Chia Seed Pudding

I can't tell you how much I love eating this pudding for breakfast - and it's not even bad for you (as long as you go easy on the maple syrup)!

Ingredients

• 1 cup vanilla-flavoured unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt (or whatever yogurt tastes good to you)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus 2 teaspoons for serving
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 pint strawberries, hulled and chopped
• Raw pecan pieces

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, gently whisk the almond milk, yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the vanilla and a pinch of salt until just blended. Whisk in the chia seeds; let stand 30 minutes. Stir to distribute the seeds if they have settled. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, in a medium bowl, toss the berries with the remaining 2 teaspoons maple syrup. Mix in the pecan pieces.
3. Spoon the pudding into bowls or glasses; mound the berry mixture on top and serve.

This recipe has been adapted slightly from Food Network.

Mom Says

“If one has a realistic bad dream, the next morning breakfast must be eaten before the dream can be mentioned or discussed. Otherwise, the bad dream will come true.”

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

I never expected this to be as delicious as it was. MAKE IT.

Ingredients (serves 2 people)

• 1 peeled, frozen banana
• 3/4 cup light chocolate almond milk
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (or a bit more if you like peanut butter a lot)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 6-8 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Unpeel the banana and put it either a Ziplock baggie or container and freeze for 12 hours.
2. Put all the ingredients in a blender and puree until your desired consistency. 

I've been drinking these either late at night for a snack or when I'm in a hurry in the morning and can't make breakfast. My God, it's tasty. (Oh, and if you like that glass up top there, it's from Ikea and it was $2.50 and I love it. I bought two of them and one is my Q-tip holder in the washroom. Such great glasses.)

Overnight French Toast Bake

I just made this for Christmas morning and it tasted INCREDIBLE. And I'm not even a breakfast person. If you have any sort of special occasion coming up (or even if you don't), you really should make this. It feeds a bunch of people (maybe 5-10) so keep that in mind. 

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough bread
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Instructions

NOTE: There are two separate things that need to be refrigerated overnight.

1. Cut up the loaf into cubes and place evenly in a greased 9x13 pan (or something similarly sized).

2. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread.

3. Cover your pan with Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

4. Mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

5. Cut in butter with this mixture until crumbly and place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate overnight as well.

6. In the morning, take the pan and Ziploc bag out of the fridge when ready to bake. Sprinkle crumbly mixture evenly over the bread.

7. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on how soft you like it.

Original recipe from Lil Luna.

Mom Says

“If you have a realistic bad dream, the next morning breakfast must be eaten before the dream can be mentioned or discussed. Otherwise, the bad dream will come true.”

Peanut Butter, Strawberry & Banana Quesadillas

I can't tell you how CRAZY GOOD THESE ARE.

I'm still not sure if this is an acceptable dish to be served at breakfast, but that's what I've been doing so you should, too. (Also, if you want to turn this into a dessert, then I suggest replacing the peanut butter with Nutella. Your mind will implode.)

Photo Credit: Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

Cooking spray

Natural creamy peanut butter

2 wholewheat tortillas

1 large ripe banana, sliced

3-4 strawberries, sliced

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

1. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and spray the pan with cooking spray.
2. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on one side of each tortilla.
3. Arrange both the banana and strawberry slices over one tortilla, sprinkle with a pinch of cinnamon, and top with the remaining tortilla, peanut butter side down. Press gently to help them stick together.
4. When the skillet is hot, add the quesadilla, flipping once or twice, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Cut each quesadilla into quarters with a pizza slicer. Serves 1-2.

I adapted the recipe slightly, but you can find the original one here.  

Breakfast To Go Container

I'm not saying that Martha Stewart doesn't have an amazing team, but I love her personally for having this container available through her Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's.

It's a small (to-go) container with a rubberized airtight seal, it has two compartments to separate wet and dry ingredients and a snap-in spoon (it snaps into the bottom of the top layer). It's ideal for taking yogurt, granola, berries, milk or cereal on the go in the morning or whenever.

Is this not fantastic? If there's one thing that gets me hot and bothered all over, it's purposeful, fancy tupperware. I just bought one recently and I can't tell you how nice it is to have yogurt and granola as a snack when you're out in the world and you don't want to eat terribly. 

Vanilla-Lemon Berry Parfaits

If someone were to ever plant me a lemon tree outside my home, I'd consider that a proposal. Who the hell wouldn't agree that having a lemon tree in your yard would be the most heavenly accessory to any ordinary existence? Man, I love lemons. And pine. 

I just ate this parfait for breakfast - and other than it being ridiculously easy to make, it was just a delight to eat (possibly 'cause it tastes like dessert). And please know that I'm not even into breakfast and I loved this. 

Ingredients

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 (3.5-ounce) containers fat-free (or sugar-free) vanilla pudding
2 tablespoons bottled lemon curd (I couldn't find this at my apparently-peasant-like grocery store so I didn't bother with it. Though, since it's just more lemon, I'm sure that if you find it and use it then it'll taste even better.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup strawberries (since that was all I had - add blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc. if you have them)

EAT IT!

Recipe adapted slightly from Health.com

Eat Raisins!

Are you eating raisins? You really should be. Everyone and their brother has been telling me to eat breakfast for years, so I've started. And the only consistent cereal that I can daily love is any form of raisin bran (and I don't mean the Kellogg's one - get an organic brand, like the one shown below, so the raisins don't come coated in extra sugar). 

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Cascadian Farm Organic

And every time I find one of those sweet little raisins on my spoon full of milk, I get maybe 5% excited. Why is this? I don't know, I guess I treat the raisins as the little prizes of my breakfast. They're definitely the highlight of forcing myself to eat bran every morning, but I've also come to realize that they're just really tasty in general. Do you have any idea how good they are for you? Other than the eons of reasons why they're so good for you, here were the ones that stood out in my mind. 

• Enhances mouth health

Unlike candy, raisins contain oleanolic acid, which provides protection against cavities and tooth decay, and prevents the growth of harmful bacteria that can cause gingivitis and other periodontal diseases. 

• Enhances bone health

Raisins are a rich source of calcium, which is necessary to strengthen bones and teeth. A micronutrient that is abundant in raisins–boron–aids in calcium absorption and bone formation. If you are a postmenopausal woman, raisins are a good snack for you because the calcium and boron present in them help prevent the development of osteoporosis. 

• Stimulates sexuality

You could find natural stimulation through regular consumption of raisins. An amino acid in raisins called arginine helps to arouse the libido.

 All those facts were found here.