Delicious Apple & Banana Quinoa Breakfast Muffins

Hey everyone! So today I've got a really great breakfast muffin recipe for you to try. When you're going for a muffin in the muffin you really want something that tastes good, but also will give you the nutrition and energy you need to get through the morning. These muffins have it all, quinoa, oats, fruit and sweetness. If you use gluten free oats, its a perfect gluten free breakfast. This recipe calls for apple sauce, but I have made it with warmed smooth apricot glaze before and it came out just as good. So there is definitely room for personal tweaks if you feel adventurous! They are great warm from the oven or cooled in the fridge, and easily reheated if you desire. Grab a couple from the fridge in the morning or after a hard workout session to tame that hunger!

Ingredients

• ½ cup apricot glaze or apple sauce
• 1 cup mashed bananas (three small bananas)
• 1 apple
  
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (½ cup dry)
• 2 ½ cups raw rolled oats
• ½ cup almond milk (or preferred milk, but almond is amazing!)
• ¼ cup honey (or maple syrup / agave nectar for vegan)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 extra banana for topping

Method:

Preheat your oven to 190°C ( 374° F) and lightly grease your muffin tin with olive oil. You can use another oil if you wish.
Cook your half cup of dry quinoa. Bring ¾ cup water to a boil and pour in the quinoa. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir well. Cook until  the quinoa is soft and fluffy, should be about 10-13 minutes.
Once that is done mix your apple sauce or smooth apricot glaze, mashed bananas, almond milk, honey and vanilla together in a medium bowl.  Next, in a larger bowl mix your dry ingredients and cooked quinoa. Add the wet ingredients little by little into the dry until combined nicely.
Peel and core your apple. Chop it into medium chunks and add the the mixture.
Now fill each of the muffin cups of your tin fully with the quinoa mixture. Add a couple of banana slices to each on top and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Don't forget you can store these in an airtight container in your fridge for the rest of the week. You'll be set for breakfast and/or snacks for a while. This makes a dozen breakfast muffins for me. You can experiment with additional ingredients to add extra nutrition and protein (top with almond butter, bake with added berries, cacao nibs, chia seeds, flax seed etc) Hope you try this beauty out for yourselves!

Easy Chia Seed Pudding & Fresh Berries

Looking for a breakfast that is quick, healthy, vegan, gluten free, high in fiber and vitamins and also amazingly delicious!? Well say hello my current favourite, chia seed pudding! This recipe is easy as pie, but better of course! Not only does it meet the full array of the criteria listed, but it even looks very inviting to the eye.

I'll put it out there that if you aren't the biggest fan of tapioca pudding, due to its texture, you may not be the biggest fan. That being said I have heard of people who aren't tapioca lovers saying that it is a bit different and that they still enjoy the benefits of a good chia pudding. Its not exactly the same texture but it is somewhat similar, so that must be left to personal preference.

If you are up for trying a bowl of this fantastic chia goodness then please read on! You will love how easy this recipe is. No cooking, no fuss. Just prepare your pudding the night before so it is ready to serve in the morning. For me this is food magic!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of almond milk (you can use soy, coconut, hazelnut etc. Or make it non-vegan)
• 4 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1½ tablespoons organic pure cane sugar (or any sweetener of choice)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Mixed berries or any other topping you like (other fruits, nuts etc)

Method:

This is going to thrill you, I know. Find a small bowl and combine your milk, sugar (or sweetener of choice) and vanilla extract. Add in your chia seeds and whisk together. All done! Now leave your pudding mixture to to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but the best results come from leaving it overnight. You can leave it in the bowl you mixed it in or anything else you like. The chia seeds will absorb the liquids, expand and create a gel-like tapioca pudding consistency. The longer you leave it to become pudding the better and thicker the pudding will be.

 In the morning grab your now set chia pudding and pour into your desired serving bowl and top with fresh berries of your choice. I love it with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Its also great with blackberries mixed in there or even topped with pomegranate! You can play around with your topping choices as much as you like. Oranges and dark chocolate shavings, shredded coconut, slivered almonds, whatever tickles your tastebuds.

Well I hope you enjoy this recipe and give it a go. Its a fabulous breakfast or pre-work out snack and it also makes a delicious dessert. Have fun!

Strawberry & Mint Infused Water

We all know water is very important, and it is something we really should be drinking frequently instead of toxifying caffeine and sugar filled beverages. I have heard many people complain that water is too "plain" and flavourless, or even that they don't like the taste outright.  This is terrible to hear but I hope I can persuade some of you to change your ways.

Human beings really must have water in their diet. It filters out toxins and free radicals that can lead to many illnesses. We need it for so many health reasons including skin health, avoiding water retention & bloating, maintaining proper organ function and hydration and oxygenation of our blood. A good way to motivate yourself into increasing your H2O intake is to make a fruit and/or herb infusion that will be both beneficial and deliciously refreshing - I promise!

