Easy Peasy Avocado Toast

When I first saw this recipe in Chloe's Kitchen, I (snobbishly) snickered a little thinking "Avocado toast? That's hardly a recipe. Pssh." But since I have a big thing for avocados, I decided to give it a go...and now I understand why this "simple" recipe was included, because it's one of my new favorite lunches. :) Easy, healthy, creamy, and scrumptious, you just can't go wrong with this avocado toast!














Avocado Toast
Slightly adapted from Chloe's Kitchen
Serves 2

2 slices whole wheat bread
1/2-1 avocado, thinly sliced (we usually do half, but the original recipe calls for a whole)
1/2-1 tsp lemon juice (to taste)
Crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt

Toast bread. Fan avocado slices on toast and drizzle with lemon juice. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.

And if you try it and love it and have a little time to take it to the next level, you can turn it into our yummy PAT Panini variation! Simply butter or baste with olive oil 4 slices of bread on one side only. Using 2 slices of bread, prepare 2 peices of avocado toast as described above, then top with thin slices of tomato and red bell peppers (either roasted or steamed peppers) and cover with the other 2 slices of bread. Place sandwiches in a panini press or on a preheated grill until the inside is warm and the outside is golden brown.

Told you this was easy peasy! :)

Faux Banana Nut Crunch Cereal

Knowing we needed to be a lot more conscious about our protein and iron intake now that we're vegetarian, I searched online for lists of non-meat sources of these essential nutrients...
and discovered that it's actually really easy to get your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of iron. How, you ask? Through fortified cereals! Yep, boxed cold cereals (especially bran), oatmeal, and Cream of Wheat are all packed with this stuff.
This little number is my current favorite. It tastes a lot like one of my all-time favorite cereals--Post's Great Grains Banana Nut Crunch--but is full of even more nutrition than the original! Like the Post cereal, it's sweet and crunchy, but now it's also filled with 90% of your RDA of iron, 6.5 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fiber! I don't know about you, but I'm seeing a lot more cereal in my future!

 

Jenny's Faux Banana Nut Crunch Cereal
Serves 1

3/4 cup bran flakes cereal
2/3 cup Special K Multigrain Oats & Honey cereal
1/8 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup diced banana

Place all ingredients in bowl, then stir to combine. Top with your favorite (non-dairy) milk (we prefer almond), and enjoy!

Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes & Waffles

Though I love the heartiness of the typical whole wheat pancake or waffle, sometimes I long for something a little fluffier, like the Krusteaz ones I ate as a kid. However, (being mindful) I don't want to sacrifice nutrition either. That's where this fantastic pancake recipe comes in. The soy yogurt makes these pancakes nice and pillowy inside, the lemon adds a light freshness (and amazing aroma), and the cornmeal gives it a great outer crispiness. And with batter that's a little thinner than your usual fare, it makes for excellent waffles as well!

Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes
Slightly adapted from The Engine 2 Diet
Serves 4

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups soy milk (we did 1/2 cup soymilk and 1 1/2 cups homemade rice milk)
1/2 cup soy yogurt (we used O'Soy strawberry)
Zest and juice from 1-2 lemons (we used 1)
1/8 cup flaxseed meal (optional, our addition)
2 Tbsp of sweetener, like sugar or agave nectar (optional, our addition; you can get around this by topping with bananas instead)
Blueberries and/or chopped strawberries (optional, our addition)

Mix the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to remove lumps. Fold in berries. Cook in a nonstick skillet or griddle (or waffle maker) until crisp and golden brown. Top with maple syrup or agave nectar.

Our serving suggestion: Also try making into waffles, then topping with a blueberry or strawberry compote and a drizzle of agave nectar.

Baked "Oakmeal"

This scrumptious oatmeal is our 3 year old daughter Grace's new favorite breakfast, which she endearingly mispronounces "oakmeal." It's warm and slightly chewy, and infused with the comforting flavors and aromas of cinnamon and brown sugar. Indulgent feeling (though really healthy!) and hearty, it's the perfect thing to warm up to on a cold winter morning. We all love it, and since it's full of fiber and protein, we're only too happy to oblige Grace when she requests it (which is sometimes several times a day :) ). You'll probably want to double (or 1 1/2) the recipe like we do!

(Note: this oatmeal takes a little time to bake, so you may want to make it the night before.)

Baked Oatmeal
Adapted from Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites
Serves 6 (though our family of 4 tackles most of the pan in one sitting!) 

3 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
3/4 cup brown sugar (or 1/2 cup agave nectar)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup dried cranberries or diced apples (optional)
1 cup nondairy milk (we use a soy/almond mix)
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp flax seed meal + 6 Tbsp water (mixed until slightly thickened)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine oats, brown sugar (or agave), cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and fruit in a large bowl. Mix together milk, applesauce, vanilla, and flax seed mixture in a smaller bowl. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and whisk to combine.

Pour into a deep 9-inch pie plate or an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch baking dish, lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the oatmeal is set and the top is golden brown.

  Our serving suggestions: top with almond milk, and your favorite fruits and nuts (our favorites are bananas, strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, pears, and pecans).

Enjoy!

Firefighter French Toast

We're big breakfast people around here. Waffles, pancakes, cereal, you name it--we're all over it. It's by far the meal that our girls eat the most at and get the most excited about. And because of that, Travis and I try to make our breakfasts as nutritious and filling as possible (for all of us).  So, you can imagine our excitement when we stumbled upon a french toast recipe that's not only healthy but also reminiscent of homemade banana bread. Sound divine? It sure is!

French Toast
from Rip Esselstyn's The Engine 2 Diet
Serves 2-3

1 banana, well mashed
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
A dash of nutmeg (optional--this is our addition)
4-6 slices of whole grain bread or baguette slices (NOT white bread, which is too flimsy for this mixture)

Combine the banana, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a shallow bowl. Dip the bread slices in the mixture and cook in a nonstick skillet (or griddle) on medium heat for 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.

Our suggestions: For an incredibly tasty tropical twist, top with diced strawberries and mango and a drizzle of agave nectar. Or for a classic combo, spread with your favorite natural peanut butter (our favorite is Whole Food's Honey Roasted PB), sliced bananas, and some maple syrup or agave nectar.
Or, if you have some leftover banana mixture, you can use it to make this delicious smoothie! In a blender, place the leftover banana mixture, a 1/4 nectarine, and 1/2 an apple, and blend until smooth; set aside. In a juicer, juice 1 1/2 apples,  4 carrots, 1 orange, and a 1/4 sweet potato (after all have been peeled). Add the juice to the blender mixture and mix until combined.  This smoothie is sweet and spicy, and pairs perfectly with the french toast!