 For most of my life up until a recent heart surgery, I haven’t been able to handle the caffeine in coffee. Instead I turned to green tea for a jolt of energy if I really needed it. Now that I can drink coffee I still prefer the feeling of green tea to the overly intense burst of energy I get from coffee. While I love sipping tea, I thought, why not incorporate it into a smoothie for a healthy breakfast plus a bit of energy. The results were both healthy and delicious! I hope you enjoy this Energizing Matcha Green Smoothie packed with fruit and vegetables that can be prepared ahead for an easy morning breakfast! Ingredients 1 cup almond or oat milk 2 T vanilla greek yogurt (use vegan yogurt if you’re vegan) 1 green apple cut into cubes 1 frozen banana ¼ - ½ teaspoon of food grade matcha powder 1 T of nut-butter 1 handful of frozen or fresh spinach  Directions to make RIGHT NOW (makes 1 smoothie)
Directions to Make Ahead
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 I love the heart healthy option of oatmeal in the morning. I recently learned some awesome news about oatmeal, that it can help lower cholesterol and curb inflammation. Eating oatmeal also provides protection from high blood pressure and weight gain and is a good source of fiber too. Check out this article about some of the benefits of eating oatmeal for breakfast. When coupled with antioxidant rich blueberries, protein packed peanut butter and omega-3 rich chia seed it's such a healthy and delicious start to your morning! Ingredients Oatmeal 1 cup of steel cut oats 4 cups of unsweetened oat milk 2 cinnamon sticks 1/2 t of vanilla 4 dollops of peanut butter Blueberry Chia Jam 2 cups of frozen wild blueberries 1 T of lemon juice (or orange juice) 1 T of maple syrup 1 T of chia seeds  Directions to make ahead (makes 4 servings)
 Valentine's day is right around the corner and I always try to do something special for my sweetie. He loves when I make breakfast so I began experimenting with using warming gingerbread spices in pancakes and it turned out wonderfully! I can’t wait to make a double batch for him on Valentines morning and to save the leftovers for our week ahead! We found that these are best served with a drizzle of maple syrup but you can get creative with berries, or powdered sugar! We hope you enjoy these Gingerbread spiced pancakes!  Ingredients ½ cup of almond milk ½ tsp apple cider vinegar 1 egg whisked 1 Tbsp molasses ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 Tbsp pumpkin puree 1 Tbsp coconut oil or other vegetable oil ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder ¾ cup of oat flour (to make your own, add rolled oats to a blender and blend on high until flour forms) ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ⅛ tsp cloves ⅛ tsp nutmeg Directions (makes 6 pancakes)
Recipe inspired and adapted from Minimalist baker (gluten free protein pancakes)
It’s been snowing nearly every weekend this month and it actually feels like we are closer to Christmas than to Spring. I started really craving warm spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon and I learned that certain herbs can make us feel warmer and improve circulation. I began experimenting with a granola that incorporates some of these warming spices and I decided to try a version that resembled the flavors of gingerbread and that includes two "warming spices," ginger and cinnamon. It turned out great and we ate it all week for breakfast with a dollop of vanilla yogurt and frozen blueberries. We hope you enjoy this crunchy and perfectly spiced Gingerbread and Raisin Granola! Ingredients 3 cups of oats 1 ½ cups of chopped pecans ¼ cup of pepitas 1 tsp ground ginger 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ¼ cup of molasses or honey or maple syrup* 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter ½ cup of raisins** Directions
Notes - *Molasses is rather strong but essential for authentic gingerbread flavors. If you don’t like the flavor, honey or maple syrup are great substitutes. You can also use half molasses and half honey so you still get that gingerbread goodness! *Raisins can be baked with the rest of the ingredients, however, we found that they were a bit hard because they lose their moisture upon baking. There are many granola recipes where raisins are baked along with the granola, but we prefer them to have their original texture, so we suggest adding them after the granola is done baking.
I found a recipe for a “cake batter smoothie” by Oh She Glows almost 10 years ago. I fell in LOVE with that dessert smoothie/shake and shared it with all of my family and friends as an alternative for a shake like dessert! As the years went on, I found that I was craving the flavors of this smoothie in the morning, so I adapted it to make it suitable and healthy enough for breakfast, but... trust me, it doesn’t taste healthy at all! My sister recently told me that it was a life-saver for her in the early stages of her pregnancy when she couldn’t stomach very much. I hope you enjoy this delicious Make Ahead of Monday favorite!!!
Ingredients 1 cup unsweetened almond or oat milk 1 frozen banana 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla 1 T cocoa powder 1 T Peanut butter** 1 T raw hemp seed* 1 handful of fresh spinach 2 ice cubes Directions to Make Ahead of Monday -
Directions to make RIGHT NOW -
*Notes *We like peanut butter best because it has the most protein content among the nut butters, but other nut butters taste great too! ** Raw hemp seed can be found at Whole Foods and Trader Joes. It’s a great source of plant based protein and can be added to smoothies, and cereal.  Growing up, I used to hate Thanksgiving foods. I really disliked the taste of turkey (probably a predictor to my vegetarian future), and didn’t care for stuffing and all that jazz. I would basically eat a plate full of mashed potatoes and bread. A few years ago, I was asked to make a dish for my boyfriend’s Thanksgiving celebration. My now husband’s aunt, known as Auntie, requested Sweet Potato Casserole. I have to admit, I wasn’t that excited, because all I could recall about sweet potatoes was a sugary marshmallow mush. I happened upon an AMAZING recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole from Oh She Glows, and it became my FAVORITE Thanksgiving food and I’ve made it every Thanksgiving since! As I was brainstorming creative breakfast make aheads I thought, why not try to recreate that dish for breakfast? I combined creamy and perfectly spiced mashed sweet potatoes with steel cut oatmeal and topped it all with roasted pecans! It was a true recipe WIN! If you like the flavors of Sweet Potato Casserole, you’ll be sure to love this recipe!!
