Nutrient Rich Granola

Homemade granola + good fats is an excellent transition from breakfast cereal. Enjoy with whole-milk Greek yogurt or kefir for sustained energy and to avoid blood sugar spikes.

  • Quick, easy and robust breakfast
  • Never boring because there are so many combinations
    • Spices
    • Nuts/seeds
    • Dried fruits (add AFTER baking)
    • Fresh fruits – bring seasons into my breakfast bowl – berries, peaches, and plums in the summer, sweet potato and pumpkin in the fall, cranberry, and gingerbread flavor in the winter.
  • Mix into fruit salad
  • Use for chia pudding toppings
  • Sprinkle on top of oatmeal or quinoa breakfast bowls for texture contrast

Variations:

  • Almond joy: use almonds for the chopped nuts, add 2 cuts shredded, unsweetened coconut. Optional – add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract when mixing melted coconut oil and maple syrup
  • Orange Cranberry: zest 3 – 4 oranges (depending on the size and how distinct you want the orange flavor) and mix in to the oats. After baking the oatmeal, add 1 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • Banana Bread: Add 2 pureed bananas to the melted coconut oil and maple syrup mix
  • Lemon Poppyseed: zest 3 lemons, add zest to oats. Add 1/4 cup poppyseed
  • Pumpkin pie: Add 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice mix to the oats. Mix 1 cup pumpkin puree with melted coconut oil and maple syrup
  • Moroccan Sweet Potato: Add 1/2 tablespoon Golden Milk spice blend to the oats. Add 1 cup sweet potato puree
  • Gingerbread Granola: Add 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


Color My Food Granola
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Servings
8 servings
Servings
8 servings
Color My Food Granola
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Servings
8 servings
Servings
8 servings
Ingredients
Adjust servings: servings
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325. Mix oats and cinnamon in a big bowl. Mix in chopped nuts
  2. Melt coconut oil, stir in maple syrup. Mix well
  3. Pour melted coconut oil and maple syrup over oats. Mix well.
  4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread half of granola on each
  5. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.
  6. Add 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and/or hemp hearts to each serving before eating.
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Delicious No-Oats Oatmeal

Granted it’s not oatmeal but what else to call it? Creamy and satisfying, nutrient-dense and RESTART friendly, this paleo cereal made itself a permanent part of my breakfast rotation. Add “cake-inspired” toppings for visual delight, gratifying contrast of texture and increased nutrient-density.

  • Carrot Cake
  • Lemon Blueberry
  • Apple Pie

What other combinations could you try? Isn’t it a whole new spin on breakfast?!

Delicious No-Oats Oatmeal
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Delicious No-Oats Oatmeal
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Servings
4 servings
Servings
4 servings
Ingredients
Carrot cake Topping
Lemon Blueberry Topping
Apple Pie
Adjust servings: servings
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Instructions
Non-oatmeal
  1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Mix in milk
  3. Cover and refrigerate overnight
  4. In the morning separate a desired portion size and warm up on the stove top. You can also eat it at room temperature or cold like overnight oats.
  5. Add topping of choice and enjoy!
Carrot Cake Topping
  1. Put shredded carrot, conut and chopped walnuts on top of non-oatmeal. Enjoy!
Lemon Blueberry
  1. Mix in lemon zest, top serving with blueberries and chopped nuts.
Apple Pie
  1. Over serving of non-oatmeal top with chopped apple, walnuts, and a generous dusting of ground cinnamon
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Spinach Pancakes

These pancakes from weelicious are yummy and fun. Move over green eggs and ham! I always love an opportunity to punch up the nutrition in breakfast and this is a perfect example. I also love tempting kids to eat something they might not otherwise want to. So without hinting at the reason for the green, I simply made them for brunch on a St. Patrick weekend and everyone, even the littlest guest, all of 18 months, ate their fill.

Because I usually don’t have buttermilk, I mix 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar) and let it sit 10 – 15 minutes before making the recipe.

 

Spinach Pancakes
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Spinach Pancakes
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Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. In a blender, combine the spinach, buttermilk, egg, and oil and blend
  2. until smooth.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
  4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
  5. Heat a large pan or griddle over medium heat and grease with butter or expeller-pressed canola oil.
  6. Pour about 1 tablespoon of the pancake mixture onto the griddle, cook about two minutes.
  7. Flip the pancakes and cook for one minute longer and serve.
Recipe Notes

Modified from Weelicious.com: Spinach Pancakes

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Peach and Blackberry Crisp

Stone fruit and berries sprinkled with a blend of oats and nuts just barely crumbled together with a touch of butter (or coconut oil), and baked just enough to make each bite burst with flavor….hmmhmm summer has arrived!

Mix some plain Greek yogurt sweetened with honey to taste and add a dollop on top of the cooled crisp.

