Category: Morning routine

Quinoa cereal with milk is a great way to get the healthy benefits of grains and not a soggy bowl of cereal. Below are ideas on how to make the most of quinoa and oatmeal.

Let’s see… does this describe you? You wake up and you want to eat something, but you crave something different than what you had for breakfast yesterday. (That’s a sign you could be a natural Vata).

Why not try quinoa recipes for a morning cereal bowl that healthy eaters are raving about?

Btw, it’s OK to feel like you’re in a food rut, seeking food variety and abandoning old ways.

That’s actually a healthy natural selection way for your body to get different nutrients and as nutrition information evolves.

Cereal used to be the most popular way to start your day, with a nutrition label full of vitamins and minerals.

But then the healthy truth came out and went south when you learned that the source was fortified, (nutrients were added), or enriched (nutrients removed and added back).

You see preservatives like BHT on the list of ingredients when they could (and you can) do without.

Our childhood favorites that end in “O” (maybe for “oh-no!) have been called out for having Roundup weedkiller ingredients.

Even if it’s small traces, you don’t want your food near pesticides that aren’t natural foods you pick off the land, ya know what I mean? So what’s a girl to do?

Like most, we grow up and tweak our diets to match a healthier lifestyle?

Other-once childhood favorites like a tart popped from the toaster are no longer appealing to a healthy adult. The nutrition label can make your eyes pop out of your head with high sugar, low fiber, etc… (you might as well go for a bakery creme-filled donut or chocolate croissant).

For our daily breakfasts, we love our fast favorite cereals and breakfast sweets, but we can love our health more.

Well… when you put it that way…

That’s not a pick-me-up way (and not my usual Enneagram 7 enthusiasm). It actually sounds a bit like wah-wah-wah, but wait… there’s a new wah in Keen-wah (quinoa)… a much better alternative to get excited about. Now, that’s what I’m talking about! And, my favorite easy, quinoa recipes are below.

Another favorite is old-fashioned or slow-cooked oatmeal (whole grain rolled oats) that’s a particularly great morning warm meal for natural Vatas who love to multitask while getting food in the morning body.

It’s a good morning bowl because it doesn’t get soggy (it’s already mushy!). And it’s fast to make so it’s no bother if your brain hasn’t caught up with your stomach needs before you’ve had any caffeine. You just need a little hot water.

For slow-rising Kapha energy, warm oatmeal could also be the simple meal that works.

While healthy Pittas love to eat and go! and love foods that cool their bodies down.

A meal with milk or a dairy alternative is perfect like cereal or a morning healthy goodness smoothie.

Because I mentioned how finding healthy store-bought cereals that you like can be tricky, making your own homemade granola cereal (crunchy) or oatmeal (soft and warm) from whole-grained rolled oats is an easy alternative.

It’s tasty and takes very little time.

And you can pre-make healthy granola cereal as an extra time-saver.

The only sweet ingredient is a small amount of high quality or local honey (to act as the glue) and optionally add in your favorite dried fruit and nuts, such as almonds and raisins as the healthier choices.

If you want a crunchier granola cereal, then use less honey, and bake in higher oven temperatures for a shorter amount of time, making sure to watch your batch so they don’t burn.

Quick funny story… or at least it was entertaining to me. Long before I worked in hotel catering, I worked in the kitchen of an upscale Italian restaurant where I did food prep.

One salad task I had was to prepare and bake pine nuts. I remember they were extremely temperature and time-baking-sensitive.

If you didn’t stand there and watch the oven, the pine nuts would go from unbaked to burnt in the blink-of-an-eye. That happened more than once, but I got smart and learned to stay mindful on my task.

[OK…anyway, where was I? 😊]…

Granola is a little more forgiving, but every oven is a little different and depending on where in your oven you set your sheet pan.

I take my Silpat off so that I can get crunchier granola (but that’s just preference). In baking, slight altitude and temperature changes outside, affect indoor baking conditions.

Another alternative and my favorite and maybe yours too (or could be yours), is the breakfast quinoa bowl.

I promised some quinoa recipes (they’re further below).

When I was growing up, we didn’t know quinoa existed. Before then as far as I can remember, cous cous was the exotic and chic healthy norm alternative to pasta or rice before superfood quinoa came along.

Quinoa is actually mistaken as a grain, and even set in the grain aisle in the grocery store.

