Creamy Cinnamon Sugar Breakfast Quinoa

This is one of the healthier, more filling breakfast meals I have had in a while.  Quinoa is a delicious seed that tastes a lot like a grain.  The consistency of this quinoa dish is much more like a porridge or oatmeal than a traditional quinoa.  Imagine wholesome, nutty quinoa, just more creamy than you might be used to, and mixed with cinnamon and sugar.  Yum!

Surprisingly, it's also one of the easier hot breakfasts to put together.  You will need:

• Quinoa
• Cinnamon, to taste
• Sweetener of choice, to taste (I used stevia)
• Salt to taste (a dash is usually enough)
• Milk of choice (I used unsweeteend almond milk)
• Fruit topping (optional, I used grapes)

1. Inspect and rinse the quinoa (some boxes come pre-washed, and if so this step is unnecessary).
2. Combine all ingredients in a small slow cooker (I used a 1.5 quart slow cooker).  You will want to use more milk/liquid for each serving of quinoa than recommended on box instructions, probably 1.5 to 2 times as much and possibly even more than that.  
3. Cook on low overnight or until creamy.  Overcooking a bit is okay, just make sure that your cooker is sufficiently fully (2/3+) so that nothing gets burnt.
4. Adjust seasoning.  Serve with sliced fruit, if desired.
5. Enjoy!  It's yummy hot or cold.

I ate the entire portion, but it did make quite a lot, and I would imagine for those with smaller appetites or serving bowls it might serve two.  If you have any leftovers, this should keep for 2-3 days in the fridge, and tastes pretty good cold as well.

Green Snacks for Your Next Party

 My aunt never ceases to amaze me with her creativity.  At a recent family gathering, she worked with my cousins to create these clever snack boxes full of green goodies.  Every party has a theme, and the goodie bags are selected accordingly.  In this case, it was the food packaging that was green (colored).  I can't guarantee that everything here was environmentally friendly.  However, the products did come to us packaged in green colored boxes or baggies, often with green product names to boot.  And one could certainly make good use of the recycle bin container in which everything was stored!  My goodie bag contained:

• Beigel Beigel Long Thick Sesame Stick Pretzels
• Emerald brand Sea Salt & Pepper Cashews
• GoGo Squeez appleapple (squeezable applesauce!)
• Jalapeno Heat Dirty Potato Chips
• Joray Sour Apple Fruit Roll
• Laffy Taffy in Sour Apple
• Lime 
• Mike and Ike Candy
• Sour Power Belts (Green Apple)
• Turkey Hill Green Tea

Most of the contents were allergy friendly.  All were kid-friendly and kosher.  Any subset would be great for a children's party or St. Patrick's Day. 

The Turkey Hill Green Tea says "green" on the cap!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Yogurt

This is a grown-up version of the childhood favorite.  It kills a pb&j craving really quickly, and it's much higher in protein than the original.  You'll need:

• 1 container of yogurt of choice (I used fat free Greek)
• Peanut butter and jelly to taste (sugar free jelly is okay here!)

1. Mix everything together.
2. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Muffin Flats

I made these yummy muffin flats today when I found myself with a handful of chickpeas.  Yes, chickpeas!  These muffin flats are healthy, vegan treats, inspired by the adventures of Chocolate Covered Katie.  I didn't have quite enough chickpeas to follow a recipe, so I devised my own.  Fortunately with experimental vegan baking it's safe to taste the batter and adjust the ingredients, etc. until things seem about right.  The imprecision of this process is strangely liberating.  Try it some time!  If you fiddle around with this recipe, let me know how it goes!  To follow suit you will need:

• 1 cup of cooked chickpeas (mine had been accidentally overcooked - great for baking!)
• 1/4 cup of peanut butter, approximately (or more or less depending on how strong of a pb-taste you prefer)
• spoonful of baking powder
• 1/4-1/2 cup of flour of choice (I used whole wheat, but you could easily use oat for a g-f version)
• 1/2 cup or so of nut milk (or real milk, for a non-vegan version)
• salt, sweetener, and cinnamon to taste (I used a dash of salt and cinnamon and 5 stevia packets)
• a few drops of vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Put dry ingredients and vanilla in a blender, then add nut milk until there is enough liquid in the mix for the blender to do its thing without burning up (I have a simple hand blender).
3. Blend everything until smooth.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning.  The batter should be fairly thick; if it appears too thin, add more flour, and if it's too thick, add more milk.
5. Pour into lined muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
6. Enjoy!

This recipe makes 6 muffin flats.

Chunky Peanut Butter Pudding

This pudding really tastes like a dessert, and it's very satisfying.  The pudding has a decent amount of fat from the peanuts, but it's a healthy fat, and you can control the sugar content and the sweetness with your choice of sweetener.  You will need:

• 1 container plain yogurt (I recommend fat free Greek yogurt here for the extra protein)
•  1-3 tablespoons of peanut butter of choice (I used a chunky pb), or to taste
• Vanilla, sweetener, and cinnamon (optional) to taste.

1. Stir everything together.  You can do this right in the yogurt container!
2. Enjoy!

Very rich and satisfying!

If you liked this post, check out Magic Mocha Pudding, DIY Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, and Peanut Butter Muffin Flats!