Ingredients:

• strawberries, sliced into halves
• fresh mint leaves
• honeydew melon, cubed
• blackcurrants
• ice cubes
• cold water, preferably filtered

Method:

This is going to be so simple, you'll wonder why you never tried it before!
Firstly get out your fruits and fresh mint sprigs, wash and prepare them for use. Now get your desired jar or pitcher and place your fruits inside. You can layer them or just plop them inside, your choice. Then get out a wooden spoon (or whatever utensil you have) to reach inside the jar/pitcher and give your fruits and mint a little mash. This will cause them to release more juices and minerals into your water.

We're almost done already! Pour in some ice cubes over your fruits and mint leaves. And finally pour in your cold water. Hooray! All done, now all you need to do is put on your lid (for your jars) and leave it to chill in your refrigerator. Leave your water for a minimum of 6 hours (preferably leave overnight) so the fruits can infuse which is what we are going for here. They will release all their wonderful flavours along with their nutrients and minerals.
This is very refreshing and definately a better alternative to fizzy drinks and concentrated juices. You can mix up whatever fruits, herbs etc you like. There are so many combinations to make for both nutritional benefits and taste. I hope you enjoy your water a little bit better from now on.

Yummy Avocado Bruschetta

I was thinking about posting some breakfast foods seeing as I have neglected that area thus far. In keeping with the "easy, healthy and quick" theme I thought I would share one of my favourite fast breakfasts, bruschetta. There are many variations of the bruschetta for you to explore, but I'm going to share my go-to recipe I absolutely adore, avocado bruschetta with black olives and cherry tomatoes!

Ingredients

• 2 medium cut slices of multigrain bread ( sour dough & wholewheat are good choices too)
• 1 ripe avocado
• 3-4 cherry tomatoes
• 2 black olives
• 1 clove garlic
• sea salt / kosher salt
• cracked black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Firstly peel and slice your garlic in half. Rub the garlic along your 2 slices of bread. Drizzle or brush your bread lightly with the olive oil (you don't need much, so be careful not to over do it). Sprinkle with salt and black pepper before placing your bread oil side down on your grill / griddle / pan. Repeat on the other side and leave to toast on medium heat for a few minutes. Flip over to toast both sides evenly.
Slice your avocado in half and remove the stone (I do this by cutting down into the stone carefully with a sharp knife and twisting it to the side, loosening the stone easily). Remove and roughly cut up the creamy green flesh and top your bread slices. Chop your cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters and chop or slice your olives before added to your avocado and bread. Season with a little more black pepper and/or salt.
Pretty easy, yes? And completely satisfying.

The nutritional value of this simple breakfast is amazing. If you use a good multigrain bread like me you will be loading up on your iron, calcium, lignans, folate, vitamins, minerals and unsaturated fats just from your 2 bread slices alone, which is fantastic first thing in the morning as it gives you natural energy for your busy day ahead. I like to use the multigrain bread from wholefoods which is packed with goodness from sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, sesame seeds, millet flakes etc etc.
The avocado is amazing and has so many health benefits you definitely should be aware of. Not only does it contain a wide variety of vitamins (e.g vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, that have antioxidant properties) and potassium but it also has high amounts of  monounsaturated fat which helps prevent cardiovascular issues, such as heart disease and lowers cholesterol levels!
Teamed up with anti inflammatory, monounsaturated, vitamin E filled black olives and carbohydrate filled cherry tomatoes is the perfect combination to get you going in the morning. I highly recommend you try this out for yourselves and create your own variations as well.

Notes:

"For an added 'pick me up' on energy major health benefits, sprinkle some flaxseed on top"
"Not only is this a great breakfast, it is also perfect as a snack, lunch or starter."

Mexican Pizza

Today I really wanted to make something healthy, tasty and most of all quick to eat! Now pizza isn't generally the most healthy option, especially when you think of buying from fast food restaurants. But never fear, because I have a pretty guilt free "pizza" solution for you to try out, Mexican pizza!

Ingredients

• 1 whole tortilla (flour, corn, wholewheat)
• ¼ cup refried black beans, heated
• ¼ cup cheddar cheese
• feta cheese crumbles, sprinkled
• ¼ red onion, diced
• ½ a medium tomato, diced
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• Salsa
• Guacamole (I used a fresh batch from wholefoods)
• Cracked black pepper
• Sea salt
• I added a couple of Greek kalamata olives, but I don't recommend this unless you are a particular "olive fan"

Method

Are you ready? This is super easy and quick! Heat your tortilla in either a pre-heated oven on 250°C or a toaster oven until lightly browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Chop your veggies while you wait and warm your refried beans. If you can't find any refried beans you can just buy some black beans at your grocery store (Sainsbury's has yummy organic ones in-store) heat them in a pan with 1/4 cup water and mash with black pepper and salt to season!
Spread your beans over the tortilla. Add 2-3 spoons of guacamole. Add your veggies and salsa and then top with your cheese. Add a very light sprinkle of salt and pepper if desired.
Return to oven / toaster oven and heat just until the cheese melts. Enjoy!

This takes me roughly 15 minutes to prepare, which is exactly what I was going for. It is crunchy, textured and delicious. Of course you can make alternations to suit your own pallet, but I really hope you try this out for yourselves.
If you have a pizza craving, but don't want the calories, you know where to turn!