Recipe: 5 Grain Morning Cereal

5 Grain Morning Cereal is a combination of highly nutritious whole-grains that have been toasted, then just before cooking you grind the amount you need for that morning's cereal.

5-Grain Morning Cereal ("Feeding the Whole Family" by Cynthia Lair)
1 cup wheat berries
1 cup millet
1 cup spelt
1 cup brown rice
1 cup quinoa

Place all grains in a fine strainer; rinse and drain.
Toast grains in a 350 degree oven, spread the grains on a cookie sheet and toast until there is a nutty aroma (about 12-15 minutes)

Store in a jar in your cupboard until ready to use.

To make cooked cereal: (1 cup dry makes 4 servings)
1 cup toasted cereal mix, ground fresh
3 cups water
pinch of salt

Grind toasted cereal mix in a small electric grinder. Combine ground cereal, water, and salt in a small pan. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

*bonus! you can shorten the cooking time to about 5 minutes by starting the grains and hot water the night before and letting sit (without any heat) overnight.

On Christmas Eve morning we gathered the bowls together and started preparing the mix-ins as the cereal heated up.
We added:
freshly ground flaxseeds
chopped pear
chopped apple
chopped banana
frozen raspberries (from my parent's garden)
peeled and chopped mandarin oranges
dried cherries
chopped walnuts
1 tsp. sucanat to each bowl

Recipe: Citrus topped Waffles

Sunday time is waffle time and I continue to experiment and make little adjustments on this waffle recipe.
This time I used Coach's oats and added sliced clementine's on top. I didn't even need a sweetener.

gluten-free, sugar-free, oil-free

1/3 cup almonds (put these in food processor first and pulse a few times)
1/2 cup Coach's oats
1/3 cup corn flour
1 banana
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp. real salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

blend and pour in hot waffle iron.

Nova Boys + Girls + Babies

These Nova Friends...they rule.

Nova Friends-round 1

Holiday: Gift Idea

A weck jar and a small spatula,
my favorite things in the kitchen.
There are endless things you could fill the weck jar with,
but I love the idea of filling it with something beautiful and delicious
and homemade from your kitchen.
granola
trail mix
mini cookies
cinnamon toasted nuts
do you have a signature treat? fill it with that.

Recipe: Oatmeal Cake

1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup oats (quick or rolled)
1/4 cup butter softened
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup dates pureed with a little hot water
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice (or succanat)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (from the wheat I ground at my sisters)

Pour the boiling water over the oats and let stand for 20 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a pan (this time I chose a 9 inch round, but I usually do a 9x13)

Cream the butter, applesauce, evaporated cane juice, and pureed dates. Beat in the egg. Then add the oat mixture and vanilla, mixing well.

Combine the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flour. Add this to the oatmeal mixture and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until tester comes clean.

Slice and top with whipped cream and fresh or frozen berries.

*This is a cake I've always loved of my moms. It's a perfect after dinner dessert with company because it's not to rich or heavy and pretty with the whipped cream and berries. I wanted to bring a dessert to dinner with friends this week, and decided on this cake. I knew I wanted to adjust the original recipe and the substitutions I made turned out to be a success so I made it again for Sunday dinner at my sisters. Dates pureed with a little hot water in a food processor is an easy way to substitute sugar and doesn't take out the sweetness of the dessert. Dates are so sweet! Applesauce is the easy go-to for oil/butter in baked recipes and only adds to the desired moistness. I suppose you could play around with different flours too. Lots you do with this basic recipe.
Eat with people you love.

Check out//illustrated version of Food Rules

Remember when I blogged about Food Rules?
A new, updated version with illustrations by Maira Kalman came out!
Beautiful illustrations for Michael Pollan's rules.
I love his food philosophy. Real food, around a beautiful table, with people you love...less complicated, more enjoyable. It's the way to live.
And I'd like to have a blown up illustration of Maira Kalman's in my kitchen.

Gifting

cutting board

candle
cloth napkins
mixing bowls
utensils
ipad app (i'll need the ipad to go with this one)

This is what kitchen dreams are made of.

Breakfast on the GO!

