Day 3 of Eating In Week: Morning Rice Cornucopia and other concoctions

Well, it's Day 3 of Eating In Week and today is going to be a little more challenging because I am at working for 12 hours today!  That means I had to plan for 2 meals and some snacks.  It's tempting to eat at work because the cafeteria there feeds me for free!  But since it's Eating In Week and they use all disposable serving utensils and plates, I'm packing up my bags of food.  I started the day with a nice medley of leftover rice, pecans, cranberries, pears, flax seed and vanilla soymilk.  Delicious!

 For lunch, I'm having:

• Pure Pleasure Pumpkin Soup
• Best Bean Salad
• Brussel Sprouts
• Cornbread

Snacks include almonds, chocolate chips, cranberries, baby carrots and apple.

For dinner, I'm having:

• Swell Sweet Potato Thai Stew over rice
• Steamed kale with Dijon Barley Malt Dipping Sauce 

To keep myself on track, I am bringing my own tea with me:  Twig, Irish Breakfast, Green with Mint and Vanilla Blend White.

All Star Almond Butter

 This is an easy way to make your own spread and it is super healthy because there are no added hydrogenated fats, preservatives, sugars or high fructose corn syrup.  Usually we buy the grind-it-yourself peanut butter at Whole Foods, but we ran out the other day and we had a surplus of nuts in the pantry.  I decided to whip up some Almond Butter and it is so simple and satisfying.

Blend until a "butter" in a food processor:

2 cups raw almonds (I prefer unsalted)
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sunflower or safflower oil

You can alter the consistency by altering the oil or water.  Store in a glass jar (bonus- less packaging) in the refrigerator.

Shannon's Supershake with Banana and Oats

When I was visiting my friends Shannon and Melissa in St. Louis, Shannon made the most tasty breakfast shake.  I asked for the recipe and here it is:

It's simple and everybody seems to like it.  You can freeze it too for an icy treat.

Blend all ingredients at once in a blender until smooth:

1 ripe banana
1/4 cu oats
1/2 cu yogurt (plain, vanilla, mango or whatever you like)
1/2 cu milk
1 tbs honey (or more if desired)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (as desired)

It makes a nice quick breakfast or a tasty after dinner treat.

Mesmerizing Mochi Morning Mix and Warm Cabbage Slaw

You may recall my rave reviews for mochi, the pressed brown rice treat.  Well, I tried sesame garlic mochi for the first time for breakfast.  Since it is not a sweet mochi, I sweetened up the dish with some warm cabbage slaw.

Preheat oven to 450F.  Cut mochi into 2 inch slices and arrange on greased baking sheet.  Cook for 10 minutes- until puffed up and crisp on the outside.

To make cabbage slaw, grate 2 cups green or purple cabbage and one large apple.  Saute in a large pan with:

1 tablespoon
sunflower or safflower oil
handful of raisins
handful of walnuts

Scoop cabbage slaw into a bowl.  Put mochi pieces on top and drizzle with agave nectar or brown rice syrup.

Bulky Buckwheat Pancakes

For Christmas, I received a big box of wheatless flours.  I consider this a baking challenge!  For our lazy Sunday feast, we whipped up some buckwheat pancakes.  The recipe is adapted from The New York Times Cookbook.  They are heartier that ordinary pancakes and full of flavor and fiber.  They are delicious topped with strawberry syrup, honey, agave nectar, maple syrup or brown rice syrup.  Warning:  you do have to do a little bit of advance prep work for these babies.

Combine in a bowl:

2 teaspoons yeast
2 cups scalded milk, cooled to room temperature
2 cups buckwheat flour

Let sit over night (approximately 12 hours).

Mix in:

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used safflower)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
1 egg
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon honey

Pour cakes onto a hot pan and cook as you would regular pancakes.

Open Your Eyes Oatmeal

On chilly mornings, it's nice to start your day with a hot, healthy breakfast.  I love oatmeal!!  It's nutritious and so versatile.  Just prepare the old fashioned oatmeal according to the following:  2 cups of boiling water to 1 cup of dry oats.  Then add an fruits, nuts, seeds, etc.  Here's today's version:

Oats
Wheat bran
Pumpkin seeds
Flax seeds
Sesame seeds
Raisins
Apples
Almonds
Cinnamon

Cook and serve.  You can sweetened with a little bit of honey, maple syrup or agave nectar.

