breakfast, using some of the local goodies we brought home in our reusable grocery bags.

Today we made omelets with eggs, garlic scapes and onions from the farmer’s markets. Organic red peppers were on sale last week at Kroger so we added that to the mix as well. Adding sautéed dark leafy greens on the side is a great and easy way to kick up the nutrient-density of any meal. Like most of our homemade meals, this breakfast is nothing fancy, but boy was it good. The flavor from the onion and garlic scapes really made the meal.

Do you have a Sunday morning ritual? How do you like to spend your Sundays?

Eating breakfast is without question, a key part of a healthy and well-balanced life. And yet, so many of us either skip it altogether or fill our bellies with artificial ingredients, sugary cereals and muffins made with refined grains.

To learn more about why cereal, including the ones that appear to be the healthiest of the healthiest, might not be the best option for you, check out this post I wrote awhile back.

Breakfast means breaking the fast. We need a wholesome meal to start the day on a good note, filled with energy and clear thinking. The sugar and the super-sized dose of caffeine might give you a burst of energy but it’s only short-lived, and before you know it, you’re either falling asleep at your desk or going back for more. That doesn’t sound like a long-term solution to me.

This is my new breakfast of choice these days. It’s easy to make and keeps me full and energized for hours.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup steel cut oats

1 banana or fruit of choice

1-2 tablespoons real peanut butter, cashew butter or nut butter of choice

a couple shakes of cinnamon

Directions:

Soak grains over night. Drain water and rinse.

Bring 2/3 cup of water to a boil.

Add steel cut oats. Reduce flame to simmer and put lid on pot.

Cook until grains are soft and water has been absorbed – depending on the kind of oats this can be between 10 and 20 minutes.

Pour steel cut oats into bowl. Add nut butter and cinnamon and mix well. Add sliced banana or fruit of choice on top.

What is your favorite breakfast? How does it make you feel?

Confession: My mornings pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day. If I wake up late and have to rush to get out the door then I am tense and anxious for the rest of the day. It’s very hard for me to undo the effects of a stressful morning.

May be for you a bad hair day turns into a day that feels like it will never end, or a bad outfit because it’s laundry day makes you want to hide under your desk and skip the networking event after work.  Or your child insists on trying on outfit after outfit, insisting that she has nothing to wear to school, bringing on the waterworks and both of you running late.

It might seem little and insignificant, but how we start our day has a major impact on how it ends. So shouldn’t breakfast count too?

Perfect for Fall, these muffins are loaded with whole grains and protein to keep you feeling full and energized and most importantly, are made with real food. So long processed breakfast foods! We don’t need you! These guys can even be bagged and taken on the road.

This recipe was adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking. It makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup coconut oil

4 tablespoons water

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cup apple, peeled and chopped

½ cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease muffin tins

Pour rolled oats into blender or food processor and blend for a flour consistency

In medium size mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except apples and pecans

Use electric mixer to blend until creamy and smooth

Fold in chopped apples and pecans

Fill greased muffin tins a little more than three-quarters full

Bake for 25 or until edges become golden brown

Allow to cool in tins

My friend and fellow classmate at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Michelle, has a great website and flourishing health coaching business. After a few hours of studying I took a break to do a little web surfing and stumbled across her Red Velvet Coconut Muffins. Holy moly did they look good! I happened to have all of the ingredients already in my kitchen, and they seemed easy enough that I thought I’d take an even longer study break to whip up a batch.

The study break was well worth it – they came out moist and delicious! I followed Michelle’s recipe except I substituted wheat flour for almond flour, because I already had almond flour in my house. I brought half the batch to my sister who is a student at Warren Wilson College about 15 minutes away, and she and her friends loved them too.

I just had to share the recipe with all of you, and Michelle graciously gave me the thumbs up to post her recipe on my website. So enjoy the muffins and if you dig ‘em let her know – she’s working on a cookbook!

Ingredients:

1 cup roasted beets, shredded (about 3 beets)
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut (plus more for topping)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. In food processor or with a grater, shred beets. Combine with all wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add wet mixture and blend. Spoon batter into muffin tin and fill each cup to the top or even overfilling a bit. Sprinkle with more dried coconut if you wish. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Everyone that doesn’t live under a rock knows that it’s important to eat more fruits and vegetables and less sugar and processed foods. However, many of us seem to conveniently forget these guidelines when it comes to breakfast. Instead we settle for foods that are quick, easy and give us an artificial boost of energy to start our day. In other words, most of us rely on foods that are easily transportable (read: processed) and loaded with sugar, so we perk up in the morning only to crash a few short hours later.

Cereal (even if you think it’s the healthiest option on your grocery store shelf) and milk for breakfast, or any other time of day, is not as harmless or healthy as you may think.

Here is what Sally Fallon, founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation has to say about dry cereals.

“Dry breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Cereal makers first create a slurry of the grains and then put them in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure. Depending on the shape of the hole, the grains are made into little o’s, flakes, animal shapes, or shreds (as in Shredded Wheat or Triscuits), or they are puffed (as in puffed rice). A blade slices off each little flake or shape, which is then carried past a nozzle and sprayed with a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.”

According to Paul Stitt, author of Fighting the Food Giants, “the extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially denatured by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones sold in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.”

Still not convinced that you should rethink your breakfast routine?

In the 1960’s a study was conducted at the University of Michigan in which researchers divided 18 laboratory rats into three groups: one group received corn flakes and water; a second group was given the cardboard box that the corn flakes came in and water; the control group received rat chow and water.

The rats in the control group (received rat chow and water) remained in good health throughout the experiment. The rats who ate the cereal box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition. The most surprising result of all (at least for me) was that the rats eating the cornflakes and water actually died before the rats eating the cereal box. Before the rats eating the cornflakes and water died they developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions.

The conclusion of this experiment is that the cereal box provided more nourishment than the corn flakes. This study was never published.

So right about now I bet you’re feeling limited and wondering what you CAN eat for breakfast.

My favorite way to start my morning is with a bowl of oatmeal. It’s filling and I love the warmth the oatmeal provides in the colder months. The rolled oats are an excellent source of nutrition, as they contain essential enzymes, iron, dietary fiber, vitamin E and B-complex vitamins. Because the body absorbs grain slowly, they provide sustained and high-quality energy.

You can substitute rolled oats with any other whole grain like millet, amaranth and quinoa. I like to add raisins and walnuts to the oats while they cook. The sweetness of the raisins spreads throughout the oats so adding cinnamon or any other sweetener is practically unnecessary.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup rolled oats or other whole grains (Heck, go crazy and mix different grains together!)

1 cup water

Optional mix-ins: raisins, apples, walnuts, almonds, seeds – you get the idea…

Directions: 

Soak grains overnight to aid digestion. Soaking grains also removes phytic acid, which is a natural part of the grain’s bran. This makes absorption of all the grain’s nutrients easier on the GI tract.

Drain and rinse grains

Combine grains and water in pot

Bring to a boil

Simmer for 20 minutes – add your mix-ins half way through

Feeling too rushed to eat at home and be able to make it to work or school on time in the morning? Pour it into a glass container to take with you on the go. Don’t forget your spoon!

Also check out my pumpkin muffins for another healthy option.

For more information about the extrusion process check out these sites.

http://www.westonaprice.org/Dirty-Secrets-of-the-Food-Processing-Industry.html

http://hilltownfamilies.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/doyle-2/