On the mornings that I do my workout before work I need to have my breakfast and lunch ready to go before I head out to the gym. Which basically means I need to have it all packed and ready the night before.

Most times I like to do a raw oats or overnight oats that I can eat at my desk once I get to work.

This week I prepped a few breakfasts on Sunday and now I have them at ready in my fridge.
I used one of my favorite steel cut oat recipes which makes for about 3-4 servings of breakfast. I divided them into my glass storage jars and have them in the fridge to grab with a banana each morning. I heat it up at school and enjoy!

Kitchen art

Look at Marc John's culinary prints. Clever, Funny, and $20 a pop.
I can't decide which one I'd want.

via simple recipes

Recipe: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

I 'm a big fan of Coach's Oats. I love the texture---groats that have been "cracked and toasted." Have you ever tried? They cook fast. Basically, if rolled oats and steel cut oats had a child...

On the back of the bag there is an oatmeal cookie recipe (my favorite kind of cookie) but I don't love how much sugar and butter it calls for. So, with some substitutions and making do with what was in the cupboards and fridge incredible results were created. Make these quick. Before November ends!

Recipe: Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup sucanat
1/2 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup applesauce
2 T butter
mix well with a hand mixer

In a separate bowl mix:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup coach's oats
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

combine dry and wet ingredients and add 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

*use a mini cookie scooper. I like these as mini's.

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Watch: Forks over Knives + Lucy Chadwick

Forks Over Knives.
I watched it while I was on a break from school and immediately emailed my family telling them to watch it. It focuses on a plant-based diet and talks with a variety of people about how their health was changed for the better once following this lifestyle; off prescription medicine, weight-loss, and more energy! Really interesting film.



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Also watch Lucy Chadwick of Zara by Todd Selby.

She lives a seemingly simple and beautiful life. I love that she escapes to the countryside to a simple cabin with an apple orchard and a table and a few chairs and has peace, fresh air, and the sun. That's joy. I'd like to live more beautifully.

Recipe: Waffle with boiled apples and cinnamon

I've been experimenting with a new waffle recipe.
This is gluten free, sugar free, oil free, and filling.
It's GOOD!
makes about 4 waffles

1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup corn flour (or any flour)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk
1 egg
1 egg white
1 banana
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

blend and cook in hot waffle iron

Today I topped my waffle with boiled apples. Here's how I did it:
+washed and cut one apple into bite size chunks
+place in small pot with a little water
+let simmer with lid on for about 10 minutes
+add a sprinkle of cinnamon, lemon juice, and stevia
and you're done!

Very fall.

Nova Friends

Thanks to Nova Boys and Girls who are so supportive.
Looking at your granola faces makes me very happy.

Recipe: Almond Oat Waffles

Almond Oat Waffle
(creator: my sister Egan, with some adaptations from me)

1/3 cup almonds
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
packet of stevia
1/2 banana
blend

pour on hot waffle iron
wait 5 minutes

Slice the rest of the banana on top and drizzle with honey. Boom Pow. Breakfast!

Halloween Treats, that won't kill you

Happy Halloween!
Here are a list of treats that I've been wanting to try.
I especially like that they have some healthy advantages

Elana's Pantry: Healthier Halloween Candy
My New Roots: Raw Salted Caramel Apple Dip
Oh Happy Day: DIY Caramel Apple Kit
Whole Living: Healthy Snacks
Edible Perspective: Sweet and Salty Coconut Cinnamon Popcorn
Delightful Delicacies: Honey Nut Pretzel-wiches

A
B
C
D
E
F
G

Recipe: Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats

Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats
serving for one

2 cups water to a boil
add 1/2 cup steel cut oats
stir occasionally over medium heat and cover for 20 minutes

add 1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 banana sliced
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
stir and let sit covered for 5 minutes over no heat

To top it off you could add honey, maple syrup, rest of the banana, nuts, dried cranberries.
it's fall in your mouth

Try: Artisan bread

Baking bread with dried fruits and orange zest just for fun yesterday
I took it to the movies to share with friends last night, cause what else am I supposed to do with two loaves of bread?

