Overnight oat parfaits

Serves 2-3

1 cup oats
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pepitas
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup thick Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon roasted almonds, roughly chopped

1. Combine oats, milk, cinnamon, pepitas, sunflower seeds, honey and vanilla in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.

2. When oats are ready, layer oat mixture, yoghurt, berries and roasted nuts in a glass or jar.

Notes

• You can include any fruit, nuts or seeds that you desire.
• Make a batch at the start of the week for a quick breakfast during the week.

Nutrition information (per serve – based on 3 serves): Kilojoules: 1600kJ (380cal) Protein: 14g Carbohydrate: 45g Fat: 14g Saturated fat: 4g Fibre: 5g Sodium: 81mg

Quinoa porridge with fresh figs and blueberry sauce

I created this recipe in Autumn while living in Adelaide. The blueberries were still good and the figs were at their best, making some visually beautiful and delicious breakfast combinations.

This recipe was inspired by a clients need for some new gluten free breakfast options AND the beautiful blueberries and figs that I bought at the Adelaide Central Markets...OMG have you been there?

The quinoa is the gluten free staple here, but you could always swap for some traditional rolled oats if you aren't a fan of quinoa and don't need to follow a gluten free diet. The oats will only take 2-3 minutes to cook on the stove top.

I don't think I need to ramble on about this dish, as a picture says a thousand words...ENJOY!

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

½ cup quinoa (I used white)

1 cup of water

½ cup of milk

¼ cup of roasted almonds, roughly chopped

2 large figs, sliced

For the blueberry sauce

1 cup of blueberries

3 tablespoons of water

2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

1 teaspoon of lemon zest – or to taste

Methods

Place quinoa and water in a small sauce pan bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, place the the blueberry sauce ingredients in a small pan, bring to the boil then simmer for approximately 5-6 minutes (or until the berries have popped and a sauce consistency has formed).

After 10 minutes of the quinoa cooking, add the milk and chopped almonds and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until quinoa has cooked - add a dash of milk if mixture starts to dry out.

Divide quinoa porridge between two bowls and top with figs and the blueberry sauce.

ENJOY!

BANANA AND BERRY BAKED OATS

This recipe was inspired by Heidi Swanson's baked oats.

As soon as I saw the original recipe I just had to try it Heidi's way and my own way.

Eating oats baked is a more indulgent way to enjoy this old-time favourite, yet you still reap the many health benefits. 

Eating oats this way provides about the same amount of carbohydrate (~40g), a little more protein from the nut and seed topping (~12g) and a little more fat compared to oats cooked in milk and topped with fruit, but overall a nutrient dense and filling way to start the day.

I have been enjoying baked oats on the weekend when I am looking for a carbohydrate rich, higher protein breakfast following a long run. I just enjoy this with a cup of milk for adequate protein for muscle recovery and enough carbohydrate to refuel my muscle glycogen stores. 

I believe the whole family would just love this recipe for a heart-warming breakfast on a cold weekend morning. 

Ingredients (makes 6 serves)

2 cups of oats

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

 1 teaspoon of baking powder

 100g of a nut and seed mix (I used almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds)

 A pinch of salt

 1 egg

 2 cups of milk

 60g unsalted butter or margarine, melted

 3 tablespoons of maple syrup

 1 teaspoons of vanilla essence

 2 cups of frozen mixed berries

 1 large ripe banana (or two small bananas), sliced

 Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

In a bowl combine the dry ingredients - oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and 50g of the nut and seed mix.

In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients - whisk the egg then add the milk, melted butter (or margarine), maple syrup and vanilla essence.

Line the base of a 20cm x 20cm oven proof dish (grease if required) with the banana and 1 ½ cup of the berries.

Scatter the dry ingredients on top of the banana and berries.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture, then give the dish a good thump on the bench/chopping board (without breaking) to make sure the wet ingredients mix through.

Scatter the other 50g of the nut and seed mix and ½ cup of berries over the top.

Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until brown on top.

Remember to use recipes for inspiration and mix up the ingredients to your own liking. You could also use tinned apples instead of the banana and walnuts instead of the nut and seed mix.

ENJOY

poached eggs with sweet potato and kale

Since returning home from our Italian escape (and yes I need to report back on that amazing foodie adventure) we have been thrown back into the hectic life we lead. My husband is back training and studying, while I have taken on a little more work in the sports nutrition world and have decided to run a little event we call the marathon. The thought of the marathon isn’t making me crazy just yet (or maybe I am crazy for contemplating it)?… I like to run for my daily exercise and running with my group on Tuesday and Thursday nights has become a nice habit and time to relax…

Again we need to make sure we are prepared. This has been working well, however the other Thursday night we were both home late and I didn’t have anything pre-prepared. I knew however that I could whip up something quick and healthy with some ingredients that I had in the house.

Now I believe these meals are often the best, and in this case we both thoroughly enjoyed what I came up with.

This meal can be served as a breakfast, lunch or dinner option and the quinoa could be replaced with any grain of choice (or leave that part out if you haven’t had an active day). This meal is gluten free for those requiring a gluten free diet, provides carbohydrate for refuelling and sustained energy and provides the benefits of the nutrient dense ingredients – sweet potato, kale, quinoa and olive oil (you will notice that I don’t use this sparingly).

Because I had just been running I wanted to ensure that I had enough protein for recovery. Two eggs gives you about 50% of your protein needs after training so I had a glass of milk after the meal to make up for the rest.

Here it is…

Ingredients (serves two)

 1/3 cup (60g) quinoa - or other grain of preference

 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small-medium (300g) sweet potato, cut into 1cm x 1 cm cubes

1 handful kale roughly chopped into strips

¼ cup water or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or more if you like it hot)!

 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

 ¼  teaspoon paprika

 ½ teaspoon cumim

 ½  teaspoon ground coriander seeds

 2 tablespoons fresh coriander or parsley

4 fresh eggs (the freshest you can find for perfect poaching)

 Method

1.    Start cooking quinoa (or grain of choice) and set to the side when ready.

2.    Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan over a medium-high heat.

3.    Add sweet potato and sauté for about 3 minutes then add the chilli and garlic and sauté for a further 2 minutes  or until almost tender, stirring frequently.

4.    Add paprika, cumin and ground coriander and stir through sweet potato for a couple of minutes.

5.    Add kale and water (or stock) and continue to stir frequently on low-medium heat for ~5 minutes or until the kale starts to shrink.

6.    Once the kale is tender add the quinoa to the pan, stir through and turn off the heat.

 Poaching the eggs

1.    Fill a small saucepan with about 2-3 inches of water from the kettle and add a pinch of salt.

2.    Bring water to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer.

3.    Crack an egg into a cup and gently pour it into the water. Do this for each egg.

4.    They should be ready in about 4 minutes for soft yolks or 5 minutes for firm yolks. When they are cooked to your liking, remove the eggs from the water and set on paper towel to soak up excess water.

To serve, divide the quinoa, sweet potato and kale mix between two bowls, top with the eggs, a little salt, cracked pepper and the fresh coriander or parsley.

Nutrition information (per serve): Kilojoules: 1978kJ (470cal) Protein: 22g Carbohydrate: 48g Fat: 20g Saturated fat: 5g Fibre:7g Sodium: 178mg