Or for a special treat, place a scoop of simple vanilla ice cream over a hot serving and savor the contrast of the frozen ice cream melting into the fruit.

Variations:

  • Instead of peach, use nectarines or plums
  • Instead of blackberries, any other berries or a mix of berries – or no berries, just increase the peach by a cup or two

 

Peach and Blackberry Crisp
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Peach and Blackberry Crisp
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Ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 375°F and butter (can use coconut oil) a 9 x 9 baking dish.
  2. Combine berries, peaches, juice and zest in a bowl and mix well. Place in baking dish.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients with hands until moist and crumbly. Scatter crumb mixture evenly over fruit in baking dish.
  4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit bubbles and top is golden brown.
Recipe Notes

Modified:

Epicurious: Blackberry and Peach Crisp

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Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

These cupcakes are hugely popular with all our friends and family. The hint of cinnamon, the richness of cocoa and the bits of chocolate make every bite delicious. The zucchini adds moisture and putting a vegetable boost into dessert is good for a mother’s heart.

They are so yummy, they don’t really need frosting. But I’ve made them so many times over the years, I’ve served them differently pending on what I had in the refrigerator: a cream cheese icing (blend cream cheese sweetened to taste with honey, real whipped cream with a tablespoon of cocoa folded in and sweetened to taste with powdered sugar or a chocolate butter cream icing.

For a super duper chocolate treat on a special occasion with a chocolate glaze (melt equal parts semi-sweet chocolate and butter or coconut milk). For these, I bake the cupcakes in a mini-muffin tin.

In general I do not use cupcake liners, they just go straight to the landfill.

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
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Servings
8 cupcakes
Servings
8 cupcakes
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
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Servings
8 cupcakes
Servings
8 cupcakes
Ingredients
Adjust servings: cupcakes
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Grease muffin tin with butter or coconut oil.
  2. Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.
  5. Pour into muffin tin and bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 25 - 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Source

Epicurious: Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes

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Nutrient Dense Berries and Nut Pancakes

Berries, bananas and nuts oh my! These are so delicious and nutrient dense, made with whole wheat flour and oats, keeping bellies satisfied and fueling our brains for a day at school or work.

Double the recipe because they are super delicious to have in the freezer for busy weekdays.

Toppings

  • Mashed fresh (or defrosted frozen) berries — add a drizzle of maple syrup or honey if you need it sweeter
  • Plain Greek yogurt mixed with a touch of honey or berry puree / preserves
  • Nut butters, warm it up a bit so it is more spreadable, and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey
  • Chia Jam from Gimme Some Oven
Berries and Nut Pancakes
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Servings
8 people
Servings
8 people
Berries and Nut Pancakes
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Servings
8 people
Servings
8 people
Ingredients
Adjust servings: people
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Instructions
  1. In a bowl, combine first 5 ingredients.
  2. Place bananas in another bowl, mash and mix with milk, eggs and almond extract.
  3. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients; stir until smooth. Mix in berries.
  4. Warm a skillet over medium heat; brush with butter, avocado or coconut oil.
  5. Measure 1⁄4 cup batter; pour onto skillet. Cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Recipe Notes

Modified from

Epicurious: Fruit and Nut Pancakes

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Pumpkin Apple Muffins

Every bite of these muffins tastes like fall, evoking cooler weather and a kaleidoscope of orange, gold, rusts and red color in the trees.

The flavor and texture is so lovely and the nutrition of pumpkin, apple, nuts and seeds motivate me to make them at other times of the year as well.

[su_expanding_quote_book source_author=”Steven Pratt, M.D., and Kathy Matthews” source_title=”SuperFoods Rx: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life” affiliate_link=”http://amzn.to/1TGUOyo” full_quote=”Pumpkin packs an abundance of disease-fighting nutrients, including potassium, magnesium and vitamin C and E. The key nutrient that boosts pumpkin to the top of the Superfoods Rx list is the synergistic combination of cartenoids. Pumpkin contains one of the richest supplies of bioavailable cartenoid known to man. Cartenoids are deep orange, yellow or red colored compounds that help protect us from free radicals, modulate our immune response, enhance cell-to-cell communication, and decrease the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Cartenoid-rich foods have been shown to reduce the risk of various cancers, lower and rates of heart disease.” short_quote=”Pumpkin packs an abundance of disease-fighting nutrients, including potassium, magnesium and vitamin C and E”]
pumpkin and apples
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
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Servings
18 muffins
Servings
18 muffins
pumpkin and apples
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
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Servings
18 muffins
Servings
18 muffins
Ingredients
Adjust servings: muffins
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin pan with a pastry brush (or paper towel dipped in) expeller-pressed canola or coconut oil.
  2. Mix first flour, cardamom and baking power into medium bowl.
  3. Stir pumpkin, oil, sugar and eggs in large bowl until well mixed. Mix in dry ingredients. Add apples, raisins and walnuts mixing just until blended.
  4. Place equal amounts of batter into prepared cups, fill almost to rim. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top.
  5. Bake 25 – 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from Epicurious: Pumpkin Apple Muffins

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Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes

Pancakes made with white flour have a high glycemic index value. This means the starch is converted into sugar and released into the bloodstream quickly. It will spike your blood sugar, setting off a roller coaster as your body releases insulin as to restore balance.

