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CHAPTER 1
Chia Seed Breakfast
In today's busy world, many people underestimate the power of breakfast. It's the easiest meal of the day to skip since hunger usually isn't that intense in the morning, and there are always plenty of excuses: not enough time; or all the fast breakfasts are fast food; or the "good for you stuff" tastes bad.
However, breakfast plays an important role throughout your day. If you skip breakfast, you're very likely to want to snack before lunch or feel tired later on in the morning as your energy runs down. Caffeine is not a substitute for nutrition, no matter how many people treat it that way. Missing breakfast can also lead to overeating at lunch time or craving unhealthy foods. Having a healthy breakfast can help prevent blood sugar peaks and valleys that affect your energy level and concentration.
Breakfast foods are a great way to work healthy items into your day. You can use breakfast to boost your fiber, power up with protein, and have a serving or two of colorful fruits. These chia breakfasts can help you do all of the above. Most of the breakfasts you'll see are quick and easy. You can even prepare some ahead of time (like the banana breakfast pops) and keep them in the freezer. The breakfast oat squares can be made on a Sunday so you can simply pick one up as you head out the door Monday morning. It doesn't get much faster than that!
Whether they're a quick grab 'n' go (like the breakfast cookie) or suited for a fun Saturday morning (like the fruit crumple) you'll always be getting the added benefits of chia, without the preservatives or high fructose corn syrup of many packaged breakfast foods. When you have chia for breakfast, the two kinds of fiber in each seed will help ensure you stay full until to lunch time. The protein will provide you with energy to start your day off right.
A study from Virginia Commonwealth University found that regularly skipping breakfast increases your risk of significant weight gain by 450 percent! People who ate a protein-rich varied breakfast of about 400 calories lost more weight and kept it off because they had an easier time staying with their healthy life diet. Your mom was right! Breakfast gets your motor running.
Super Simple Ways to Add Chia to Your Breakfast
Breakfast could be the easiest meal of the day in which to use chia. These ideas are so simple that a recipe isn't even required. However, just because they're as easy as scoop-and-stir doesn't mean they should be overlooked.
• Stir dry chia into any flavor of yogurt — the seeds will take on the flavor of the yogurt.
• Stir chia gel into any type of oatmeal after cooking — you won't even notice the chia.
• Sprinkle chia over cereal if you plan to drink the milk afterward — some of the seeds will end up in the milk.
• Add chia gel to your breakfast tea — it will absorb the flavor of the tea and keep you feeling full.
• Toast with jam? Dry chia will stick in the jam.
• Making an omelet? Sprinkle dry chia before you fold it so it will stick in the egg.
• Add gelled chia to any breakfast drink to make it more filling.
• Swirling up a smoothie, protein shake, or anything else in the blender? Chia is ideal here, too.
• Healthy breakfast nut-butter sandwich! Sprinkle dry chia and top with banana slices. You can use peanut or almond butter for a change of pace.
Yogurt Berry Chia Parfaits
This isn't a recipe because it is just too easy. Ingredients: berries of choice, chia gel, and Greek yogurt. You can even prepare your parfaits the night before so they'll be ready to grab 'n' go in the morning. You may be the envy of your coworkers with such a beautiful breakfast or afternoon snack!
Like some crunch? You can add nuts such as cashews (shown on page 16) or almonds. Any nut that you like will work well here. When you're ready to eat, you can also sprinkle on a little granola so it doesn't become soggy. You can add as much or as little chia as you want to these parfaits ... just use the amount that will keep you feeling full.
Chia and eggs are a great pair in the morning. Eggs provide protein, while chia provides fiber. With these quick recipes, you can see just how simple it is to add chia to eggs, however you like to prepare them.
Easy Chia Eggs
1 egg
DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter by microwaving it on high in a mug or small bowl for 30 seconds. Crack the egg into the melted butter and add the milk and the chia gel. With a fork, beat the eggs until scrambled.
Microwave the eggs on high power for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds. The eggs will still be a little wet. Let the eggs set for about 2 minutes to finish cooking.
Choose 2-3 omelet ingredients from the list:
diced red/green peppers,
Easy does it omelet
2 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and milk. Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add egg mixture and cook over medium heat. As the eggs begin to set, lift the edges of the egg mixture so that the uncooked portion flows underneath. When the eggs are completely set, remove from heat. Place your choice of ingredients over half of the eggs, sprinkle with the chia, and fold the "top" over.
Don't be afraid of the egg!
Eggs have gotten a lot of bad press in the past due to their cholesterol content. However, eggs are an excellent nutrient-dense food with six grams of protein, a bit of vitamin B-12, vitamin E, riboflavin, folic acid, calcium, zinc, iron, and essential fatty acids. An egg has just 75 calories. New insights into the fatty foods/heart disease connection reveal that in people with normal cholesterol metabolism, it is not cholesterol that clogs arteries; it is foods high in saturated and hydrogenated fats.
Cookies for breakfast? Who wouldn't get excited about that? These tasty, fruity, and filling cookies can provide you with an easy start to your day, even if you're in a rush. No time to have breakfast? Grab a cookie or two and away you go.
You can make a batch of these cookies on the weekend, and then grab one on the way out the door all week or pack them in a lunch bag. These breakfast cookies are loaded with fiber, protein, cinnamon, and fruit. If you let on about how healthy they are, will they still taste as good? Yes! This recipe makes about a dozen large cookies.
Breakfast Cookies!
¾ cup unbleached cake flour
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter with the brown sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Beat in the egg and then stir in the chia gel.
