Monday, January 7, 2013

The Breakfast Revolution: Recipe Time!

Image courtesy of blog.sweetlydias.com
I have a BIG FAT BREAKFAST DILEMMA. As you know, I'm not a fan of the traditional breakfast fare. Breakfast is my least favorite meal. Though I fantasize about avoiding breakfast completely, my body is just not cooperating. I'm literally starving the second my alarm goes off. 

My stomach and I are fighting right now.

Here's the problem. The more I read and the more I learn, I'm beginning to see the problems with eating a traditional breakfast. Take yogurt for example. If you're skeptical of dairy or it doesn't sit right with you, then that's out. Then there's eggs, which don't seem so appetizing when you're trying to eat less animal products. Oh...and bagels! Unfortunately, they're not really the best choice for fueling up either!

Thankfully, I stumbled across the site YumUniverse last week and after looking around a bit, received  the perfect dose of breakfast hope! A recipe sent straight from heaven to solve ALL my breakfast problems! 

I humbly present to you... Honey Chia Pudding with Pomegranate Seeds and Toasted Pepitas! It even sounds glorious!


Let's break this one down. First there's the chia seeds, which are a perfect source of complete protein, packed with antioxidants and omega-3's. Best of all, they keep you hydrated throughout the day! Next up - pomegranate seeds! In addition to being high in fiber, pomegranate seeds are packed with vitamins C and K and have proven cancer-fighting effects! Then there's the pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, as I like to call them! The combination of zinc, selenium, essential fatty acids and vitamin E in pumpkin seeds make them great for skin health and radiance. They also help to reduce cholesterol and prevent kidney stones! 

Sounds like one powerful breakfast to me! 

This weekend I decided to give YumUniverse's recipe a try! Here's how it went down...

The ingredient army - chia seeds, hempmilk, raw honey, raw pumpkin seeds, a pomegranate, vanilla extract and sea salt.
Because I didn't have cashews in the house, I went with her alternate suggestion and mixed 2 cups hempmilk with...
2 Tbs. raw honey...
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract and...
a pinch of sea salt.
Then for the fun part, the blending.
Add the blended mixture to 1/2 cup of chia seeds in a separate bowl and stir well.
Let the mixture sit for about 10-15 minutes, in or out of the fridge. This gives the seeds time to absorb the liquid mixture, creating  the desired pudding consistency.

Cut the top of the pomegranate off, like you would to an onion.
Score the pomegranate into 4 pieces and pull apart with your hands.
Look at all those beautiful seeds!
Now toast a handful of pumpkin seeds in a pan over medium-high heat, stirring or flipping constantly for about 5 minutes.
Looking good!
The toppings for your breakfast creation!
Once the pudding has thickened, top with the pomegranate and pumpkin seeds and you've got yourself one snazzy breakfast!

And if you need some extra help figuring out how the hell to get into that pomegranate, here's a quick (and very cheesy) tutorial to give you an idea, but keep in mind, you don't have to use the water (you can just pick them out with your fingers). The kiddos might enjoy this project too!



One more thing... for those of you who are hitting the gym hard this month, chia seeds REALLY do give you a boost of energy and hydration. I ate some on Sunday and had more energy on my run this morning than I've had in awhile! The proof is in the pudding!

If you don't have a blender or want to keep this simple, here are my suggestions...

1) Just add hempmilk/almond milk/oat milk/etc. to the chia seeds and add honey later when you're dishing it out for a meal.
2) Buy pomegranate seeds instead of a whole pomegranate - no prep work required!
3) Add any topping your heart desires... nuts, fruit, granola, etc! Make it your own!

Here's to a happy breakfast!

2 comments:

  1. YUM! I'm new to chia seeds and so far have just been gulping them down (quickly) after adding water. Do you think this would work with ground chia seeds? That's all I could find at the Fresh Market near me. Thanks!

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    1. That's a good question... I've never tried it with ground seeds. I would take a small scoop and just add equal parts milk and see if it sets. Do you have a Whole Foods near you? They have a bulk grain section where you can measure out the amount of seeds you want!

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