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Hey Everyone! Are you a big breakfast eater? I never really used to eat breakfast growing up, other than the occasional morning stop at the bakery with my dad on my way to school, but things have definitely changed since then, and I love a good breakfast now! My morning always starts off with a big cup of English Breakfast Tea, but as for my breakfast choices, they are constantly changing because I get bored of eating the same breakfast very quickly. Plus I find that switching things up and making breakfast a little more interesting will make me more likely to eat it, and I won’t end up snacking on random things all morning. Sometimes I make a healthy breakfast at the beginning of the week that can be reheated or will last for a couple days (like this baked oatmeal or this granola) and then on weekends or when I’m craving something sweet, I tend to make something a little more indulgent (like this baked French toast) to have with my morning tea, or even eat for an afternoon treat. Another breakfast that I love and that can easily be prepared the night before and simply assembled in the morning is a big, hearty quinoa bowl. Quinoa is so filling and satisfying which makes it a great breakfast choice, and paired with lots of fresh fruit, nuts, seeds or yogurt, it’s a great healthy breakfast option!

QUINOA BREAKFAST BOWL WITH FRUIT, NUTS & SEEDS

YOU WILL NEED
Cooked quinoa (about 1/4 t0 1/2 cup per portion)
Fresh fruit (I like to use bananas and various berries)
Yogurt (Plain or Greek)
Chopped nuts of your choice (I used walnuts & pine nuts)
Seeds of your choice (I used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)
Optional: sprinkling of brown sugar/cinnamon or a little bit of maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
This barely needs explaining, but basically you want to cook your quinoa and let it cool. I use about 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa (it just about doubles in volume once it cooks) per serving, and that makes for a super hearty breakfast! Make sure you rinse the quinoa before cooking it, and simply follow the cooking instructions on the box (usually quinoa cooks in about 15 minutes). Then just throw everything together in the bowl, and your breakfast is ready! This would be a great make ahead breakfast too, you could cook your quinoa the night before, and have all the other ingredients portioned off, washed, chopped and ready to go, and then simply assemble your bowl in the morning! So easy, and such a satisfying, nutritious breakfast!

For other delicious breakfast recipes, check these out:

 
Left: Homemade Maple Almond Granola (recipe here) Right: Baked Banana Walnut Oatmeal (recipe here)

 
Left: Sour Cream Pancakes with Blueberries (recipe here) Right: Pecan Praline Baked French Toast (recipe here)

Happy Cooking, Everyone! Have a great weekend!
I will be linking to these awesome blogs!

Hi Everyone! So we have gone from dead of winter to pretty much summer temperatures (well, at least compared to the past couple of months!) within a matter of days! The weather is most definitely very confused, which is just fine with me, because I’ll happily trade in my winter jacket for a sweatshirt! Yesterday I had the windows wide open because it was so nice and warm outside, while there was still snow on the ground! Yep, the weather is most definitely confused. But it finally feels like spring is around the corner, putting me in the mood for some lighter dinners after all the comfort food we’ve been devouring for the past couple of weeks! These homemade burrito bowls are so fresh, filled with lots of good ingredients – grilled chicken, brown rice, lots of vegetables (and cheese and sour cream, but that’s your dairy, right?!) and are such a quick and easy dinner to throw together on a busy week night! You could even prepare the chicken and rice beforehand, and then simply heat up and assemble everything when you’re ready for dinner. It’s also completely customizable, you can use other vegetables, add steak slices instead of chicken, make some fresh salsa…. the possibilities are endless!

HOMEMADE BURRITO BOWLS
*Serves 2*

YOU WILL NEED
2 chicken breasts, skinless & boneless
Romaine lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
1 avocado (or store bought guacamole)
1 lime
1 can of corn
1 can of black beans
Shredded cheese
1 – 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
Sour cream
1 tbs chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
Dash of pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. First, prepare your chicken. In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and dash of pepper. Butterfly your chicken breasts and rub each side with the chili powder mix. Then, grill them, let them rest for about a minute, and cut into medium sized slices.

2. Next, prepare all your toppings, you want everything in bite size pieces; so quarter your cherry tomatoes and shred the lettuce. You can either use store-bought guacamole, or make your own (I make it by simply mashing up a ripe avocado, seasoning it with salt and pepper, and adding a squeeze of about 1/2 of a small lime). Shred your cheese, and mix together the corn and black beans (make sure you drain the cans of the liquid and then thoroughly rinse the corn and beans).

3. Lastly, assemble your burrito bowls! Start with the rice on the bottom (I use brown rice to keep things healthy! You can add some cilantro to it, I leave it out, but if you like the flavor of it add it to the rice), then add the corn and bean mixture, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sprinkle with the shredded cheese, top with the slices of grilled chicken, then add a dollop of sour cream and guacamole, topping the whole thing off with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top!

Happy Cooking, Everyone!
I will be linking to these awesome blogs!