7 Energy-Boosting Breakfasts – #1 Small Step

7 Energy-Boosting Breakfasts – #1 Small Step

Energy Boosting Breakfasts

Another small step you can take towards improving energy levels and overall health, is to start the day with a nourishing breakfast.  Eating within 2 hours of waking means your body doesn’t have to produce extra stress hormones to support your blood sugar levels.  When this happens, your energy stores are playing ‘catch up’ for the rest of the day and you are likely to find yourself reaching for sugar and caffeine fixes to keep going.

This recipe-roundup is packed with creative ideas for your first feed of the day.

Some of the recipes are super quick whilst other may take a few more minutes to prepare, and they will all keep you energised till lunch (or ‘dinner’ as we call it here in Yorkshire!)…

Categories are;

P good protein source

Ve vegan (or vegan option)

GF gluten free

DF dairy free

Sweet Potato Hash Egg Skillet from Naturally Ella: P GF DF       Naturally Ella

Save time by using leftover cooked sweet potatoes from the day before in this protein and antioxidant packed breakfast.  You can swap sprouted seeds for watercress or rocket – and in case you’re wondering, pepitas are pumpkin seeds!

 

Fluffy Breakfast Quinoa from Food Heaven Made Easy: P GF DF Ve                                                                                                                                                       Again, this one involves a bit of pre-prep to save time in the morning.  Cook a large serving of quinoa at the start of the week and dip into it for breakfasts and lunchtime salads.

 

Grab & Go Chia Yoghurt Parfait from 101 Cookbooks: P GF swap to a plant based yoghurt for DF Ve   This one really is for the super-quick breakfast people!

Chia Yoghurt Parfait

Buckwheat Pancakes: GF with options for Ve and DF.  Add ground seeds or a protein powder to boost the P content.  Perfect for when you have a bit more time to enjoy breakfast; discover this and other warm breakfasts (that aren’t porridge!) over in the Recipe Section

 

Wild Mushrooms on sourdough toast: from My New Roots: use olive oil to make it Ve & DF, and non-gluten bread for GF                                                                  Wild mushrooms on toast                  Regular mushrooms can be used in place of wild ones, and as Sarah says in the post, keeping a packet of dried mushrooms in the store cupboard means you can add them to any mushroom dish for deeper flavours and higher nutrient value.  Mushrooms are a fantastic source of fibre, immune-supporting nutrients, and vitamin D.

 

Greek Chickpeas on Toast: from Lazy Cat Kitchen P DF Ve and GF option          Greek Chickpeas

A warm breakfast packed with protein, fibre and antioxidant plant nutrients from the herbs & spices!

 

 

Butternut, Spinach & Sausage Egg Cups: from Real Food Whole Life P GF DF       Make these in advance and you have a ready-to-go breakfast option for days and days.  They freeze well too.  If you prefer a meaty version there’s an option for including good Rainbow Egg Cupquality sausage or bacon.

 

 

What’s your go-to breakfast option?  I’d love to know!  Share on Twitter (I’m @nutritioninyork) or email at sallyduffin@nutritioninyork.co.uk

If you’d like to know more about how we can work together take a look HERE

You may also enjoy;

   #1 Small Step – Plan Your Way to Nutrition Success

   #1 Small Step – How You Can & Why It’s Good To Eat Mindfully

Elena’s Colourful Farinata

Elena’s Colourful Farinata

vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free

This recipe comes from Elena Holmes, a fellow nutrition consultant and superb vegan cook!  Based on a traditional dish from northern Italy, Elena has added more vegetables and spices to increase the taste, colour and nutritional quality.

Ingrediants

200g Gram flour (also sold as chickpea flour)Veg_snip

approximately 400ml water

1 medium leek

1 red onion

1 red pepper

1 large courgette

4-5 medium tomatoes

1 bunch fresh (or dried) sage

Optional spices: crushed chillies, turmeric, curry, smoked paprika – select according to taste

Olive oil to grease the tray and drizzle over the farinata

Pinch of salt

Carefully mix the flour, water and salt until it has the consistency of cream or gravy – use a whisk to avoid lumps.  Leave this mixture to rest for 40-60mins.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Dice the vegetables and sage.  Oil a standard sized baking tray and scatter the veg and sage evenly over it.  Add your chosen spices.  Pour the flour mixture over the vegetables, drizzle sparingly with olive oil and bake for 25-30mins until the vegetables are cooked andthe farinata has the consistency of soft flat bread.  Allow to cool for a few minutes then cut into pieces and serve.  Leftovers can be eaten cold the next day.

Elena can be contacted at www.elenahealthfood.com

8 Warming Breakfasts (that aren’t porridge!)

8 Warming Breakfasts (that aren’t porridge!)

Leaving the snug confines of the duvet is a little bit easier if you have a delicious breakfast to look forward to.  And at this time of year we need something warming to pull us out of that blanket nest.

Porridge is the obvious hot breakfast and this doesn’t have to be made with oats: quinoa flakes, buckwheat flakes, millet and polenta all make tasty porridge-like dishes.

But what if you can’t stand the texture of porridge? 

Try these tempting alternatives instead and enjoy a warming, porridge-free start to your day!

1.Buckwheat pancakesblog_Ggle

For the pancake mixture blend buckwheat flour with whichever milk you enjoy and either a mashed banana or an egg.  Serve with blueberries and yoghurt (natural, soya or coconut).

 

2. Poached eggs with spinach, grilled mushrooms & grilled tomatoes

Protein, greens and antioxidant nutrients are all packed together in this simple breakfast.

