Buckwheat breakfast porridge

BUCKWHEAT BREAKFAST PORRIDGE.

Just a few health benefits of Buckwheat Groats:

Helps lower cardiovascular disease
Better blood sugar control and a lowered risk of diabetes
High phytonutrients and lignans
Good source of fiber

Agave and chia seeds.

It tastes way better than it looks! Trust me!

Ingredients
1 cup of buckwheat groats (soaked overnight)
1 tbs chia seeds
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tbs agave nectar
cinnamon to taste

Toppings
banana and pecans with maple syrup
any kind of berries
I also put Udo's oil in mine sometimes
nut butters

Breakfast Chia Pudding!

Breakfast Chia Pudding

By Healthy Green Kitchen

 Ingredients

1/3 cup pecans soaked overnight in water
2-3 pitted dates, preferable soaked in water over night to rehydrate
3/4 cups filtered water
2 Tb. Chia seeds
Cinnamon to taste
Pinch of Himalayan Salt
Fresh or dried berries to top

Put the pecans and dates in a food processor with water and blend. You can leave a little texture to it. Place chia seeds and salt in blended mixture and stir. Chia will absorb water so if it seems too thick for your liking add more water. I put bananas on mine, but you can add any fruit, fresh or dried. Cinnamon is your choice of course!

Chia seeds do have a little crunch to them so you may also like to use them in salads. Smoothies, oatmeal, or mixed in a small amount of water will work too if you're looking to incorporate them in your diet. Enjoy!

Chia Breakfast!

This recipe is by Jasmine Blackmeir from The Pink Avocado. She has a great story about starting a raw diet. She initially decided to introduce a raw diet because she was trying to kick her type 1 diabetes. Since the diet changes, she has been able to feel better, stabilize her blood sugars, drastically decrease her dosages of insulin, and lose some weight to boot! So, this is a great breakfast recipe. 

Chia Seeds. 

I first heard about Chia Seeds from my midwife right after I had my son. I have been eating them in some form since. In the research that I found, Chia was widely used by the Aztec, Incan, and Mayan cultures as a staple back in the 1500's. The Mayan word for chia is "strength." The "running messengers" of these cultures would carry a small pouch of Chia to keep them energized, full, and hydrated on their long runs. They are great little seeds! The seed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, calcium, potassium, and fiber (1 oz. gives you 11g of fiber). The seeds can be soaked in water to form a gel-like substance, which is thought to create a barrier between the carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down. This allows you to feel full longer!

This was taken from my iphone since our camera broke on vacation.  I put banana and a drizzle of agave on mine. 

Chia Seed Super Cereal
Makes 2 servings


5 Tablespoons chia seeds
Handful of sliced almonds
Handful of walnuts
½ – ¾ cup almond milk
1/3 cup fresh shredded coconut
Splash of vanilla extract (optional)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Few springs of mint (optional)
Fruit of choice: I prefer fresh berries or a sliced banana with a dash of cinnamon.


As soon as you wake up in the morning, put the chia seeds, nuts, and coconut in a blender and cover the whole mixture with almond milk. Stir after 10 minutes to avoid clumping and let sit. 


After about 20-30 minutes total, add a splash of vanilla and pulse the mixture in the blender until it’s blended. Top with fresh berries, a few sprigs of mint, and a splash of almond milk.


Note: I reference the measured ingredients above only as a reference point. Basically you want a ratio of 1:3 chia seeds to almond milk, and a handful of the nuts!


I didn't put any mint in mine for two reasons. 1. I didn't want mint in it! 2. I ran out of it anyway! You could add some variation to this recipe as well. Soak your Chia Seeds in apple juice instead to change the flavor. This is a nice alternative for breakfast and since I tend to eat raw oatmeal every morning, it's a nice change on occasion. You can use Chia Seeds for tons of other things too. Mix them in smoothies, juice, make a pudding, sprinkle on salads, add to granola, etc. You can grind them as well!

Some of the benefits of Chia:
It's double the protein of most other seeds and provides all of the essential amino acids! It is an excellent source of calcium (higher than milk). High in boron, potassium, and iron. Also a great source of antioxidants, fiber, and essential fatty acids!

Raw Non-dairy Blueberry Yogurt

Yogurt seems to be a favorite of so many people. I received an email a while back with a raw non-diary yogurt recipe, so I thought I'd try a couple of recipes since it is such a popular snack. Here are the two I tried.

Version #1

1 cup soaked cashews

1 cup blueberries

2-4 soaked dates (depending on how big they are and how sweet you want it)

 After soaking for 3-4 hours, drain the water and blend all ingredients together.

 Non-Dairy Blueberry Yogurt from Hallelujah Acres

Version #2

Ingredients

1 cup blueberries

1 medium avocado

2 Medjool dates

Set aside 1/8 cup of blueberries. Place all remaining ingredients in a blender and blend, adding enough water to obtain desired consistency. Remove from blender and stir in the left over blueberries. You can add about 1 teaspoon of agave nectar if you desire a sweeter yogurt. A few drops of vanilla extract adds additional flavor as well.

