A week of Breakfasts – II (“lockdown” version)

Hi my dear ones,

I am quite excited to share another week of breakfasts with you as I haven’t written a food-related blog post in quite a long time.

I like having routines that make me feel good and eating breakfast in the morning is certainly one that I love having. The only day where I actually do not eat breakfast is on Sundays and that is simply because I allow myself to wake up when my body tells me to (i.e. no setting alarm) and because practicing yoga is the very first thing I do.

Because breakfast kicks-start my metabolism, I like to be as intentional as I can with it. It really makes a difference in my day and in how I feel when I make the deliberate effort to check in with myself in the morning and ask: “What does my body truly feels like eating?”. Sadly, this is something that is not always possible if I need to commute to work as I was doing before this “lockdown” period. I live in Amsterdam, which is a 30-minute train journey away, and I always prefer to eat once I got to the office. As I am an early bird, I am one of the first ones arriving, which means that I can have a peaceful sit-down breakfast on my own.

Given the global pandemic situation I have now been working from home for just over three months and this really took my breakfasts to the next level! With my home office all set up, I no longer need to prepare my breakfasts in the night before. I get to wake up, do my morning pages, do 1 hour of work or do yoga and then go with the foods my body craves. This has not only resulted in being able to eat in a more intuitive and varied way but also in getting more creativity with my breakfasts! 🙂

I hope that by sharing this post, I can give you some inspiration to try something new and add variety to your morning breakfasts.

For the record, these meal ideas are not necessarily just for breakfast, you can also make them as a snack or even dessert. I know that eating breakfast is not for everybody and that is completely fine. You do you.

 

Monday

A big cup of fennel tea to support my digestion and homemade heart-shaped chickpeas waffles topped with caramel syrup (0% fat and sugard version just to give them a caramel taste), cinnamon and almond butter.

 

Tuesday

Gluten free oats soaked in unsweetneed soya yoghurt topped with high protein muesli, fresh strawberries and almond butter.

Wednesday

Bowl of oat cheerios (less than 5% sugar edition from Nestle because I am really not a fan of sugar breakfast cereal)

Thursday

Steamed japanese sweet potato topped with almond yoghurt from @Abbotkinney’s , stewed blueberries and raspberries, hemp seeds and almond butter.

Friday

Stove top carrot cake oatmeal topped with a hint of vanilla aroma and topped with hemp seeds and almond butter.

Saturday

Bowl of unsweetned yoghurt topped with stewed blueberries and raspberries, steamed orage sweet potato chunks, hemp seeds, high protein muesli and almond butter.

 

Yes, as you may have noticed, almond butter is my most recent food obsession! I know its been around for ages but I used to be very loyal to my dark tahini, ok? haha Anyways, I hope this post has inspired you to switch up your breakfast game or to just try some new snack/dessert ideas! 

Now, tell me, what have you been eating for breakfast lately? Do you eat breakfast regularly? Do you feel better when you do? Would you fancy any of these foods for breakfast/snack or dessert? 🙂 Drop your thoughts in the comments. Everyone is different, so I’d love to hear what you think.

Much love,

Blissfully Grateful

Cloud Cakes (Paris, France).

With my 26th birthday just around the corner, I found myself reminiscing about how my last birthday morning started last year. This post has been a long time coming but I wanted to share it with you regardless 🙂

My boyfriend and I travelled to Paris last September to not only celebrate our love but also my birthday (two great cheesy excuses to travel, right? haha)! Anyways, as the morning person who lives for breakfasts that I am, one of my birthday wishes was to start my day with a big and special one! That was exactly what happened and I loved every second (as well as every bite of it). I think that my boyfriend knows pretty well by now that all he needs to do to own my heart is to feed me a nice and yummy breakfast haha!

We went to Cloud Cakes, a dainty vegan bakery and coffee shop in the centre of Paris that I had looked up on Happy Cow* (see notes at the end of the post) prior to our trip. After reading the positive reviews, seeing some photos of the food and realising that they had VEGAN CROISSANTS, I knew for a fact that this was the place to go for my birthday breakfast! I am so glad we went there because it did not disappoint in the slightest!

If the menu looks very appealing, I can be someone pretty undecided when it comes to making my mind up about what to eat. For that reason, whenever I go to a food spot for breakfast/brunch, I usually like to order at least two items from the menu and share them. This way I get to experience a variety of tastes and trying something to eat that is “new” and/or “unknown” does not look like a major commitment!

