Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- blackberries
- almonds
- sunflower seeds
- yogurt
- quinoa
- mint
- honey
Instructions
- Mix.
A lot of people love ’em, but I can’t do smoothies or protein shakes in lieu of meals. I like to eat my calories. The liquid options don’t satiate my hunger; they just pass right through me. I just find that I am hungry like an hour later– maybe it’s a mental thing, but I like something more substantial, that I have to chew and process. More power TO those who can live that shake lifestyle, but it ain’t me, babe. Don’t get me wrong… I love milkshakes and smoothies, but you won’t find me Slim-Fasting anytime soon.
In addition to this, I also don’t like yogurt–can’t deal with the texture. You can dress it up, put crunchy things in it and I’ll kind of eat it, but as a concept, yogurt and I aren’t simpatico. I do, however, love the health benefits of it: protein, probiotics, etc. So, over the years, I have found ways to get those things in my diet, minus the yogurt part. Every couple of years though, I will poke my head out of the non-yogurt-eating rabbit hole and see if maybe my taste buds have changed.
Y’all. I had to share this recipe I found on Pinterest… I wasn’t planning on doing a full post about it, but then I tried it… and homigoodness. It’s revolutionary (to me, at least). Mary Carol was the one who introduced me to unconventional (in our society, I suppose) grains for breakfast with her rock and rollin’ Breakfast Couscous recipe. So, when I saw a pin on Pinterest for a “Quinoa Breakfast Bowl,” it immediately went on my radar. The pin took me to a GREAT healthy-food website called Bona Food. I had to search for the original post, which was a pleasure as I got some great recipe ideas. Finally, I found the source of the pin. There is no way I could take a better picture than the one the website has up, so I am going to share it with you:
I think it was the colors that really sold it, for me. Plus, look at those ingredients! How beautiful is that?
There were no proportions or ‘recipe’ other than what you see above on the website, so I winged/wunged(?) it. The portion size for one person on the bag of quinoa I had said a 1/2 cup. This made WAY too much for me. I only ended up using half of that. In the future, I will scale it back but the sky is YOUR limit. I used half a cup of plain Greek yogurt, six blackberries, a couple of tablespoons of sliced almonds and sunflower seeds, seven mint leaves (finely chopped), and a tablespoon of honey. Y’all. This breakfast was like eating concrete mix… and I mean that in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE! Once all of the above were mixed, it was one of the most dense, delicious things I have ever eaten. It sat in my stomach, slowly digesting, for HOURS. I ate it at about 8:30 in the morning and wasn’t hungry until 2:30. All morning and into the afternoon, I could feel it there– no hunger pangs for me! And the best part? It was super yummy. The mint gave it a really unexpected aspect and all the nuts made it super crunchy. So crunchy, in fact, that I didn’t even mind the yogurt! So, if you are searching for a breakfast alternative, allow me to suggest this recipe. Step outside of the cereal box! You’ll never look back!
Again, all credits go to Bona Food, but I just had to share this with you guys!
Woooooaaaaahhhhh…..that looks all kinda yum. And here I am sittin’ on a bunch of beautiful blackberries just wondering what to do with ’em. Slurp. Slurp.
I knew this post would be M.C. bait. I can’t wait for you to try it. The mint takes it a whole other level!