Power Quinoa Breakfast Bowls

Breakfast- the most important meal of the day.It also happens to be my favorite meal of the day, but I must say planning what I'm going to each each morning gets exhausting. From a nutritional point of view, breakfast is supposed to contain protein and fiber to keep you full and satiated and ready to take on the day. I try to make myself a well balanced each morning- but I get sick of things quickly, so I'm always trying to switch it up,

My husband and I have been on a bit of a hard-boiled egg kick lately. We boil a dozen for the week and throw them in salads and eat them for snacks. They're great to eat for breakfast as well- and it's so convenient when you already have some in the fridge!

I came across a similar recipe to this one on pinterest and decided I needed to recreate my own version. I used quinoa as the base- but you could use whatever grain you like. I topped the bowls with the eggs, a spoonful of pesto, a few pieces of avocado and some cherry tomatoes for some color.

I've been buying my pesto at the whole foods salad bar lately- cheating I know! I checked out the ingredient list, however, and it's completely clean so I feel no guilt. If you want to make homemade pesto and are looking for as good recipe- check out my avocado pesto recipe here.

Quinoa is an amazing superfood. Click here to find out about its wonderful health properties.

Ingredients:

4 hard boiled eggs (directions on the perfect hard boiled egg below)- sliced

1 cup cooked quinoa

6 cherry tomatoes- sliced

2 tbsp. pesto

1/2 avocado- sliced

Directions:

1) Split cooked quinoa among 2 bowls

2) Top each bowl with sliced eggs, avocado, tomatoes and a tbsp. of pesto

Enjoy!

*Recipe makes 2 servings 

Hard boiled egg instructions:

1) Place eggs in pot. Add enough water to cover the eggs and add a sprinkle of sea salt. 

2) Bring pot and eggs to a boil.

3) Once boiling, remove from heat and sit for 8-9 minutes with lid on.

4) Remove eggs and place in an ice bath to stop the cooking

5) Peel and enjoy!
*Eggs will keep for about 5 days in the refrigerator 

Grain-Free Pancakes with Peanut Butter Drizzle and Berries

Pancakes are my most favorite breakfast on the weekends. I've been trying to limit my carbs lately, however (for bathing suit season), so I haven't been indulging in them. I had read about paleo pancakes before just using a banana and 2 eggs and I must say I was a little bit skeptical. I mean how can you make a pancake with no grains whatsoever, right?!

My husband was traveling the other week, so I decided to experiment with these paleo pancakes, as I didn't think he'd enjoy them. I tweaked them a little bit by adding some baking soda to make them fluffy and a few extra ingredients to give them a little pizzazz. 

I was shocked, as these really turned out to be quite delicious! They obviously don't take like a regular pancake, but they are equally as good! They're more of a crepe consistency, but they actually taste decadent. I made them again yesterday for my husband and he really enjoyed them!

What I love the most was that they were super easy to flip and really didn't break apart in the pan like a traditional pancake. This also made the clean-up super simple.

To make them even more delicious I decided to make a peanut butter drizzle by combing peanut butter and coconut oil and heating it in the microwave to make a creamy sauce. I poured it on top of the pancakes and topped with blueberries and raspberries. Oh my goodness- so yummy.

Bananas and eggs are both superfoods. To find the nutritional benefits of each click here or here at some of my other recipes.

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for drizzle:

2 tbsp. natural peanut butter

1/2 tbsp. coconut oil

Optional toppings:

Strawberries

Raspberries

Blueberries

Slivered Almonds 

Peanuts

Chocolate Chips 

Directions:

1) Combine first 6 ingredients in a blender until smooth.

2) Heat a pan over medium high heat.

3) Pour mixture into pancake forms and cook about 2 minutes before flipping.

4) Cook another minute on the other side

5) Repeat until all of the batter is used

6) To make topping- combine peanut butter and coconut oil in a microwavable safe bowl.

7) Microwave for 30 seconds and stir until silky and smooth.

8) Pour over pancakes and top with berries

*Recipe makes 2 servings