Make your pancakes more nutrient-dense using whole-wheat flour, oats and apple, and always add a bit of fat from nature (chia, ground flaxseed, Greek yogurt, coconut oil or a bit of grass-fed butter)

Oats provide fiber and digest more slowly. This stabilize blood sugar levels and keeps you going longer, feeling more satisfied and energized.

Make extra to freeze for busy mornings, making a pancake “sandwich’

  • Mix 2 tablespoons cream cheese with a bit of  honey and fresh or dried berries
  • Spread nut butter and banana or other fruit
apples with cinnamon
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
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Servings
12 4-inch pancakes
Servings
12 4-inch pancakes
apples with cinnamon
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes
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Servings
12 4-inch pancakes
Servings
12 4-inch pancakes
Ingredients
Toppings
Adjust servings: 4-inch pancakes
Units:
Instructions
  1. In a bowl whisk together 1 cup buttermilk and oats and let the mixture stand for 15 to 20 minutes. (You can mix the night before).
  2. In a large bowl whisk together egg, brown sugar, and apple.
  3. Stir in flour, the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons oil, and oat mixture, until well mixed.
  4. Heat a griddle over moderate heat, brush it with butter or coconut oil. Drop the batter (approximately 1/4 cup) on the griddle
  5. Cook the pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes until it starts to bubble. Flip and cook or golden and cooked through.
  6. Serve with topping of choice
Recipe Notes

NOTE:

  • Add 1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped nuts and/or 2 tablespoons of raisins for increased fiber and nutrient density
  • Exchange cinnamon for cardamom or a pinch of allspice or nutmeg

Adapted from Epicurious: Apple and Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes.

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Making Breakfast Easy

In just a few minutes, make breakfast the night before, and it’s ready in the morning. If you haven’t tried overnight oats before, this is a great recipe to start with. I love Angela Liddon’s website  Oh She Glows;  although I don’t think I will ever be vegan, I’ve made many recipes from her website. Her cookbook is one of only three I have in my kitchen—that’s how much I use it.

There are innumerous recipes for overnight oats. The more I make them, the more concoctions I come up with depending on fresh and frozen fruits (and nuts) I have on hand.

If you don’t like the texture simply skip the chia seeds. Instead sprinkle a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseeds and mix in right before eating.

Overnight Oats
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Servings
1 bowl
Servings
1 bowl
Overnight Oats
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Servings
1 bowl
Servings
1 bowl
Ingredients
Suggested toppings
Adjust servings: bowl
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Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mash the banana until almost smooth. Now stir in the chia seeds and cinnamon until combined.
  2. Stir in the oats, almond milk, and vanilla (if using). Cover and refrigerate overnight, or a minimum of 2 hours.
  3. In the morning, stir the oat mixture to combine. If your Vegan Overnight Oats have a runny consistency even after they soak, simply stir in an additional 1 tablespoon chia seeds and place the mixture back in the fridge until it has thickened up. If the oat mixture is too thick, simply add a splash of milk and stir to combine.
Recipe Notes

Source: Oh She Glows

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Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread

This is quite popular in our house—either as muffins or a loaf of bread. I make a double recipe to freeze some for week days. Before freezing the bread loaf, I slice it and place pieces of parchment paper between the slices; making it easy to pull out a frozen slice and pop into the toaster.

Sweet potatoes pack a powerful nutritional punch. They have over 400% of your daily needs for vitamin A in one medium spud, as well as loads of fiber and potassium. More about sweet potatoes here.

I also like the high fiber content in these muffins (slices); high fiber breakfasts help promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.

Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread
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To make muffins instead of a loaf,  brush the muffin tin with softened butter, coconut oil or expeller-pressed canola oil. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread
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To make muffins instead of a loaf,  brush the muffin tin with softened butter, coconut oil or expeller-pressed canola oil. Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Ingredients
Adjust servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Butter and flour 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
  3. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl.
  4. Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla in another, larger, bowl until blended. Mix in zucchini and sweet potato.
  5. Add dry ingredients and walnuts and stir well.
  6. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
  7. Cool bread in pan on rack 15 minutes. Cut around bread to loosen. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.
Recipe Notes

Adapted from Epicurious: Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread

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