 

3. Warm Smoothies

Many people abandon smoothies once the weather turns cold but you can switch them round to suit the winter months.  Simply warm the milk and add 1/4 teaspoon each of cinnamon and turmeric before blending in your fruit and greens.

 

4. Stewed Fruit Crumble

Apple, pears and plums are perfect stewing fruit and plentiful at this time of year.  Top with homemade sugar-free granola, flaked almonds and seeds and a dollop of yoghurt (natural, soya or coconut).

 

5. Pumpkin & quinoa bowldreamstimefree_251099

Mix pre-roasted pumpkin (or butternut squash) with cooked quinoa, chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon – add yoghurt too if you like!

 

6. Veggie omelette

Gently fry chopped peppers, mushrooms, spinach and a handful of cherry tomatoes in coconut / olive / avocado oil then add beaten egg to make a speedy, healthful breakfast omelette.
Or try Rainbow Egg Cups; these can be batch cooked and stored in the fridge or freezer to last all week.

 

7. Toasted rye bread with sliced avocado, pistachio nuts and chopped fresh figsblog2_Ggle

Use gluten-free bread or oatcakes for a G/F alternative to rye bread, and drizzle a little raw honey over the figs.

 

8. Tofu Scramble

Tofu is a great alternative to scrambled eggs and a rich source of calcium, magnesium and protein.  For full recipe details click through to www.thekitchn.com

 

Which foods tempt you from under the covers at this time of year?
Tell us more over in the Facebook group!

Shakela’s Turmeric Quinoa

Shakela’s Turmeric Quinoa

gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan  (Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash)

This beautiful golden spice is gaining widespread popularity for its amazing health benefits that include powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions. 

As well as being a staple ingredient in so many curry dishes it can be added to warm milk for a ‘turmeric latte’, mixed with hot water, ginger, raw honey and lemon for a soothing cold-fighting brew or simply blended in with other herbs and spices in casseroles and soups.turmeric_Ggle

Shakela Shan from www.nutrishan.com is a Nutritional Therapist with a special interest in weight management.  Her passion for creating new recipes really shines through and she has kindly shared this one for you!

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1.5 cup water

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder

Salt and black pepper to taste

Dried cranberries

Chopped fresh coriander

Flaked almonds

Olive oil

Method:

1. In a pan add quinoa, water, salt, turmeric and black pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on the pan. Turn the heat off and allow to stand for a further 10-15 minutes.

2. Finally add the cranberries, coriander, flaked almonds and a drizzle of olive oil. Stir in all the ingredients with a fork.

Serve with chicken / fish / lentils, and a colourful salad for a nutrient-packed meal!

Salmon Paella – from the Greedy Wordsmith’s kitchen

Here we have the second in this series of recipes from expert cook and food writer Claire Davies, aka The Greedy Wordsmith.

To discover more about Claire, her workshops, and her food and copy writing services hop on over to  www.greedywordsmith.com

 Claire says…

As is often the case with modern favourites, the roots of Paella lie with farmers and workhands of the past. The name refers to the pan itself but has come to be known as a dish of rice flavoured with tomatoes, saffron and paprika. The addition of seafood, chicken or meat changes with each region of Spain so feel free to
experiment in your own kitchen. I also love mine topped with squid or mussels.

Soaking the saffron ahead of time allows for the true flavour of this luxurious spice to really shine. The resulting liquor always fills me with excitement and gives a beautiful ochre colour to the final dish. The stamens of the saffron crocus have a long culinary history due to the belief that they could imbue miraculous healing properties. In medieval England traders could be put to death if they were found doctoring their produce. Today the stamens are still picked carefully by hand and – weight for weight – demand a price more expensive than gold.

Ingredients

Pinch of good quality saffron
saffron stamens(1)
2 fillets of salmon (around 200g)

1 lemon, cut into quarters.

A large onion

1 medium carrot

2 cloves of garlic

200g of paella rice

1tsp of sweet paprika

½ tsp of smoked paprika

1 tbsp. of gluten-free vegetable bouillon powder

300ml of hot water

Half a can of chopped tomatoes

2 – 3 sprigs of fresh thyme

8 – 10 green Spanish olives

A handful of frozen peas

A handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

You will need a large, deep frying pan for this dish.

Place the saffron in a bowl and cover with around 20ml of warm water. Leave to
infuse for at least 4 hours.  Squeeze a quarter of the lemon over each salmon fillet and wrap loosely in greaseproof paper. Set aside.

Peel and finely dice the onion and carrot. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Fry these
gently with a little coconut oil or ghee until the vegetables are soft and translucent.

Add the paella rice and stir well.

Make a flavoured stock by combining the paprika, vegetable bouillon and hot water.
Pour this into your pan along with the chopped tomatoes and saffron liquor. Mix well before tucking the fresh thyme sprigs under the rice. Bring to the boil then reduce and simmer for fifteen minutes.  If the rice appears dry pour over another 100ml of hot water. Add the peas and  arrange the olives on the top of the rice. Cover with a lid or foil and cook for a further ten minutes. You are seeking sticky textured rice.

Towards the end place your salmon parcels in the microwave and cook for just a
couple of minutes. The salmon should still be slightly pink in the middle but not raw.
Leave to rest.

Taste your paella and season with salt and pepper accordingly. Stir through the chopped parsley before spooning a portion of the paella into a bowl, topped with one of the salmon fillets and a quarter of the lemon for squeezing.