Substitute any other desired fruit you like for a different flavor.

I preferred version #2.

Cocoa Crispies

COCOA CRISPIES

Buckwheat Groats

Since buckwheat is actually a fruit seed, it's a great substitute for people who are sensitive to wheat. It's great for the cardiovascular system because rutin and other compounds in it help to lower lipid level. They help maintain blood flow and help keep the platelets from clumping together. Buckwheat is also a great source of magnesium and can help fight diabetes. It is a great source of insoluble fiber, which has been shown to decrease the risk of gallstones and colon cancer. The protein in buckwheat is a high quality protein, containing all eight essential amino acids including lysine. Buckwheat has also been  referred to as a fertility food.

Cocoa Crispies from Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis.

2 cups buckwheat groats, soaked for at least 1 hour

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons (heaping) cocoa or carob powder

2 packets of stevia (I personally do not like stevia so I substituted about 2 teaspoons agave nectar. Yacon syrup would probably work as well.)

2 teaspoon sea salt

Rinse the starch off buckwheat groats after they have soaked. Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until it looks like a soupy oatmeal. Divide between 2 teflex dehydrator sheets and spread to about 1/8 inch thick. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 8-12 hours. They should be brittle so turning them over in one sheet might be hard. It's best to turn them over in pieces and dehydrate for another few hours until crunchy.

Place in a bowl with bananas or any favorite fruit and top with almond milk. To be honest, I didn't like them when I first tasted them. Once I put them in a bowl with banana and almond milk, I fell in love! These are a fun sweet, but healthy twist for breakfast!

The cocoa crispies were another raw meal that my mom got to taste. She liked them. We had raw oatmeal, which is consumed about 5-6 mornings a week at our house.

Make sure to rinse.

I will make them a bit thicker next time.

 As you can see, they were a hit with my little guy! He shoved them in his mouth so fast, I doubt he even tasted them! We do very little dairy at our house, so I topped them with almond milk.

 Please ignore the fact that he's eating his cocoa crispies out of a pink bowl. Although it's my favorite color, it is not his! They came in a pack of multi-colored bowls:) Pink just happened to be clean that day! Oh yeah, and he's much cuter when his hand isn't half way down his throat;) HeHe! Apparently he needs he to work on his spoon skills!

Healthy fall breakfast!

RAW OATMEAL AND ORANGE JUICE

Oatmeal and orange juice is probably one of my favorite breakfast combos! I especially love oatmeal in the fall, because it's just a good hearty breakfast. I have posted this Raw Oatmeal recipe before, but it's worthy of a second posting. It makes me wonder how I could've ever eaten regular ole quaker oats from the canister in my past SAD (standard american diet) life. It spells SAD for a good reason people!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup raw oat groats soaked overnight
1/2 cup raw almonds soaked overnight
2 dates soaked overnight in 1/2 cup of water (place soak water in food processor)
cinnamon to taste
You can add raisins, banana, strawberries, almond milk or any other topping of your choice. I've even added a bit of maple syrup to mine before! Mmmmmmm!

Blend all ingredients in the food processor. You can make it whatever texture suits your fancy. Sometimes I like mine a bit more chunky and other days I like it blended into mush, but that's just me!

Make sure to soak your oat groats and almonds overnight.  By doing this, it helps to remove the enzyme inhibitors so that your body can better utilize the nutrients in them. I typically soak mine together, but separated them for the sake of blogging!

 Rinse both the groats and almonds until the water runs clear. Try to use filtered water so you aren't rinsing chlorine onto your breakfast.

Dates

 Remove the seeds from your dates before adding them to the food processor.

 Since I've been juicing SO much lately, I have been making my own orange juice. Seems silly that it's the one juice I never made. It's the easiest one to make too! Depending on what type of juicer you have, 3-4 oranges should be plenty for one serving. Your body really only needs 8 oz at a time anyway.

 This is definitely a staple at our house. My picky husband will even eat it!

Raw Oatmeal

Raw Oatmeal

by Nomi Shannon
© 1998 Nomi Shannon. Please copyright notice below.
1/2 Cup raw whole oats *, soaked overnight in pure water to cover.
1/4 Cup almonds, soaked overnight in pure water to cover.
2 figs or 2 pitted dates, soaked in 1/2 cup pure water overnight.
1/2 banana 
dash of cinnamon
In the morning, drain and discard water from oats and almonds. Rinse almonds. Put oats, almonds, fruit and fruit soak water in blender and blend until fairly smooth. Add banana and cinnamon and blend quickly. Serves 1. Eat immediately.


This is AMAZING! I really liked the slight taste of almonds, while still tasting so similar to real oatmeal. I personally think it's better than your typical everyday oatmeal! Super easy recipe!!