It’s acually the fruit part of a dried herb (but it looks and cooks like a grain so it’s treated like one).

You know that saying, if it looks and acts like a duck, then it’s a duck.

Anyway, now we’re all fully quinoa aware.

We add healthy grains to our lunch and dinner salads like dry dressing.

For breakfast ideas, have you tried or thought about adding breakfast quinoa recipes as the new cereal or oatmeal?

I did and that really spruced up my healthy morning breakfast options. You may also love (or grow to like) the quinoa-forward trend for starting your day right. ♥

Here are a few good reasons to try it out:

Health benefits. Red quinoa is a newer superfood loaded with protein, carb, and vitamins and minerals like calcium and potassium. It’s also a high fiber source. So that’s makes it a great breakfast food. And still a hidden secret.

Durability. Besides health benefits, quinoa cooked doesn’t dry up like cooked oatmeal can (that can be as disappointing as soggy-drenched cereal). Quinoa stays light and fluffy in your fridge after it’s cooked.

Satiate a sweet tooth. You can add your sweet, fruits if you want to skip the added refined sugar options. Unlike a plain fruit bowl, you won’t be as hungry right away.

Versatility. And if you decide you’re tired of eating morning quinoa bowls, you can use your cooked quinoa to add to your lunch or dinner salad ideas, or as a side dish instead of traditional carb sources like pasta and rice.

We usually think of quinoa as a high-carb source. It’s also a high protein source, so that’s another reason why it’s great to incorporate in your daytime meal.

1 cup of quinoa has 20 grams of protein. That’s the same apples-to-apples amount of protein that’s in 1 cup of tofu. Protein will keep you from feeling hungry.

Red quinoa is higher in fiber than white quinoa that’s more common. You can think of red quinoa like using whole wheat flour vs regular (multi-purpose) flour.

So, here’s how you can give it a try if you haven’t already…

Breakfast Quinoa Ideas:

Organic red quinoa. Cook per instructions, and then cool. Did I mention this is a great meal you can prep in advance!

Refrigerator cooked quinoa for 1-3 days.

Then in a bowl, add your favorite fruits:

 

-Whole blueberries

-Sliced strawberries for traditionalists

-Lingonberry or acai (ah-sye-eeh makes quinoa easy to pronounce!) for the adventuring tastes

-Sliced bananas

-Your nuts and seeds (chia or flaxseed, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds)

-Coconut shavings (like you would use in baking. Unsweetened or sweetened)

-Dairy milk alternatives: Coconut milk, almond milk, or cashew milk. You can also get your morning oats in with oat milk 😉

I also have a ‘lil wake-up caffeine hack. This is what I do… for a final touch,  I add either sprinkles of cocoa powder, or ground flavored coffee such as vanilla, blueberry, coconut, or cinnamon flavored super fine ground coffee.

And if I’m super tired, or it’s like a big “presentation day” or a day where you need “to be on,” I add a few sprinkles of ground espresso. It adds taste and wakes your brain up and if you have morning allergy fatigue.

I also add cinnamon or cardamom spices for a different sweet taste and healthy enhancement.  Powders are good, but I find liquid extracts and essences are too strong, have alcohol, and are good for baking.

The only liquid besides the dairy milk alternative I would add is fresh citrus juices (squeezed from an orange, lime, or lemon).

You can also make an apple cinnamon bowl which is a good year-round bowl.

In the fall, apples are in season so you can find and pick your own apples from the local farm or orchard groves. And if you don’t have any milk alternatives in your house, and you don’t want to run to the store, you can use a flavored tea like bergamot or cinnamon tea hack, or whatever tea flavors light your fancy.

Steep tea with warm-hot water, then add. That’s the healthy way (and what I’m talkin’ about!).

You also can buy shelf-stable dairy milk alternatives and keep an extra 32 oz reserve in your dry cupboard/pantry. …there’s no shortage of smart think ahead ideas!

Here are a few other favorite ways I like to consume quinoa:

Lunch/Dinner Quinoa Ideas:

Protein: Chickpea, tofu, or chicken
Add spinach, grapes, cucumber, or apples for another dimension. Optional spice: cumin.

For dinner, same as lunch except add more veggies (plant based meal) like cooked red onions, brussel sprouts, leafy and collard greens.

…Now it’s time for me to get back in the healthy kitchen!