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Cold Morning Teff Bowl

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We’ve had a few cool mornings in Florida and I’m loving it, but I’m so not in the mood for a smoothie.

I need something warm in a bowl with a little cinnamon and cooked fruit.

You might think I’m gonna reach for oatmeal, but not today.

Check out ancient grain teff that comes from Africa. It cooks up in just 15 minutes and is super filling and a high protein grain.

Let this grain cook while you’re in the shower and have it hot and ready to enjoy before you head out to work.

Cold Morning Teff Bowl

Ingredients:

1/4 cup teff grain (I like Bob’s Red Mill)

1 cup water

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

1 small apple chopped

Method:

1. Measure out teff grain and add to small cooking pot.

2. Measure out water and add to pot.

3. Chop apple and toss in pot.

4. Add cinnamon and pinch of salt.

5. Bring to a boil, then cover (leaving small space for air to escape) turn down and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Stir well, let cool so you don’t burn your mouth then enjoy!

No Meat Athlete Inspired Breakfast Bars

I landed on the No Meat Athlete website the other day and noticed the side bar with their most popular posts. Number one post is The Perfect Smoothie Formula and number two is The Ultimate Energy Bar Formula. Interesting, I have never seen a recipe called a formula, so I clicked to check it out. I actually love this idea of a formula rather than a recipe because it gives you so many different options. Almost every recipe I pick up, my instinct is to analyze what ingredients I can change out or add to the recipe. I guess it’s from years of kitchen experiments after following recipes to the letter when I first started cooking and baking.

I loved customizing this recipe using their formula with all of the great options. I did make a change from one of the base ingredients in the formula by using 1.5 cups of cooked millet instead of 1.5 cups of oats. I didn’t have any gluten free oats on hand and wanted to use up some cooked millet.

Check out these beauties, which would be lovely with some tea. I am planning to enjoy a breakfast bar tomorrow morning with a green smoothie to give me energy all morning until lunch time! Can’t wait.

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When making bars, I always prefer to wrap them up individually and toss in the fridge or freezer. That way, I don’t need to eat before they get stale. These bars are vegan, gluten free, and dairy free. They are quite filling with their fiber rich secret ingredient of beans, hehe.

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Ingredients:

1.5 cups cooked adzuki beans

1/4 cup ground flaxseed mixed with 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup agave syrup

1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (about a half banana)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

(First set of ingredients will be combined in food processor until smooth then add remaining ingredients and pulse)

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1.5 cups cooked millet (I used millet instead of oats from the base formula)

1/2 cup buckwheat

1/2 cup gluten free all purpose baking flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1/4 cup water (if needed)

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life mini chips – allergen free)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Grease bottom and sides of 9 x 13 inch baking pan with coconut oil.

3. In a food processor, add beans, ground flaxseed and water, agave syrup, banana, cinnamon, and sea salt. Run food processor until ingredients are blended and smooth.

4. Add the millet, buckwheat, and flour then pulse until just mixed in. You don’t want to puree the batter from this point on.

5. Add 1/4 cup water if batter seems a bit too thick.

6. Fold in mini chocolate chips.

7. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

8. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a knife inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 minutes. Check after 20 minutes.

9. Let cool completely in pan.

10. Cut into 8 or 12 bars.

11. Enjoy!!

These are great to individually wrap and throw in the freezer.

For the original formula along with suggested formula options, check out No Meat Athletes website. I know I’ll be back for more great tips!

Earnest Eats From Vitacost.com

Vitacost.com contacted me and asked if I would like to review a few products they recently added to their online catalog. I happily accepted and an honored to share with you my review of the products. I will write a few posts to share my reviews, first up – Earnest Eats!

Disclosure of material connection: Vitacost provided me with free samples of these products to review. All opinions expressed here are completely my own.

I received the hot & fit cereal and baked whole food snack bar:

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Earnest Eats makes a variety of hot cereals, bars, and planks (crunchy bars). I’ve been eager to try this brand, it looks so wholesome, like something you would make at home. The Earnest Eats Hot Cereal is perfect for grabbing and taking to the office or even bringing to the airport. All you need to do is add hot water and you’ve got a hot, wholesome meal ready in a few minutes!

Earnest Eat hot & fit ready to eat! Yummy cranberries and pumpkin seeds jazz up standard oats plus added grains amaranth and quinoa thicken it up and boost the nutritional profile. I love my superfood grains amaranth & quinoa!!

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I decided to pump up the protein with my favorite pea protein: Plant Fusion. I had just worked out at the gym so I needed some extra protein for muscle recovery. This was a good grain based breakfast, I like the addition of some dried fruit and nuts to give it a pleasing change in consistency. All you do is add hot water to the cup, stir, and let it stand for a few minutes. You can eat it straight from the cup if you desire, so it’s perfect to grab and take to the office or for traveling.

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Earnest Eats snack bar, this one was dark chocolate espresso. All good things in my book! This bar was dense and moist with a rich chocolate flavor and hint of espresso. A great snack, not too light, it’s got some staying power to it. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend for consumption Smile.

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I hope you check out Earnest Eats for delicious whole food eats!

Thank you again Vitacost.com for the delicious Earnest Eats products to try.