Soak overnight.

Add to food processor. 

You can add almond milk or more date soak water  if you prefer a more runny oatmeal.

Sorry about the quality of this picture. I'm not a photographer! This picture does not in any way, shape, or form do the oatmeal justice:)

I made my oatmeal for 4 people, and instead of using 2 dates per serving, I used 1. I didn't want it to be too sweet. I also used 3/4 cups of water to soak the dates  in instead of the 1/2 cup. I did add about 1- 1 1/2 tsp of raw agave nectar in mine. We put bananas, raisins, and cinnamon on top. Get this: MY HUSBAND ATE SOME, and liked it! HALLELUJAH! This is the first thing he's actually tried, so it made me happy:)


My brother and sister-in-law were here to try it, and they both thought it was amazing as well. Nice and filling:)

Rise and shine.

I love a healthy and filling breakfast in the morning, especially if I have to go to work.  Oatmeal, made with old fashioned oats, has been my staple breakfast for the past 5 or 6 years. In the old days I used to top it with cinnamon and brown sugar, but then I started competing and forced myself to enjoy plain old oatmeal with a touch of fresh fruit. Now, that's my favorite!  When I found this recipe, I was really excited because it sounded so delicious. It is inspired by Russell James' Chia Seed Porridge. I started buying Chia Seeds about a year ago after my midwife told me about them. They are a very high source of Omega-3 fatty acids and great for hydration. My husband read a little story online about how Indians used to eat them before a battle because they kept them hydrated when they were fighting and couldn't eat. Interesting eh? Here's a few great reason to eat Chia Seeds:

7 GOOD REASONS TO START EATING CHIA SEEDS

1. Help weight loss. Chia seeds are popular for weight loss. They reduce food cravings by preventing some of the food that you eat from getting absorbed into your system. This blockage of calorie absorption makes them a great diet helper.
2. Feel fuller faster: They can also help your diet by making you feel full. This is because they absorb 10 times their weight in water, forming a bulky gel.
3. Hydration for athletes: They are also great for athletes because the "chia gel" can hydrate the body.
4. Reduce your blood pressure: There's evidence to suggest they can reduce blood pressure.
5. Omega-3: They are the richest plant source of Omega-3 (the vital fats that protect against inflammation—such as arthritis—and heart disease). In fact, they contain more Omega-3 than salmon!
6. Benefits for diabetes: Because chia seeds slow down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars, studies indicate they can control blood sugar. This leads scientists to believe chia seeds may have great benefits for diabetics.
7. They are easier to digest than flax seeds, and don't need to be ground up.  

If you go to the link attached to, "7 good reasons to eat chia seeds," you will be able to read a little more about them. You can also purchase them there. The prices listed are pretty comparable to what I have seen in the Madison area. I first started buying them ground, but now buy the seeds in bulk and grind them myself. This website has other nuts and seeds that are sometimes hard to find! Pine nuts for one are not easy to buy in bulk:)

HEARTY BREAKFAST CEREAL

1/2 C. sunflower seeds

1/4 C. pumpkin seeds

1/4 C. dry coconut

1/4 C. almonds or 1/2 C. pulp

1/2 C. raisins

6 small dates

1/4 C. chia seeds

1 1/2 C. almond milk

Soak the following in bowls overnight:

Bowl #1

sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dry coconut, and almonds

Bowl #2

raisins and dates

Bowl #3

chia seeds in 1/2 C. water

In the morning:

1. drain and rinse seeds from bowl #1 and place in blender

2. drain and rinse dates and raisins (keep soak water) place all in blender except for half of raisins

3. add chia seeds to blender along with the almond milk

4. blend briefly, but leave some texture

5. add extra whole raisins

Additional Options

 Top with fruit of choice

 Sweeten to taste with soak water

Top with agave, honey, or maple syrup

Sprinkle with cinnamon

I started out making homemade almond milk. Takes about 5 minutes.

Soyabella is what I use. You can make all kinds of almond milks in this thing. I haven't ventured out that far yet!

And there you have it! So delicious and pure:)

I used Medjool dates. Don't forget to remove the seed before you add them to the blender.

My almond pulp. I used whole almonds for this cereal and saved my almond pulp. It would probably be more cost effective to just use the pulp.

Rinsed and ready to add to food processor.

It doesn't look good, but it's great. I ground my chia seeds and then soaked them. I wanted to make sure they would get blended. 

I topped mine with fresh organic banana, a dash of cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Man was it good!

When I got home yesterday and started the soaking process, I realized that I was out of dry coconut, so I just omitted it all together. I'm sure it's quite tasty with it though. I LOVE this recipe. It was so good, I'll be eating it tomorrow morning too:) Try it and let me know if you use any variations of this recipe. Be creative with it! Enjoy the "rawfully wonderful"!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow I work a late shift at the hospital, 1500-2330 so before work I'll be posting a super delicious Raw Tomato Soup!