Healthy Breakfast Choices
I had a great time on the weekend at the breakfast event at the Ommaroo Hotel, in Havre De Pas,https://www.ommaroo.com it was lovely to see so many people trying different breakfast foods. People were really open to trying new things and were even converted to foods that they would not have eaten before.
The children at the event who are sometimes harder to convince were tucking into quinoa porridge with lots of delicious berries. The quinoa porridge is particularly beneficial since quinoa contains all the essential amino acids, which is not normally the case from plant based foods, Quinoa is a particularly good source of protein for vegans, and vegetarians who need good quality protein to replace meat.
Some children find it difficult to eat breakfast so finding something they enjoy is vital. Smoothies are often a good choice for children that struggle to eat in the morning. They can drink it easily, and you add some greek yoghurt for added protein and fat soluble vitamins, which is easier to digest than milk, due to the low lactose content. You can also add some healthy rich antioxidant berries and some omega 3 rich seeds, that they may not ordinarily eat on their own.
Children Do Eat Seeds
I was surprised to see how many children were eating the mixed seeds when mixed with the yoghurt and berries. Maybe having seeds in dishes that they can add to their porridge or other breakfast cereal is the key. They then feel like they are making the choice to have them.
The chef’s made some super healthy dairy free pancakes using dairy free milk, and the healthy home made baked beans went down a storm with both the adults and children, which did not contain any sugar, and overall much healthier than the usual tinned version you buy.
The chef had made the home made spelt bread, which i posted recently on my site, which although spelt does contain gluten it is often easier for some people to digest than normal bread, and being a whole grain it is not processed like normal wheat bread.Look out for the wholemeal spelt flour rather than the white one, which contains more fibre and is extra tasty when making bread.
Is Breakfast The Most Important Meal Of The Day?
There is no denying that breakfast is vital to keep your blood sugar levels stable. After all, its been a long time since you have eaten when you come to eat breakfast. You need breakfast for fuel for your body and your brain.
Eating breakfast also helps you stop feeling hungry later on in the day. It also means that we do not make unhealthy food choices, which we often make when we are really hungry to satisfy our appetite.
Staying clear of sugary based cereals and sticking to protein rich foods, such as eggs, the quinoa porridge i spoke about and oat based porridge are some of the best choices for breakfast.
Here are some of the the popular choices at the event:
Banana and Blueberry Protein Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 banana
10 ice cubes
1/2 cup milk (cows, almond, coconut or oat milk)
1/2 cup of rolled oats (gluten free organic ideally)
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (optional)
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. flaxseeds or mixed seeds
Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender, serve and enjoy.
Kids and adults loved these smoothies, great for kids that do not like eating breakfast with protein from the greek yogurt low sugar berries with plenty of vitamin C, omega 3’s from the mixed seeds for better brain health and oats for fibre which also helps balance out your blood sugar. The banana is a great source of potassium and will give you the energy you need to get you going in the morning. Someone also commented on how filling they were, so you don’t feel hungry.
Quinoa Porridge Recipe
Ingredients serves 2
1 cup ( 8oz/250g) white quinoa- well rinsed
1½ cups of milk (choose from normal milk, or if dairy free use almond or coconut milk)
½ cup (125ml/4 floz) water and a further 2 tbsp water
Method
In a pan heat the quinoa with 1 cup of milk with the half cup of water until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through for approx. 10 minutes, over a medium heat, once cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed turn off the heat, and add the remaining ½ cup of milk to the porridge.
This is the basic recipe for quinoa porridge. I like to mash berries and nuts into these and sometime some yogurt. The quinoa is quite bland on its own so really needs something added. You could add blueberries, nuts, bananas, kiwi, raspberry and cinnamon to name a few. But its really good to experiment with what you like best. It is also worth mentioning that it is important to wash the quinoa well, as it contains something called Saponins which can make the quinoa bitter, so give it a good rinse before cooking.
The healthy baked beans that were a big hit, were one of Jamie Olivers recipes. I can’t claim these as my own unfortunately. I didn’t adapt the recipe as i don’t think it needs adapting, but you can substitute the beans for other types of beans, i like to use Borlotti beans. If you have kids, that don’t like chilli, you can skip the chilli and just just rosemary oil, or just make the beans themselves
If you would like a step by step guide on making them you can watch the video by following the link below:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/videos/healthy-baked-beans-katie-pix/
The next event planned at the Ommaroo hotel will be coming up soon, we will be making and learning all about healthy snack ideas. Please watch this space or look at the events section on www.Nutrifyme.com or subscribe to this blog, so you don’t miss some of the new recipes coming up.
A big thank you to Fiona, for inviting me and organising the event, and thanks also to the chef and all the staff for embracing the new foods and making it such a fun and organised event.
Here are some of the photo’s from the event:
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