Fruit and Nut Breakfast Quinoa is a healthy and delicious way to start the day.
Are you bored with your breakfast routine? Then, try this Fruit and Nut Breakfast Quinoa. This breakfast quinoa can be made ahead of time and reheated throughout the week. To keep things interesting, switch up the fruits and nuts you use each day. I topped mine with blackberries and pecans, but there are so many possibilities. Try blueberries, bananas, dried cherries or cranberries, walnuts, almonds, or macadamia nuts.
7 Reasons Why A Healthy Breakfast Is Important:
- A healthy breakfast jump-starts your body after a good night’s sleep, increasing your energy level. There is probably at least a 10 hour period between the last thing you eat at night (9PM), and breakfast (7AM). If you skip breakfast, that’s about a 15 hour period that you haven’t eaten, and your tank is then running on empty.
- Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast perform better in school and at work than people who skip breakfast.
- Studies have also shown that people who eat breakfast have improved memory and cognitive functions.
- People who eat breakfast regularly tend to eat a healthier diet.
- Studies have shown that adolescents who skip breakfast have a higher risk of being overweight; an estimated 12-34% of children and adolescents skip breakfast regularly.
- Breakfast skippers tend to eat more at the next meal or snack on high-calorie snacks (which tend to be unhealthy).
- Prolonged fasting can increase your body’s insulin response, which, in turn increases fat storage and weight gain.
7 Healthy Breakfast Ideas:
- Fruit Smoothies
- Non-Fat Yogurt with fresh fruit and granola
- Whole Grain Toast with almond butter, local honey and bananas
- Hot Whole Grain Cereals: Oatmeal, Amaranth, Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat, or Brown Rice topped with fresh fruit (bananas, blueberries) or dried fruits (apricots, raisins, cranberries), toasted nuts or seeds (walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds), agave nectar and cinnamon
- Whole Grain Pancakes topped with fruit, toasted pecans and agave nectar
- Whole Grain French Toast topped with fruit, toasted almonds and agave nectar
- Whole Wheat Tortilla, topped with vegetarian refried beans and shredded cheese, melted, and rolled up; serve with salsa on the side
Do Ahead Breakfast Tips:
- Make hot cereals ahead of time and reheat in the morning, or cook in a crockpot overnight
- Make a big batch of pancakes or french toast on the weekend and freeze; pancake batter can also be mixed the night before
- Portion out smoothie ingredients and keep in freezer; when you want to make a smoothie, just put in the blender with liquid of choice
Fruit and Nut Breakfast Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup quinoa well rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon
- 2 cups blackberries
- 1/3 cup pecans toasted
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
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Combine milk, water, and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in cinnamon and cardamon. Spoon into bowls, and top with blackberries and toasted pecans. Drizzle on maple syrup. Serve with more milk if desired.
That quinoa looks pretty good… I will have to try it one chilly morning. 🙂
I hope you like it…it's a nice change from oatmeal.