Berry Almond Quinoa Porridge

My brother recently took out a big stack of cookbooks we had stashed in a cabinet to find some creative ways to make breakfast and lunch. I think he gave up pretty quickly, as usual, but he never moved them back into the cabinet. Since the stack of books was right in front of me, I rifled through them and was intrigued by the concept of quinoa porridge in The Hungry Student Vegetarian Cookbook. This cookbook was gifted to me by a friend, and the recipes are quite easy and interesting to make.

The next morning, I made it and changed a few things, such as replacing the milk with almond milk, switching the sugar with maple syrup or honey, and changing the toppings.

Banana Açai Smoothie Bowl

Açai has been everywhere on Instagram so when I saw a packet of açai puree at Trader Joe’s, I jumped at the chance to finally make my own açai bowl. First of all, for those of you who wonder what açai is, it’s a berry that comes from Brazil and it contains a lot of antioxidants. I’m not sure about the rest of the claims, such as preventing diseases and weight loss, but açai sure is delicious.

I always thought it was pronounced a-KAY, but it’s not! The real spelling is açai, with a c-cedilla, so that means the ‘c’ is said softly and the ‘i’ is not silent. The correct pronunciation is ah-sah-EE. You’ll thank me in the future when you’re faced with the prospect of ordering something with açai and don’t want to embarrass yourself pronouncing it.

I added 1/2 cup almond milk in my açai bowl, which was a bit too much because it doesn’t have the consistency of scoop-able ice cream, so I revised the recipe and cut the milk down to 1/3 cup to make it thicker.

• Servings: 2
• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A smooth and delicious bowl of creamy goodness. Made with bananas, blueberries, açai and spinach, this is sure to subside the sweet cravings for the day.
Ingredients:
2 bananas, peeled
1 packet of Trader Joe’s açai puree, put under warm water for 5 seconds
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup spinach, washed
1/3 cup almond milk

Instructions:

1. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and thick. It should have the consistency of ice cream. Divide smoothie into two bowls and enjoy right away with toppings such as berries, granola and coconut flakes.

Fig, Banana and Peach Smoothie

After a 6-week long holiday in Europe, I’m finally back home. It was a beautiful trip, which I will post about later, but for now, you’ll have to content with a smoothie recipe. One thing about traveling is that you can’t always find the healthiest foods all the time, so I’m trying even harder to eat healthy now that I’m home. For example, this was my first smoothie in 6 weeks!!! And I think I passed my monthly quota of meat and potatoes by a mile. Whoops.

This smoothie is the sweetest smoothie I’ve ever tasted, and this is without any additional sugars. The sweetness mainly comes from the figs, which came from our own fig tree! The rest of our garden exploded as well, including the lettuce and zucchini. The only thing that kinda turned for worse was the grass. Brown grass is not that nice… Anyways, I’ll try to finish up the vacation post soon (hopefully), and make more food!

Raspberry Dutch Baby Pancake

Hey guys! Anyone want a fluffy and crispy on the outsides really easy pancake to make? I got a 12-inch skillet for my birthday a few weeks ago and this is the first time I made something with it. I wanted to do either a frittata or a dutch baby pancake but finally decided on the pancake. And it’s super delicious and fulfilling in the morning, but I’m sure this could pass for dessert too.

Like I said, it’s super fluffy and crispy on the edges, plus has some sweetness from the raspberries and the raw cane sugar. I was so surprised when I looked in the oven because all I could see was that my pancake had billowed up to twice its size.

Gluten-Free Cranberry Scones

My mom makes the best scones ever. No kidding. Every time she makes them people always ask for the recipe. Recently, we’ve had some gluten-free people ask for a modified scone, so she provided! And it tastes (well to my opinion) even better than her original scones.

There is still butter in it, but sometimes you have to embrace it. I love how these scones melt in my mouth and the cranberries give it some extra sweetness.

Breakfast Overnight Rolls

Last week, for mother’s day, I made Sweet Potato, Avocado and Eggs Hash for breakfast, and I also made bread! These rolls are really easy to make and have a bit of a crunchy crust with a soft interior.

They might just look like potatoes, but I assure you it tastes much better than a raw potato. I like how they’re single portions because it makes it so much cuter and easier to serve because you don’t need to cut out a slice from a big loaf.

Sweet Potato, Avocado and Eggs Hash

Happy Mother’s Day for all those mothers out there! Today my brother and I prepared breakfast for my mom and this dish was the star.

We actually have a video of when we were younger, making breakfast for my mom, and it’s terribly funny. My brother had to stand on a chair to reach the stove-top and he had so much trouble cooking a simple egg that he had to call me over for help (you can hear the fear in his voice). Then he tries to cut the bread, but it’s looks terrible, so I go over and try, which results in me cutting an even worse slice. In the end, we manage to plate the scrambled eggs on a really overly thick slice of bread, and I complete it by just randomly putting an unpeeled banana on top. Least to say, it was not my best dish.

Thankfully, well I think, I’ve improved from those earlier experiments in the kitchen.

Matcha Chia Seed Pudding

My pictures are really cringy today but I can affirm that it tasted really good! It’s kind of like an iced matcha latte with all the health benefits for breakfast. So I just searched this up now (if I said I didn’t rely on the internet I would be lying), and matcha is actually really good for your metabolism and burning calories. It also enhances you mood and calms you down.

Chia seeds, on the other hand, provide healthy omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and tons of other good stuff. I also have a few other chia seed pudding recipes if you don’t like matcha: banana chocolate, lemon blueberry and vanilla Greek yogurt.

Tropical Blueberry Smoothie

I’m going to Hong Kong soon!!! Just one more week of school and then I’m off. I actually can’t wait for all the delicious food and the much warmer weather than we’ve been having over here. Like can you believe it’s snowing in March? I fear this city is adopting Quebec’s weather 😦 .

Weirdly, although it’s really cold outside (well, for me it is because I’m a naturally cold person), I still love making smoothies, yogurt bowls, chocolate banana chia seed pudding and all sorts of cold stuff for breakfast.

Apple Banana Oatmeal with Almond Butter

Since breakfast is normally coined the most important meal of the day, you probably understand that skipping breakfast is kinda bad for your health. But do you know why?

Some of my friends skip breakfast constantly so this is for you guys ;).

Reasons why you need breakfast:

1. It gives you energy!
2. You’re actually less likely to be overweight if you eat breakfast because you’ll feel less compelled to reach for sugary snacks during the day.
3. It improves memory and concentration levels, so you’ll get better grades at school.
4. It makes us happier and reduces stress levels.
5. Provides essential nutrients that you might not get for the rest of the day.