In a small mixing bowl, place the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oats. Stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and then stir in the flakes and dried fruits. These are to be large cookies so use about 3+ tablespoons of batter for each cookie. Press down lightly to flatten so that each cookie is about 3' round. Bake on a cooking sprayed cookie sheet for about 11-12 minutes at 350 degrees. After the cookies have cooled, place in an air tight container.
Impress yourself with this Sunday French toast! Colorful fruits like strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries make a delicious topper for this toast. With a hint of citrus and Greek yogurt in the egg soak, this French toast is not as sweet as the standard recipe your grandmother made. The citrus works well with every seasonal berry you can imagine, as well as fresh banana slices or peaches, so this colorful breakfast can change with the seasons. This makes about two servings, but that depends on the size of the bread slices you use.
Sunday Fruited French Toast
2 eggs
DIRECTIONS:
In a pie pan or shallow baking dish, beat the eggs with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Soak the bread slices in the batter for approximately 5 minutes, turning the bread once. The chia will cling to the toast from the egg wash.
In a large skillet with medium heat, melt the butter and cook the slices of bread until crispy brown.
Top with the fruit of your choice and, if you want, dust with confectioners' sugar for a pretty presentation.
This is great for kids and guests, too. Everyone can choose their favorite topping if several fruits are in season at once. This toast also works well seasoned with a sprinkle of cinnamon or with a touch of honey or maple syrup.
Pre-packaged oatmeal (often sold as a packet) can have a surprising amount of sugar. The varieties marketed toward kids can even include things like gummy candy, marshmallows, high fructose corn syrup-based "fruit syrups," or sugar-based sprinkles. Several types of granola bars have the sugar equivalent of a regular candy bar. When you're looking over the instant oatmeal packets in the store, be sure to look where the sugar is listed on the ingredients panel. Usually it's in second place, right behind the oats!
If you're eating oatmeal for breakfast, you're trying to do something good for yourself or your family. You don't need HFCS or sugar sneaking around sabotaging your efforts. This makes one serving of oatmeal.
Almost Instant Chia Oatmeal½ cup of quick cooking oats
DIRECTIONS:
Add the filtered water to your oats in a microwave-safe cup. You don't even need to stir; simply microwave for about 50–60 seconds. Carefully remove from microwave and stir. Now you can add your choice of toppings. Granola adds great crunch, while any of the fruits add a touch of sweetness.
Need more fiber and a little crunch? Add 1 teaspoon dry chia as a "sprinkle" on top. Want sweeter oatmeal? Need to get kids to eat it?
You can sweeten with agave nectar. It's lower on the glycemic index than sugar, and doesn't have the side effects of aspartame. Fresh fruit can really up the sweetness factor as well.
There are many discussions about steel cut oats vs. rolled oats vs. quick cooking oats. You may lose some of the fiber in quick cooking oats, but 20 minutes to cook steel cut oatmeal is about 19 minutes too long for us. If something takes too long, or is inconvenient, it becomes a nuisance and is then generally dropped from the menu. You're making up for the fiber by adding chia, so it doesn't have to be a big worry for you.
For those of us watching our cholesterol and unhealthy fats, deviled eggs are a bit scary. No more! These deviled eggs are yolkless and filled with satisfying flavor. The fillings are savory and easy to make with just a bowl and a fork. The avocado filling is smooth and brings beneficial vegetable folate and heart-healthy unsaturated fat. The sweet potato filling is a little spicy with paprika and a bit of mustard. Makes 12 deviled eggs.
To make the eggs ...
Place 6 eggs in a medium saucepan and fill the water level to about one inch over the eggs. Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat to just a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. When the eggs have cooled, you may gently crack and peel. Cut each peeled egg in half, and remove the yolk, leaving an empty hollow for the filling. Discard the yolks. While you are cooking the eggs, you can make these easy fillings.
No Yolk Deviled Eggs: Sweet Potato and Avocado
1 clove garlic smashed and minced
DIRECTIONS:
Avocado filling:
Smash up the avocado in a small bowl with a fork, then mince and smash the garlic clove to release the flavor and aroma. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl and stir to blend. To avoid a mess while filling the egg whites and scoop quickly, you can use a small ice cream or cookie scoop. Place 1 scoop of filling where the yolk used to be in each egg half. Chill until ready to serve.
Sweet Potato filling:
Use a fork to prick the sweet potato skin multiple times to let the steam out. Then place in the microwave for about 5 minutes to cook all the way through. Let cool slightly and remove the peel. Smash in a small bowl with a fork, and then add the remaining ingredients. Stir to blend everything together. A large melon ball utensil or small ice cream scoop will make for easy filling. Chill until ready to serve. Sprinkle with a little paprika for the traditional look of these deliciously deviled eggs.
You can easily make these on the weekend and refrigerate for a "grab 'n' go" breakfast any day of the week.
Some muffins are strictly breakfast muffins, while others can make a tasty dessert! This muffin is satisfactory for either category. It's sweet and moist thanks to the use of a whole sweet potato in the recipe. It may sound a little unusual to add this healthy root to a muffin, but the results are super! The muffins don't end up tasting at all like the potato, and they are a kid favorite with their orange color. We admit it: we are chocoholics. These muffins are filled with fiber, flavor, and chocolate! They are extremely moist and just what you were hoping a muffin could be. Depending on the sweetness of your chosen potato, they may be a bit rich for breakfast, so a fun alternative can be cinnamon chips. This makes 12 medium size muffins.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Chia Seed Cookbook"
by .
Copyright © 2013 Emily Morris and Carole Morris.
Excerpted by permission of Skyhorse Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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