Breakfast

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash, Apple and Hazelnut Muffins

November 1, 2013 by Erica

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash, Apple and Hazelnut Muffins

OMG muffins.

I am trying to concentrate on writing a nice little blog post for you, complete with a description of the flavor and texture of these muffins. But all I can think about is taking a gigantic nutty, squashy, apply bite out of one.

Whole Wheat Butternut Squash, Apple and Hazelnut Muffins

They are so good that all descriptions seem extraneous, and the thoughts swirling around in my head keep getting interrupted by interjections of “MUFFINS!” and “HAZELNUTS!” Funny how I really can’t concentrate on anything, including stringing together a coherent description of these muffins, when presented with the thought of them.

Let’s stick to listing the ingredients – that, I think I can handle. And I should tell you that I am excited about every single one of them.

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Cranberry Pumpkin Smoothie

October 11, 2013 by Erica

Cranberry Pumpkin Smoothie

I conceded early defeat in my annual battle against the utility bill when I turned on our heat this past weekend. Usually, I like to play a game called “how long can we go without turning the heat on,” and last year I made it to November. October just seems like a ridiculous time to need a heater – yes there is snow in the mountains, but we were running the A/C less than a month ago! But I realized last year when November’s gas bill totaled all of $10.75 that I needn’t have held out so long. Pretty sure I would have payed $10.75 to not be so cold when getting out of the shower any morning last October!

So why an October smoothie? Well, to be frank, although I crave a hot breakfast in the cooler months, a meal of hot coffee + hot granola makes me break out in a sweat, heat or no heat. The only solution is to take off my fuzzy bathrobe and eat breakfast in my undies, which can get awkward now that our kitchen table is RIGHT ACROSS from our neighbors’ window. I think we’ll be sticking to smoothies for a while so I can enjoy my breakfast without flashing the nice couple next door.

Cranberry Pumpkin Smoothie

I also happen to have about two dozen frozen bananas in a Ziploc in my freezer. I’ve mentioned Nate’s banana preferences before – no green, no go – and sometimes I just can’t manage to consume all the remaining bananas in the bunch that have dared to develop a single brown spot. Into the freezer they go. I always mean to whip up some banana bread, but in terms of gradually chipping away at the ever-icier frozen banana supply, smoothies are the way to go.

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Banana Almond Baked Oatmeal Cups (Vegan) + a GIVEAWAY!

September 23, 2013 by Erica

Banana Almond Baked Oatmeal Cups (Vegan) + a California Almonds GIVEAWAY!

Happy Monday! How do you feel about starting the day off with one of these?

Banana Almond Baked Oatmeal Cups (Vegan) + a California Almonds GIVEAWAY!

These may look like muffins, but they are actually little individual baked oatmeal cups. Chock full of oats, bananas, almond butter, and more almonds, they are the most delicious thing I’ve eaten for breakfast lately. And bonus: they are refined sugar-free and completely vegan. Now that is the way I want to start off my day!

If you’ve never made baked oatmeal before, it couldn’t be simpler. Just mix the handful of ingredients together, spoon into a muffin tin (or baking dish, if you’d rather do one big batch) and bake for about 20 minutes. The result is chewy on the outside, tender on the inside, and very portable – yum. I will take these over regular old oatmeal any day.

Also, assuming that you don’t have time to whip these up on a weekday morning, they reheat very well. A batch on the weekend will give you adorable little oatmeal cups all week!

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Crispy Peanut Butter and Honey Granola

September 20, 2013 by Erica

Crispy Peanut Butter and Honey Granola // Coffee & Quinoa

We are on a biiiit of a granola kick lately. First there was my Quinoa Crunch Granola, then there were the MixMyOwn custom mixes I mentioned yesterday, and now this delicious Crispy Peanut Butter and Honey Granola. What can I say? When I find a breakfast that my non-breakfast-eating boyfriend adores, I will knock myself out trying new combinations.

My lovely mother had the pleasure of developing this recipe with me in her kitchen, where I am definitely not used to cooking. Is it just me, or is cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen always a recipe for disaster? Not knowing where everything is makes me so frazzled. We added, we mixed, we tasted, we added and mixed and tasted some more, and still weren’t quite happy with the results… and then I burned two batches. Whyyyy. Somehow 30 minutes seemed like a totally acceptable amount of time to bake the granola without checking on it. Hmm. As you can see by the 15-minute cooking time in the recipe below, that was definitely not the case.

Crispy Peanut Butter and Honey Granola // Coffee & Quinoa

Back at home in Salt Lake, my kitchen is still somewhat unfamiliar, too, as we have yet to spend a weekend in our new apartment. The counter space, small to begin with, is still covered with dishes I haven’t found a place for yet, and all my dry goods (ahem, everything used to make granola) are in bins on the floor. Sigh. I am determined to get my kitchen ship-shape this weekend!

So yes, even during a third trial of this recipe at home, I was feeling frazzled. Luckily I kept my wits about me enough to try the addition of Rice Krispies – the ingredient that ended up totally making the recipe! They lighten up what is otherwise a very dense granola – mostly peanut butter and oats – and add a great crunchy texture. I will say that I’m not usually a fan of Rice Krispies in granola… I feel like they’re just a filler that is cheating me out of the other good stuff in there! But here, because everything is coated in a layer of gooey peanut butter and honey, that is definitely not the case. The peanut butter-drenched Rice Krispies stay a little chewy even after they’re baked, making this into a cross between granola and puppy chow, texture-wise. And the taste – yum. Peanut butter and honey is one of my favorite combinations (I eat it on my oatmeal practically every day!), and it provides the perfect balance of salty and sweet for this granola. You have to try it! It is totally addicting for breakfast, a snack, or even dessert.

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Coffee Banana Breakfast Smoothie

September 13, 2013 by Erica

Coffee Banana Breakfast Smoothie // Coffee & Quinoa

Sometimes I say that I want summer to stick around forever.

Sometimes I then get to relive my childhood summer nights, trying to find the cool side of the pillow on the third floor of my parents’ un-air-conditioned house.

Sometimes I need a really cold breakfast.

Coffee Banana Breakfast Smoothie // Coffee & Quinoa

Yes, if I’ve learned anything this past week, it’s that moving to a place where all buildings are air-conditioned and driving (and parking!) everywhere is easy has made me downright soft. Not that my parents are exactly living in the dark ages in New England, but A/C… you are now a non-negotiable for me.

And if I can’t have you, I definitely need this smoothie.

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