Super Blueberry Coconut Bircher Muesli

I ordered "Blueberry Muesli" a few weeks ago when on holidays down in Newcastle and fell in love. Not sure if it was the vibrant colour, the natural sweet taste or the idea that it is actually good for me! As I sat next to Nathan eating Eggs Benedict, I was only slightly jealous - which is a first for me!

We got home and I decided to try to replicate this recipe for myself. It took 4 or 5 tries but I think I have a winner! All I knew for sure is that they soaked the oats in coconut water overnight, but the rest of the ingredients were a mystery. I thought this was a great idea since I had always used Milk in the past.

I will include a very basic 4 ingredient version... but try all the extras for a super charged breaky!

(by the way... is it called Bircher Muesli or Overnight Oats?? I can't seem to figure it out. Anyone know the difference?)



Ingredients: (serves 3)

1 cup unsweetened Coconut Water
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 banana
1 cup rolled oats

Optional:
1 tsp chia seeds
Handful fresh spinach

Garnish:
1 tbsp Coconut yogurt
1/2 banana cut up
a few blueberries to top (or any fruit available!)
a few mint leaves

Directions:

Mix Coconut Water, blueberries, banana, spinach and chia seeds in a blender. I used the Nutribullet and its the perfect size and way less to clean up!

Pour into bowl or jar and add rolled oats. Stir and set in fridge overnight.

Enjoy in the morning with yogurt and fresh fruit on top!

Quinoa Breaky Bites

I absolutely LOVE breakfast and absolutely HATE waking up early to cook it. This recipe is something that you can easily make on Sunday afternoon and keep in the fridge for the week. You can grab one on the way to work, heat it up or leave it as it. They would be great with a little salad for lunch or with some salsa for breakfast.

The best part about them is you can add whatever you have in the fridge! I love goats cheese so I add it in to whatever I can. The original recipe used mini muffin tins for the bites. I didn't have a mini muffin tin so I used a normal muffin tin. The only issue is that the bigger muffins don't stay together as well. I might try again when I purchase a mini tin. This recipe made 12 bites, but only about 8 stayed together well. 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
3 eggs
2 egg whites
1 cup zucchini, shredded
1 cup butternut squash, roasted
1/2 cup diced ham
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup red peppers, diced
1/4 cup caramalized onions
2 green onions, sliced
salt & pepper

Garnish: cilantro + cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Liberally spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray and spoon mixture to the top of each cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges of the cups are golden brown. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.

Enjoy!

Original Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Pecan & Banana Pancakes with Cinnamon and Vanilla

So when I met Nathan back in 2004 in Australia, he would always make amazing banana pancakes for me. This was a year before the song came out by Jack Johnson called Banana Pancakes. The song talks about making banana pancakes when it raining outside and pretending that it's the weekend. This is very appropriate since we are having the coldest, rainiest June (nicknamed Junuary) in Vancouver in years! Feel free to play in the background while reading this post - click here. We also got to experience amazing Indonesian banana pancakes on our trip to Bali last year. They are much thinner over there, more like what we call crepes. Here is a photo of the ones we had in Bali at the cafe next to our apartment in Legian.

I decided to take the recipe a little further and add some special ingredients to make these pancakes more unique and delicious. I had some pecans laying around and I always have cinnamon and pure vanilla on hand for baking. They turned out amazing! 

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (I saved one of them to go on top)
• 1 cup of crushed pecans (I also saved some for the top)

1. Combine flour, white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, vanilla, vegetable oil and bananas.
2. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; batter will be slightly lumpy.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on both sides; serve hot.

Click here to original recipe that I adapted