Sweet Potato “casserole” Oatmeal Ingredients 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes diced in 1 inch cubes 1 cup of steel cut oats 4 cups of almond or oat milk 1 cup of chopped pecans 2 T butter ½ tsp vanilla 1 -2 T maple syrup (I used 2) ½ tsp cinnamon Dash of nutmeg Directions
 Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
My most favorite recipe for pancakes is actually one of the healthiest versions I have ever come across. These Peanut butter Protein Pancakes from Minimalist Baker have been our go-to ever since I first found the recipe about a year ago. However, when I made them for my family, my sister said she did not like the peanut butter taste. That got me thinking about possible modifications to this recipe. Today I found a solution that we loved, I adapted this recipe to eliminate the nut butter and added … you guessed it, PUMPKIN! :-) Hey, it’s still fall so I’m allowed to eat as much pumpkin as possible right? These still contain protein from the ground up oat flour and the added egg! They are also gluten free, and CAN be made vegan if you prefer. These pancakes last 3 days in the fridge, and are great reheated for your Make ahead of Monday needs! Ingredients ½ cup of almond milk ½ tsp apple cider vinegar 1 egg whisked (or one flax egg if making vegan) 1 Tbsp maple syrup ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 Tbsp pumpkin puree 1 Tbsp coconut oil or other vegetable oil ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder ¾ cup of oat flour (to make your own, add rolled oats to a blender and blend on high until flour forms) 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice ¼ tsp cinnamon Directions (makes 6 pancakes)
Recipe inspired and adapted from Minimalist baker  This recipe is not only perfect for a Make Ahead but also for the holidays! It’s easy to assemble and adaptable and can be made ahead two ways (see recipe for details). I used my favorite combinations of veggies but feel free to be creative! I was excited when I found soy free veggie by Hilary’s sausage to add some extra flavor to this vegetarian casserole. I hope you enjoy!! Ingredients
Directions 1. Grease an 8x8 oven safe casserole dish with oil and set aside. 2. Melt some butter or oil in a frying pan and line the pan with your hashbrowns. Season them with a dash of salt and pepper and let them get slightly brown before adding them to your 8x8 casserole dish. Wipe your frying pan of any residue.  3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 4. Add and heat a bit of oil to your frying pan then add and lightly saute the diced green peppers, baby portabella, and green onions for 1-2 minutes. Season with a dash of salt and pepper and then add to your casserole dish on top of the hashbrowns.  5. Add your cooked and crumbled veggie sausage to your casserole dish. 6. Crack 6 eggs in a clean bowl along with the milk and ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper and whisk. 7. Add the whisked eggs to your casserole dish.  8. Sprinkle the extra sharp white cheddar cheese on top  9. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the eggs are set.
This casserole will last in the fridge for 4 days OR can be assembled and baked the next morning.  I have to admit, I am not always organized and on top of my goals. I particularly have trouble on those weekends that are packed with gigs, and family events. This is my go-to recipe for those weekends! The key ingredient is the amazing Roasted Potatoes with Peppers and Onions from Trader Joes. I couldn't believe how flavorful they were on their own, and when added with all of the other ingredients in this recipe, they shine! I recently started adding a dollop of Trader Joes Pepita Salsa to top the dish! This is completely optional, and of course you can add your own favorite salsa as well. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients (makes four bowls) 12 ounces of Trader Joe’s Roasted Potatoes with pepper and onions 5-6 eggs ½ cup of shredded white sharp cheddar cheese divided 4 tablespoons of Trader Joe’s Pepita salsa (or any salsa) divided Salt & Pepper to taste Directions
 At this time of year, I can’t get enough Pumpkin in my diet! I am always on the lookout for creative ways to incorporate this nutritious and delicious fall staple.
After doing some research on the benefits of pumpkin I was even more hooked than before! According to WebMD, eating pumpkin can slow digestion and help with weight loss, is rich in vision benefiting vitamin A, can help fight off colds and can boost immunity, and can contribute to younger looking skin when applied to your face… pumpkin face masks for the WIN!! Check out the article here! Today I am going to share my latest pumpkin recipe, Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal! It will fill your home with amazing fall scents and is great for make-ahead breakfasts too! I also decided to try Trader Joe’s new “Non dairy Oat beverage” with this recipe but you can use almond milk or any milk you prefer. I found that I barely needed to add any sweetener after using the oat milk, so I do recommend trying it. Be creative with your toppings, I was craving warmth on this cold day, so I went for a light drizzle of maple syrup, some freshly roasted pecans and some dried cherries! ENJOY! Pumpkin Pie Steel Cut Oatmeal (makes 4 servings) 4 cups of oat milk (I used Trader Joes) 1 cup of steel cut oats ½ cup of pumpkin puree 1 tsp of pumpkin spice ½ tsp of cinnamon 1 tsp of vanilla Optional toppings - Roasted pecans, maple syrup, pepitas, dried cherries. Directions 1. Add the oat milk to a saucepan and bring to a boil 2. Add the pumpkin puree and lightly whisk to incorporate 3. Add the steel cut oats, pumpkin spice, cinnamon and vanilla and whisk to incorporate all of the spices 4. Reduce to a simmer and set the timer for 20-25 minutes or until oats are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Whisk every few minutes to avoid having the oats stick to the pan. 5. Top with toasted pecans, a dash of cinnamon, a light drizzle of maple syrup and dried cherries! -To make ahead - Once oats have cooled, evenly divide them into individual glass containers. Keep toppings in a separate container because you may have to add a splash of milk or water before re-heating in the microwave. |
