RECIPE: No-atmeal

Crazy name, huh! Well, I have fond memories of eating oatmeal when I was a kid, but since it's a grain, it's a no-no. Since I have sensitivities to oats, it's a double no-no. So, I went in search of alternate recipes for a hot breakfast dish that would be similar to my once-beloved oatmeal. 
I was digitally 'thumbing through' the Primal Blueprint Reader-Created Cookbook when I fond something interesting ... No-atmeal, submitted by Doug Descant. 
NO-ATMEAL (No-Oat Breakfast Cereal)

INGREDIENTS

1 small handful of walnuts

1 small handful of pecans 

2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 tablespoon unsweetened ground coconut

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 pinch of ground nutmeg 

1 pinch ground ginger 

1 tablespoon almond butter 

1 banana, mashed 

3 eggs 

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (add more if you prefer it a little runny) 

2 teaspoons chopped macadamia nuts*

1 handful of fresh strawberries

(**NOTE: Macadamia nuts are not in photo below - They were an after-thought)

Quoted from the cookbook ... 

"Pronounced “note-meal” (as in, no oatmeal), Doug’s recipe is for all you ex-cereal lovers out there and for anyone who needs a warm bowl of comforting goodness on a cold winter morning. As Doug says, “it’s a hot meal full of essential proteins and fats, not to mention the necessary vitamins and minerals, in order to stay energized for the cold weeks ahead.” Just thinking about eating No-atmeal for breakfast is guaranteed to coax you out of bed in the morning."

DIRECTIONS

1. Add walnuts, pecans, flax seed and spices to a food processor and pulse it down to a course grain, making sure to stop before it’s totally ground into a powder. Set aside. 

2. Whisk together eggs and almond milk until the consistency thickens a little bit into a loose custard. Thoroughly blend together the mashed banana and almond butter and add it to the custard, mixing well.

3. Stir in the nut mixture. 

4. Microwave until the “no-atmeal” reaches your desired consistency; this should only take a few minutes. I checked and stirred it every 30 seconds and removed it after 2 minutes.

5. Sprinkle macadamia nuts and strawberries on top. Add more almond milk if you want. 

6. Lick the bowl clean!

RECIPE: Mixed Fruit Smoothie

With lots of beautiful fruit around I can't help but make more smoothies. It's a great way to get a nutritional, energy packed meal!

FRUIT SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 cup vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 Banana

5 Strawberries

1/3 cup frozen Mango chunks

1/3 cup frozen Peach slices

1/3 cup frozen Blueberries

2 - 4 Ice Cubes

 Place all ingredient in a blender.

 Blend until smooth and creamy.

 Pour into a cup.

 Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Mango Smoothie ... With Avocado and Spinach!

Conrad isn't completely sold on the idea of "drinking vegetables" mixed with fruit, so I took yesterday's recipe and added avocado and spinach and drank it myself. It was awesome! Smooth, rich, creamy, nutritious ... green ... what more could one ask for!


STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE WITH AVOCADO AND SPINACH

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup ZOI vanilla Greek Yogurt
6-8 fresh Strawberries (I used fresh)
1/2 cup chunks of Mango (I used frozen)
1/4 Avocado
2 cups fresh Spinach
1 teaspoon Agave
6 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Even though "Smoothie Month" is officially over I am still making and loving drinking them. With Spring and Summer just around the corner, I am going to be trying even more varieties. I will post my findings as I progress.


STRAWBERRY MANGO SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup almond milk
1/2 cup ZOI vanilla Greek Yogurt
6-8 fresh Strawberries (I used fresh)
1/2 cup chunks of Mango (I used frozen)
1 teaspoon Agave
6 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Banana Spinach Smoothie

One thing I must say ... When I have a smoothie packed with fresh fruits and spinach I usually do not feel the slightest bit hungry until late in the afternoon. That is one of the most important things I have discovered while doing "Smoothie Month" and I wanted to share. I start thinking about preparing dinner and I feel like I've had a surprising amount of fruits and vegetables already during the day. That's a very good feeling!
I thought I'd end the month (Happy Leap Day, everyone!!) with one of my favorite smoothies. I will continue to explore and post smoothies, so don't anyone get upset. :)
STRAWBERRY BANANA SPINACH SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt
1 banana
6 fresh Strawberries
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
1 teaspoon organic Agave
6 - 8 Walnut halves
6 Ice Cubes
2 - 4 cups fresh Baby Spinach

DIRECTIONS:
1. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
2.  Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I bought a huge package of beautiful strawberries at the market, so I decided to use some in another smoothie this morning. I'm varying my ingredients to get a better idea of what I like and what I don't. I will admit during my "Smoothie Month" I have made a couple of smoothies that aren't going to be posted here ... One was so bad I took one sip and poured it out! Maybe someday I'll blog about that one, but not right now. :) Here's what I made this morning and it was very much like a strawberry banana milkshake.

STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Whole Milk

1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 banana

8 fresh Strawberries

6 - 8 Walnut halves

6 Ice Cubes

 DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

 2. Pour. Serve. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Power Smoothie

I have to admit - This is not one of the prettiest smoothies I have ever seen, but it tastes fantastic! When you were a kid you probably colored easter eggs with the little fizzy tablets in vinegar. (I know I did!) After all the pretty eggs were ready it seemed to be tradition to experiment with the dyes by putting one egg into every color or by mixing them all together to see what the final outcome would be. Inevitably, you'd have one brownish egg from that process. Well, this smoothie is somewhat of a 'brown easter egg' experiment!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 banana
4 large strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon agave
6 ice cubes
2 - 4 cups raw spinach

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in blender. Place spinach in last. Fill blender to the top with spinach.
2. Blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Taste. Add more agave (to taste) if you prefer a sweeter smoothie.

 Enjoy!

***Interestingly, the longer this smoothie rests the greener it becomes! Here's a view just before the last sip!

RECIPE: Blueberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie

With Valentines Day being just round the corner, our local grocery stores have lots of beautiful strawberries for sale. Since all of my smoothies start out with almond or coconut milk and a banana, I've been experimenting this week with different fruits and flavors. I suppose I should make February "Smoothie" month! Sounds like a new challenge to me!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 banana

4 large strawberries

1/2 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

1 teaspoon agave

6 ice cubes

 DIRECTIONS:
1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.

 2. Enjoy!