Recipe: Waffle with cottage cheese and raspberries

Lunch today (but let's be serious, it's more like breakfast):

toasted Van's waffle
scoop of cottage cheese
fresh raspberries

Recipe: Easy steel cut oats and amaranth

Boil 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt
Add 1/2 cup steel cut oats and put a lid on to simmer on low for 20 minutes

For popped amaranth: head a pan and then add 2 tbsp of amaranth. Put a lid over and shake until the amaranth has popped. It will be fast, so be careful not to burn. Transfer to bowl immediately.

I topped my bowl with fresh raspberries, bananas, drizzle of 100% maple syrup, and a dab of peanut butter.

Recipe: Easy oats and amaranth

This morning I made oats and amaranth:

1/3 cup oats with 2/3 cup almond milk and 1/3 cup water
I sprinkled in some cinnamon and vanilla

I topped my oats with popped amaranth, berries, and banana. No sweetener needed.

I followed edible perspective's DIY cereal instructions for the popped amaranth. It's incredible easy and dare I say...fun!

Try: Roasted Veggie, Quinoa, Millet, Arugala Salad

My sister and I made So Good and Tasty's Roasted Veggie, Quinoa, Millet, Arugala Salad for dinner yesterday.
We followed the recipe, but added fresh tomatoes from my sister's garden, and steamed garden zucchini. We also added a little parro cheese.

On the side we had homemade artisan bread, roasted acorn squash, and strawberries.

You should try.

Recipe: Popped Amaranth+Oatmeal Breakfast

While I was home with my sisters in Seattle, we had the above breakfast before our 6 mile walk around Lake Union. It was just the way I'd like to start every morning, and certainly the fuel we needed for a sunny, beautiful, long walk.

We pulled inspiration from this Edible Perspectives recipe. We used oatmeal and then added popped amaranth as a topping. I loved the texture of amaranth, it was my first time having it.

You can do this yourself! The topping combinations are endless.

Recipe: Raw Oats

Listen here.
I've had raw oats for almost every breakfast Monday-Friday for about 3 months. We'll see how long it'll ride out cause I am far from bored. The variations are endless and it's a cheap and healthier alternative to cold cereal.

What you need for one serving:
1/2 rolled oats
1/2 tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 tbsp. flaxseed meal
1 packet stevia or drizzle of honey or drizzle of maple syrup
almond milk to cover oats
stir.

I usually finish getting ready and come back once it has set a little.

Options for toppings:
banana
frozen berries
fresh berries
nuts
dried fruit
coconut

Have you tried raw oats? How do you make yours?

Recipe: Green Smoothie

On Sunday I got together with my sister for breakfast.
She made me this smoothie:

banana

peach

1/2 pear

1/2 avocado

2 huge handfuls of spinach

3 ice cubes

1 tbls chia seeds

1 tbls spirulina

little almond milk and or water

blend away

Spirulina: Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that is rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and carotenoids, antioxidants that can help protect cells from damage. It contains nutrients, including B complex vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, manganese, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, and gamma linolenic acid (an essential fatty acid).

Chia seeds: Chia gel is made up of 90% soluble fiber, which benefits the digestive track. The soluble fiber forms a wall between carbohydrates and the body, allowing a slow release into the body, giving the feeling of being full which a great way to control the appetite. This has been suggested to be very helpful for people, like diabetics, who have trouble controlling their sugar levels.

The chia seed has twice the protein of any other seed or grain and five times the calcium of milk. Chia seeds also contain boron which is a trace mineral that helps with the absorption of calcium. The essential fatty acids, Omega 3 and Omega 6 are also present in the seeds.
Incorporating chia seeds into the daily diet has shown to enhance the nutrient absorption of all foods, including nutritional supplements. It can be uses as an aid for GERD, ulcers, gastritis and irritable bowel syndrome.
Other suggested chia seeds health benefits include: assisting physical activity (endurance), added nutrition, as well as controlling weight or sugar levels. Eating raw chia seeds helps retain maximum nutritional value. And of course, choosing an organic chia seed (or chemical free) will give the most benefit.

I love starting the day out with that much fruit and vegetables in my body. Ahead of the game is a good place to be.
Thanks Egan!