Breakfast, I still love you!

Since starting an intensive yoga teacher training program, I've noticed lots of changes in my eating habits. Not only has my appetite changed considerably (either completely diminished or insatiable) but the size and timing of my meals are totally different than they were before the training, and continue to vary depending on the time of day that I practice. The biggest change for me is breakfast. In the past, my day did not begin until breakfast ended. Breakfast has been my signal for my body and brain to start working, my fuel to get going and the first thing I create. Since I started practicing yoga more intensely most mornings, I've had to forgo this ritualistic meal. Not only was there no time to prepare and consume food before leaving the house at 8 or 9 am (give me a break, I've only been out of college for six months!) but it is actually not a good idea to practice on a full stomach.

Why should you do yoga on an empty stomach? Just try to visualized food moving down the digestive track while attempting twists and inversions for a moment. Its like driving off the road and going backwards and in circles before proceeding to your destination. It takes a lot of energy to digest food-moving food through the system and assimilating nutrients. Moving through various poses and transitions take lots of energy too, and thusly compromises your body's capacity to absorb nutrients and depletes the amount of energy you have to expend on asanas. Kind of a loose-loose situation, if you ask me. Having an empty belly also allows for deeper breathing (literally more room for air) and a clearer mind. If you don't practice yoga in the morning, or MUST eat something when you wake up, make sure you allow one to two hours (depending on the speed of your metabolism) to digest before practicing. 

All that said, there have been few days where I opted to attend a class in the evening and started my day with a gentle self-practice and meditation, followed by a nourishing breakfast. Below are some culinary creations I have been enjoying lately: 

A sweet and grounding breakfast porridge comprised of:

1/2 cup brown rice

1 carrot, grated 

1/4 cup raisins

1 T sesame seeds

maple syrup (to taste) 

 A blueberry buckwheat pancake, based on this recipe 

A green smoothie with raw cacao and this life-changing G-F bread via My New Roots

New Year, New Breakfast

I've been trying to experiment with different breakfast options in hopes of straying away from the ever reliable, but occasionally tiering oatmeal. While over the years I've definitely found ways to get creative with that grain, sometimes a girl just needs something entirely new. 

For this bowl, I combined:
3/4 Cup cooked and cooled quinoa
1 Pear, cubed 
5 leaves of fresh basil, sliced
Cinnamon
Sliced almonds

This recipe has been submitted to Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Food-Spectacular Fridays  and  Gluten Free Fridays

Buckwheat Berry Pancakes

I'm finally on break and finally have time for nice, relaxing, elongated breakfast! It's so nice to be able to wake up and think about what I'm actually in the mood to eat rather than the usual "shovel some oatmeal down my throat while it's still piping hot because I have 3 minutes to be out the door" routine. Today I actually turned off my alarm and went back to sleep! I think I dreamed up this pancake recipe while I snoozed. I wanted some hearty whole grains and something on the sweet side, without being too sweet. I adapted this recipe from here since I had never actually made pancakes from scratch before (I grew up with Bisquik mix with Tollhouse chocolate chips, and would usually just pick out all the chocolate:)) Oh, how times change. I feel like I'll be making these a lot this break since once you have all the flours prepared they are super easy to whip together and grill up on the stove. They came out better than I could have dreamed of!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk)
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I subbed oat flour)
1/2 tablespoons sugar (I subbed 1/2 T flax seeds mixed with stevia)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 cup mixed berries or filling of choice (I used frozen mixed berries, see suggestions)

2 tablespoons coconut flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (for grilling, I actually used just enough to coat the pan)

In a small bowl, mix milk with vinegar and let sit while you mix dry ingredients. To make whole grains such as buckwheat into flour, simply place in blender on high speed for about 30 seconds. This is so much more economical than buying pricey pre-made flours from the health food store, especially if you buy your grains from the bulk bins like I always do.

In medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the dry mixture, lightly folding as to keep a nice fluffy consistency. Batter may be slightly lumpy. Do not over stir as this is what makes pancakes hard and dense, not what we're looking for. Fold in the berries and coconut or whatever add-in you choose. Let batter sit 10 minutes.

Heat oiled griddle to medium-high. Pour batter to desired size and cook 2-3 minutes per side. Be careful not to burn them! I usually turn the heat down to a little over medium for best results.
This makes three small pancakes, a good serving for one, but you can double or triple the recipe to make lots for friends! Have a pancake party!

light and fluffy with bursts of berries

Here are some other ideas I came across while searching for recipes online:

-banana with vegan chocolate chip

-sliced apple with cinnamon, raisins and walnuts

-grated pumpkin, sweet potato or squash

-bok choi and mushroom (savory)

-gingerbread pancakes

...the list goes on. I feel like I'm going to be experimenting with this one a bunch!

Update:: I made these with my roommate who blogged about our indulgent experience here. I recommend making a nice syrup to accompany the versatile cakes and also to stack them as high as you possibly can. I think they taste better when they are in skyscraper formation ;)

oatmeal-mixing it up!

Now that classes have started up again, it seems like I'm literally running out the door every morning. My favorite way to fuel up a busy winter day is with oatmeal. I personally like steal cut oats the best. They cook up faster than oat groats and feel heartier than rolled oats to me. I also just discovered Trader Joe's Quick Cooking Steal Cut Oats, which I've been subsisting on ever since. Now, I know you must be asking yourself, as a foodie, how do I not get bored with the same breakfast every freaking day? They key is to switch up what I add to the oats! Here are some of my favorites:

SWEET OATS:

1. Apple-cinnamon oats:

Chop or grate one whole apple. Bring 1 cup of apple cider (I like TJ's) to boil, add oats and lower heat to simmer. When about half way cooked, add chopped apple and lots of cinnamon (I also add ground flax seeds at this point). Pour the porridge mixture in a bowl and top with maple syrup and some nuts or seeds (I like chopped almonds) and raisins if you like!

I topped this bowl off with some pan-toasted rolled oats for some extra crunch!

2. Coconut-almond oats:

Cook oats as you normally would (using water or sometimes I use almond milk if I want something extra creamy) Top with shredded coconut, flax seeds and chopped almonds.

3. Simple berry oatmeal:

Cook oats normally, in salted water or non-dairy milk of choice. Top with fresh berries, such as blueberries and sliced strawberries. Top with aprox 1/2 T of maple syrup if you're feeling really wild :)

SAVORY OATS:

1. Chipotle-Cheezy Oats:

Add to cooked oats:

1 T ground flax seeds

1 T pumpkin seeds (pan toasting them until they brown/ pop adds a nice toasty flavor)

1 T nutritional yeast

1 pinch cayenne (or other spice of your choice, I've been using "hot peppeh" that I brought back from Ghana)

tons of black pepper

salt to taste

2. Simple Seaweed/Sesame Oats:

Cook oats normally. Top with flax and sesame seeds, occasionally half an ume plum if I feel like I need the extra health, and seaweed of choice. I have a nice three seaweed flake blend (dulse, laver and sea lettuce) and sometimes I crumple up half a sheet of nori and toss it in there too. Yum. Seaweed for breakfast!

What's your favorite way to cook up oatmeal?