Food

Whilst deciding on what to eat, we ordered two soya cappuccinos. They were excellent and the fact that the latte art was on point immediately felt like a win. Anyways, after some considerable thought, we ordered the “sweet morning toast” with peanut butter and jam, the pancakes with whipped cream, fruits, sliced almonds and maple syrup (on a side) and of course…a croissant! I mean I just could not possibly go to Paris and not eat a freshly baked croissant, could I?

Even though the two pancakes came beautifully presented and tasted good, my boyfriend ended up by eating them because I they were a bit too sweet for my liking. I would also like them to be a little bit thicker but the texture really is down to personal preference.

However, I did love the delicious combo of P&J on toast. The two toasts came with poppy seeds and fresh blueberries on top which I dount to be a real great twist. I was also quite impressed with how crazy-good the vegan croissant was! Totally on point (taste- and texture-wise)!! It totally exceeded my expectations so you can trust me when I say that these vegan croissants are an absolutely must. I though I’d never find one of those!

“When you feed yourself what your body needs when it needs it, that’s love”.

The cafe also outlets a good variety of vegan cakes and cupcakes and it has you covered whether you want to go for something decadent or healthy! We will certainly have to come back to try them.

Staff, service and overall atmosphere

Even though the place was not full at all, we had to wait quite a bit to be served but we did not mind too much because it just meant that the pancakes were freshly made! The server spoke English and was friendly enough. Nevertheless, we did not find her to be super accommodating. She did not come to check on us once we were served nor did she ask how did we like the food when we paid for it. It is not something outrageous but, as I have mentioned in some other posts, a café/restaurant always scores extra for me when the service is excellent and the staff friendly and attentive.

When it comes to the cafe’s overall atmosphere and space, I loved how cozy and pretty it was. The attention to detail was pretty visible. However, I would advise to go in early-ish for breakfast because it is also small and it does not have plenty of seating. I think we were quite lucky with the time and day we went there (Thursday at 10am) because there were only 4 other customers in the cafe. Thus, just bear in mind that if you go later (and especially in the weekend) in the morning/day you may not get a seat.

This 10 am breakfast was the proper fuel we needed to face the full day of exploration ahead. It was so filling that, believe it or not, I could not literally eat anything else until dinner time! Now just to wrap up my final thoughts and to hopefully convince you to come to this vegan cafe:

• The menu has a really great and tempting variety of sweet and savoury options. Because everything is plant-based there is no need to worry with the ingredients that they contain 😉
• The café’s atmosphere is really inviting and the entire place looks cozy and adorable
• The location is in a central and lovely neighbourhood to roam around
• 100% vegan food spots are not overly common in Paris and that is a reason in itself why Cloud Cakes is quite a gem!

Notes:

*Happy Cow is an online website and mobile app that serves as guide to vegetarian and vegan restaurants all across the world.

 

Much Love,

Blissfully Grateful

 

 

Top nutrition benefits of SPELT

As someone who suffers from IBS and who has followed a very restricted diet (mainly gluten free and low in fodmaps) in terms of quantity and variety for way too long, changing the way I approach food was certainly not an easy task. Quite frankly, it is a work in process to this day.

As an attempt of reducing my IBS symptoms, I have cut out gluten from my diet in the past. Subsequently,  this resulted in some nutritional deficiencies and in gaining fear of certain foods. As much as a specific food does not sit well with your stomach, when you leave it out of your diet, you are also leaving out all the potential health benefits that that food may have for your body. I have come to learn that micromanaging what I eat, demonising (groups of) foods and labelling them as “unhealthy”, “bad” or “off limits” is not the way to go. I ended up by wasting so much energy on obsessing over foods and it is simply not worth. We have so much mental energy per day and I realised that I could be putting it to better use.  Thus, for the past half year or so, I have been incorporating a greater and greater variety of foods into my diet. Gladly, I now feel so much better. I have gained more love and excitement for cooking new recipes and for experimenting with food. I have also gained more knowledge about what certain foods can do for us and that is one of the reasons why I am writing this post. I want to talk about SPELT today, which is one of the foods that I have introduced into my diet and that I have been loving to eat lately.