Zoom Zoom Zoom Zucchini Pancakes

It's a simple recipe and they're delicious as breakfast or dinner pancakes.  They're sort of like potato pancakes, but lighter.  Serve them with fruit, sour cream goat cheese or whatever you like!

1 pound zucchini
1 egg
1/2 medium onion
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper

Puree in food processor.  Cook on medium-high heat.  These are pretty wet, so let them stay on one side for a really long time before you flip them.  Enjoy!

Quickee Quinoa

If you aren't already friends with quinoa, get ready to love this superfood!  Quinoa is a grain from the Andes and has long been appreciated in South America for its high nutritional value.  Its protein content is very high (12%–18%),  it contains a balanced set of essential amino acids, it is high in fiber, phosphorous, magnesium and iron.  It's also gluten free and easy to digest.

Most importantly, quinoa works well in so many dishes.  I like it as a breakfast cereal, salad topper, rice alternative, casserole bulker,  main coarse item and stuffing staple.  I like to make up a batch and store in the fridge for cooking.  You can find quinoa in the bulk section of the market.  It's easy to make and delicious to eat.  Cook quinoa like rice using 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water.  Just make sure to rinse before cooking to avoid a bitter taste.

Here's my combination for a quick and delicious breakfast:

1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 chopped pear or apple
handful of whole almonds
handful of raisins
handful of flax seeds
splash of vanilla soy milk

Heat one minute in the microwave.  Enjoy!

Brilliant Blue Corn Cakes

Enjoy these blue corn cakes as breakfast or dinner entree.

Combine:

1/2 cup blue cornmeal
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon water

Pour batter unto hot pan or griddle. Cook like pancakes.

Carefree Carrot Bread

This is a healthy and filling breakfast option or snack. It's also great for using up carrots.

Combine:

1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded carrots
2 egg whites
1/3 cup pumpkin puree (or applesauce)
1/2 cup honey (or 3/4 cup brown rice syrup)
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinammon
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup nuts
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour into greased bread pan. Bake 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Great Grainy Granola Bars

These are a homemade alternative to the pre-packaged versions. You can make a batch and freeze them for later or eat them fresh now. You'll feel good knowing what goes into them, saving money and not wasting packaging.

Preheat oven to 350

Mix:

2 cups Mighty Morning Muesli
2 tablespoons oat bran
3 egg whites
1/3 cup brown rice syrup (or 1/4 cup honey)
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (or applesauce)
2 tablespoons walnut oil

optional: 1/3 cup blueberries

Press evenly into a greased 9x9 or 9x13 baking pan (alternative is to line with parchment paper). Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and cut into bars.

Performance Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Get up and go with these muffins! They freeze well and one muffin will pack in a lot of nutrients and energy to get your day started. Adapted from Deceptively Delicious.

Preheat oven to 350

Combine:

1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 soft bananas (super ripe)
1 egg white
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup white flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Spoon batter into greased (or papered) muffin tin. Makes 12 muffins. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.

"Special" Chocolate Brownies

I have a complete love of chocolate. In fact, my day is not complete without some nibble of the cocoa goodness. Here is my almost guilt-free recipe for dark chocolate brownies. I use them as my daily fix. Adapted from The Sneaky Chef.

Preheat oven to 350

Mix:

2 egg whites
2 tablespoons walnut oil
6 tablespoons agave nectar (honey, maple syrup or brown rice syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons flax seed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

Flatten into greased 9x9 pan. Bake 12 to 14 minutes.

Mighty Morning Muesli

I started making my own muesli several years ago. It's a lot cheaper than store-bought muesli and has less fat and no high fructose corn syrup. You can add or delete ingredients to your taste.

3 or 4 cups old fashioned oats (you may toast them for a stronger flavor)
1/2 cup flax seed
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame or sunflower seeds (or both)
1/2 cup nuts (i like pecans)
1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, figs or any other dried fruit
1 tablespoon cinammon (may also use ginger powder, nutmeg or allspice)

optional add-ins:

brown sugar to taste
protein powder

Put ingredients in sealable container. Shake. Nice served with fresh fruit and milk or plain yogurt.

Brawny Banana Bread

This is a high fiber high density banana bread. It's also full flavored.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees











Mix:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup agave nectar (brown rice syrup, honey or 1/4 cup maple syrup)
2 egg whites
2-3 soft bananas
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (or applesauce or yogurt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour into greased bread pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until risen and toothpick comes out clean.