Fruit and Nut Quinoatmeal

I thought I had posted this one a while ago... oops! Anyhow, I'm starting to realize just how versatile quinoa really is. It's like the chameleon of foods, it can disguise itself as almost anything, including oatmeal! If you never thought of quinoa as a breakfast food before, then try a bowl of Fruit and Nut Quinoatmeal, it might just blow your mind.

My version was inspired by this recipe, however you can use almost any combination of fruits and nuts that you heart desires, and I'm sure it would be delicious. My bowl consists of...
- quinoa
- milk
- water
- blackberries
- walnuts
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- honey

How to make it:
1. Put equal parts quinoa, water, and milk into a big pot, and bring it to a boil. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed (for this recipe you want it to be a little moist).
2. Stir in your blackberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg (or whatever you choose to use).
3. Top with a drizzle of honey.

So simple, yet so genius.

Eggs in a Basket

This isn't much of a recipe but it's a fun take on fried eggs and toast! Makes a nice and simple breakfast if you just want something light.

This simple little dish consists of...
- an egg
- sliced bread
- butter/margerine 

How to make it:
1. Using a small knife, carve a large hole out of the center of your bread (too small of a hole will result in messy egg overflow) and lightly butter (or margerine) both sides of the bread.
2. In a frying pan on low-medium heat, lightly toast one side of the bread.
3. Flip your bread so the toasted side is facing up. Carefully crack an egg into the hole in the bread and let fry. If you like your eggs sunny-side up then stop here, or if you like your eggs done over-easy (like I do), continue on to step 4.
4. Gently flip the toast and let sit for just a second or two (any longer and your yolk will over-cook) before flipping back over onto your plate. 

Suggestions to make this even healthier: Try using whole wheat or multi-grain bread, or separate your egg and use only the egg whites!

Sweet Potato Hash

While at the grocery store recently I had noticed they sold pre-peeled and cut sweet potato and I was so excited because I LOVE sweet potatoes but hate a lot of prep! So obviously I bought them but didn't really have a specific dish in mind to make with them. After failing to find anything of interest in my cookbooks, or to actually execute any type of dinner meal during the week, and with the expiry date fast approaching, I was beginning to worry that my exciting find would go to waste. But with the weekend came new inspiration- sweet potatoes for breakfast! So I proudly present to the interweb my version of sweet potato hash.

This is a dish I am actually very proud of. This was my first time making anything like this and I think it turned out great (if I do say so myself), I thoroughly enjoyed it! It consisted of...
- sweet potato
- red onion
- green onion
- garlic
- pepper
- parsley
- feta
- olive oil

How to make this:
1. If you didn't buy pre-cut sweet potatoes like I did, peel and cut your sweet potato into cubes. Throw them into a pot of water, bring to a boil, and let simmer until tender.
2. Strain your sweet potato cubes and dry.
3. Chop up your red onion, green onion and garlic, sautee them over medium heat in olive oil and set aside.
4. Sautee sweet potato cubes over medium heat in olive oil, adding a bit of pepper and parsley (or whatever spices you like) for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Combine sweet potato cubes with onion and garlic mixture and top with a sprinkling of feta cheese.

Enjoy it on its own, or try with eggs and/or bacon to make it a meal! Great any time of day!

Eggs Not So Benny

Tonight I felt like having breakfast for dinner and decided to give myself a bit of a challenge- poached eggs instead of fried. But I didn't have the equipment to make hollandaise sauce, so eggs benedict was out. Instead I made myself a bit of a modified version, or as I've decided to call it, "Eggs Not So Benny". Probably healthier without the hollandaise sauce anyway...

A great breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, snack, or whatever really. Let's face it, all day breakfast was probably the most brilliant mealtime innovation since sliced bread (which I really don't eat... too boring)! My little creation here consists of...
- crumpet
- egg
- brie cheese
- asparagus
- avocado
- margerine/butter (I like margerine- more spreadable)

How to make it:
1. Toast and butter (or margerine) your crumpet.
2. Poach your egg (I use a poachie, but do it however works best for you).
3. Chop up a few asparagus spears and slice up your brie and avocado.
4. Set your poached egg on the crumpet and top up with brie (preferably while the egg is still hot so it can melt a little), avocado, and asparagus.

Simple, uncomplicated, but delicious (and nutritious)!

Fresh Fruit Crepes

It's FINALLY starting to get nice outside, which put me in the mood for some fresh fruit. And what better way to eat fruit in the morning than to put it inside a nice, thin pancake?!

A big thank you to Ellie for helping me pre-make the crepes! They consist of...
- flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- milk
- egg
- butter
- vanilla
- strawberries
- blackberries
- blueberries
- mango
- syrup
- chocolate sauce 

How to make these:
1. Add 1 cup of flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Crack an egg into the bowl and mix in.
3. Add 1 cup of milk, 2 tbsp melted butter and a dash of vanilla into the bowl and mix in.
4. Pour a little bit of the batter into a pan, just enough to thinly line it. Pour out any excess. Cook it over mid-high heat.
5. Wash fruit and cut up the strawberries and mango.
6. Drizzle a little bit of syrup inside the crepe, and add fruit as desired.
7. Fold up the crepe and drizzle a little bit of syrup and chocolate on top.

How to make this even healthier: Try swapping out the chocolate sauce for honey, or just a light dusting of powdered sugar. You could also swapping out the syrup for some yogurt.

Good Start Breaky

I couldn't think of what to call this one so I just went with "Good Start Breaky", because it was definitely a good start to the days I made this! Now I wouldn't recommend this as an every-day kind of breakfast, but it's perfect for those lazy sleep-in weekends where you have some time to experiment. Which is how I came up with it.

What is in it:
- bagel
- margerine
- eggs
- red pepper
- alfalfa sprouts
- goat cheese
- pomegranate arils

How to make it:
Step 1: Cut your bagel in half, toast and butter (or margerine) it.
Step 2: Slice 2 pepper rings approximately half an inch thick. This will prevent your egg from spilling (too much) outside of the ring. I have used red pepper here, but feel free to use your favourite colour instead!
Step 3: Place the rings on a frying pan, let them sit for a minute or so, and then flip.
Step 4: Crack an egg into each pepper ring and fry sunny-side up (or if you're feeling really ambitious, flip them and make them over-easy).
Step 5: Once eggs are finished frying, place on top of bagel halves.
Step 6: Top with alfalfa sprouts, goat cheese and pomegranate arils. Et voila! Enjoy!
Note- If 2 eggs is too much for you, try making just one egg and using the other bagel half to make this into a breakfast sandwich!

Suggestions to make this even healthier: Try using only the egg whites. Here I used a white bagel (baby steps, right?) but a whole-wheat or multi-grain bagel would be a healthier choice.