I personally do not think that it is beneficial for our bodies or minds to completely cut gluten out of our diets, unless of course we have an allergy or severe intolerance to it. Whole grains can play an important role when it comes to maintaining a well-functioning body and to having good digestion, cholesterol and blood pressure levels. They are a great source of dietary fibre, vitamins and essential minerals.

If you are not highly intolerant or allergic to gluten, I would highly recommend you to give spelt a go. The fact that there are so many different ways of preparing it, makes it really easy to be incorporated into our diet. Plus, nowadays spelt is readily available in most supermarkets and in a variety of forms (pure whole grain form, puffed or ground into flour). You can can also easily find spelt cookies, crackers and bread.

Despite not consuming gluten on a regular basis because my diet is mainly plant-based and focused on whole foods, I do eat every now and then. I like doing it so because this way I am able to keep my diet varied, which is key to getting the right nutrients in and have a well-nourished mind and body. Being mentally and physically in a good place, makes it so much easier to succeed in life and find true balance and wellbeing within.

I don’t know about you but I like to be informed about the nutrition and health benefits of the foods I put in my body. Hence, after doing some research, I have compiled some information about spelt that I would like to share with you.

First of all, spelt is an ancient grain that has been around for many years. It is a subspecies of wheat and it was actually one of the first grains used to make bread. Despite not being gluten free, it contains considerably less of it when compared to common wheat. Hence why it is actually tolerable by many people with sensitivities. When it comes to its taste, spelt has a nutty sweeter and lighter flavour when compared to whole wheat. I personally like it more as I find it to be more rich in flavour. I have gathered the 5 health benefits that I considered as being the most important. So let’s just get into it!

• Unlike wheat, spelt has a high water solubility, making it easily digestible and quickly absorbed into the body.
• It is high in important minerals such as copper, iron, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, thiamin and magnesium. These minerals are needed for the production of red blood cells and for a well-functioning human body with a healthy immune, nervous and cardiovascular system.
• It boasts a higher protein content when compared to regular wheat
• It is particularly rich in vitamin B-3 (niacin) and in B17, which is believed to be an anti-carcinoma, helping to fight against cancer.
• When compared to wheat, it has a greater quantity of certain essential amino acids – namely cystine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine and neurotransmitters, phenylalanine and tryptophane – which our bodies cannot produce but need to be able to thrive!

That being said, I think we could all agree that spelt is undoubtedly a nutrient rich grain. So if this is a grain that does not cause us any abdominal discomfort or any physical health issue, why keep it out of our diets?

Lately, my favourite of consuming spelt has been in its puffed form for being so versatile. You can literally add it to anything you like: porridge, smoothie bowl, yogurt, granola, etc… One of my favourite go-to breakfasts at the moment is puffed spelt soaked in unsweetened soya yoghurt and topped with some fruit and/or a nut/seeds butter (see below). Even though I vary what I have for breakfast every morning and I love doing it, I know I could easily have this for breakfast 7 days in a row haha

Breakfast this morning before heading to my usual cardio/strength training class at the gym: Unsweetened soya yogurt, finely chopped fresh strawberries and a spoon of dark tahini (my current seed butter obsession!). Easy, simple but so tasty.

I hope this post was informative enough to arouse your curiosity about spelt and I hope it has encouraged at least some of you to give it a try if you have not already. As always, I would love to hear your feedback on it. Also, if spelt is already part of your diet, I’d love to know what is your favourite way of consuming it. I am always on the lookout for new breakfast/lunch/dinner ideas where I can include it in a different way than I am used to.

 

Much Love,

Blissfully Grateful

A week of vegan breakfasts.

Breakfasts make me happy and they have always had. Whenever I have my beloved ones over, I like to surprise and treat them with a beautiful and delicious morning breakfast. After all, one of the best things in life is to eat food we enjoy with with people we enjoy. ♥

We all know how important it is to have a well-rounded and varied diet that includes foods from each of the main food groups (protein, fats, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables). This is because different foods provide different types and amounts of key nutrients. Nevertheless, I must say that, I unconsciously neglected this for quite some time. I got way too comfortable eating the same foods over and over again and did not even realise how “limited” my diet become. Anyway, I got a wake up call last Summer and said to myself “enough of this. I am a huge breakfast person and as such I should be more creative with the foods I eat first thing in the morning.” I am so happy with the decision of switching up my breakfast game. I have been loving it and it is so freeing to finally make use of all the goodies I have kept in my kitchen pantry for way too long. Plus, by allowing myself to have different things for breakfast, I have noticed these positive things happening:

• I feel like I am now able to listen to my body more and eat with greater intention and pleasure. I wake up, tune in and ask myself: “What do I feel like eating today?”. I think about all the possible yummy breakfast combos I can have and go for the one that appeals my body the most; the one my body craves the most. Food cravings are just our bodies communicating what they truly need and ignoring them should never be an option.
• I wake up more excited and looking forward to my first meal of the day.
• I feel more energised and overall upbeat after having it.

Here is an entire week of breakfasts..and, trust me, I was able to whip up all of them in a matter of minutes.

Gluten free sorghum cereal from @Nutribex (details about it on this blog post Breakfast Cereals: Current Addictions) soaked in unsweetened almond milk and topped with fresh raspberries, coconut yoghurt from @kokodairyfree and a spoon of dark tahini (my current seed butter addiction!)

Oat waffle topped with dried red fruits, a dash of organic cinnamon and a spoon of dark tahini. For the waffle recipe I used gluten free oats, unsweetened almond milk, psyllium husk, baking soda and water. Even though the picture only shows one waffle, the recipe makes actually two. I’d say that the texture and consistency of the waffles need improvement but the taste is on point. Now that I finally got myself a waffles machine, I will be experimenting some new recipes (both sweet and savoury) and I can assure you that if they turn out tasty, you will be seeing them here soon.

Toasted Breton dark whole grain bread with vegan butter from @alpro. This bread was baked and bought at my favourite organic local store and it is just one of the best that I have ever eaten. I kid you not. It is so wholesome and rich in flavour. There are no nasty ingredients added, only grains that have so many amazing benefits for our health, such as quinoa, buckwheat and amaranth

Chocolate chia porridge topped with cinnamon and passionfruit. I have made it using gluten free free oats, chia seeds, unsweetened almond milk (it makes it so creamy) and vegan pea and brown rice protein with chocolate hazelnut flavour from @goldnutrition.

Sweet potato breakfast bowl with unsweetened soya yoghurt, toasted soya flakes, organic whole grain wheats filled with raisins from @wkellog_uk ,and a spoon of dark tahini.

Organic and gluten free oat crispbreads from @jardinbio. I topped one of the crispbreads with coconut yoghurt from @kokodairyfree and strawbs , another one with smashed avocado, lemon juice, cracked pepper and arugula and the other two with dark tahini and strawbs. I ate 4 in total but one of them did not fit on the wood cutting board … I mean we do love photos of aesthetically pleasing food, don’t we? haha)

Mini oat pancakes topped with coconut-based raspberry yoghurt from @abbotkinney’s, fresh raspberries and a spoon of dark tahini. This recipe is exactly the same as the one of the waffles.

*Remark: The mug you see in some of the pictures has my usual decaf cappuccino with unsweetened soya milk, unsweetened soya almond milk, organic decaf coffee, maca powder and cinnamon! Love it.

 

I hope this post has somehow inspired to get a bit more creative and switch things up at breakfast time! Because – and hey listen this carefully – you should never ever settle for a boring breakfast!

Breakfast should be an enough good reason to make you want jump out of your bed every morning! 🙂

*Brief disclaimer: I am not sponsored by any of the brands I mentioned. Like always, I am just sharing what I enjoy. Plus, it might be useful to share the brands of the foods for those who might wonder 🙂

 

Much Love,

Blissfully Grateful

Baked pumpkin cinnamon oatmeal (VGN & GF)

My favourite time of the year – FALL – has arrived and this season calls for baking soul-warming comfort food recipes! Hence why I am here today! If you guys did not know already, I am a huge lover of pumpkin. I eat it all year around but… as soon as Fall arrives, I feel this huge urge to come up with new recipes where I can use it! I have been eating pumpkin nearly every single day and I don’t seem to get enough of it haha what can I say..? It is too big of a love!! I will certainly be sharing some fall-inspired recipes with pumpkin. So, my friends, please get ready for tons and tons of pumpkin everything!

Oatmeal is one of my favourite go-to breakfasts. I find it to be so satisfying and comforting, regardless of how hot or cold might be outside. Plus, you can really get creative with it according to what you’re craving: spices, seeds, nuts, dried or fresh fruits, nut butters…whatever floats your boat! Nevertheless, if I am at home and have the Sunday afternoon all to myself, I usually like to try out a new recipe. For this reason, last Sunday I decided to twist up the oatmeal game and do this fall-inspired baked pumpkin cinnamon oatmeal instead! It filled my house with the cosiest aroma and, as the result turned out quite good, I am here to share the recipe with you! It is easy to prepare and down right delicious. Plus, it is an easy make-ahead breakfast that is down right delicious and that you can enjoy all week.

 

Ingredients:

• 70gr gluten free oats
• 180 pumpkin puree
• 180ml almond milk (I used the unsweetened roasted almond milk from Alpo but if you want to make it sweeter, you can use the regular version instead)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• A handful of cacao nibs
• A handful of any kind of nuts: pecan, walnuts, pumpkin, almonds… (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Once the ingredients are well incorporated, pour the mixture into a baking dish
3. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees until the oats become tender and the liquid tick.
4. Cut it into slices or squares and serve warm or store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers are just as good as reheated! 🙂

 

For a perfect final touch, you can drizzle your slice with maple syrup or even a plant-based milk (I reckon that adding a splash of almond or coconut milk would make it even tastier!), add a spoonful of coconut yogurt and/or fruit on top if you like.

 

 

This breakfast recipe is just perfect for rushed mornings because all you need to do it to pull out a serving, pop it in the oven or microwave, then add any toppings you like to finish it off! It is filling, heart-healthy and wholesome. Please do let me know in the comments if you make it or if you have a similar recipe of baked oatmeal! 🙂

 

Much Love,

Blissfully Grateful

Pumpkin microwave cake (VGN & GF)

As a breakfast lover, I oftentimes find myself searching for new breakfast ideas in blog posts, Instagram and Pinterest. These platforms always make me feel inspired to try new recipes. Having a yummy and nutritious breakfast is definitely my best morning hack to jumps start the day!

I came up with this microwave cake recipe as an attempt of keeping things simple and easy for myself in busy mornings.

As this cake is meant to be baked in the microwave, it takes literally less than 5 minutes. So easy and quick!

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp of coconut flour
• 1 Tbsp of oat flour
• 2 Tbsp of pumpkin puree
• 2 Tbsp of unsweetned soya milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/3 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• Cinnamon to taste

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl or mug that is microwave-safe. Use a spoon to stir together until combined. The batter might seem lumpy at first but keep stirring until it is totally smooth and lump-free.
2. Microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds
3. Once the cake is out of the microwave you can add just your favourite toppings! I used peanut butter and goji seeds but you can add anything you want. ENJOY! 🙂

If you fancy the idea of having a moist, healthy and tasty cake for breakfast that takes no time to bake, then you should give this recipe a try! If you do, please let me know how you liked it 🙂

Much Love,

Blissfully Grateful

 

 

Breakfast Cereals: Current Addictions

Heya there,

Today I am here to share with you my favourite three breakfast cereals at the moment. I am a self-proclaimed breakfast lover and most of the times I opt for breakfasts that are grain-based as I find them more filling and energising!

A bowl of breakfast cereals is always a great, easy and convenient choice for busy mornings. Contrary to what many say, they can be seen as a complete and healthy breakfast or snack option due to their essential minerals and vitamins.

From my standpoint, if we want a nutritious breakfast that includes cereals we just need to know how to pick them wisely. There is a pretty wide spectrum of choices and I always try to go for the ones that are the least processed and that contain little quantities or whenever possible no oil or sugar at all. I also give preference to the ones that are organic, fair trade and/or gluten free (the latter is due to my digestive issues).

Wholegrain Sorghum Cereal from Nutribrex (GF)

The first time I heard and got to try this breakfast cereal was at my sister’s place in the UK. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity of trying it as I happened to to be visiting her shortly after she bought it at a vegan food fair in London.

For those of you who don’t know, Weetabix cereals are basically these rectangle-shaped wholegrain high in fiber biscuits. They are very low in sugar and fat and I like them best when soaked in plant-based milk (e.g. coconut milk) or yoghurt or even crushed and thrown in a yummy smoothie bowl.

As a Weetabix lover who tends to follow a diet that is mainly gluten free, finding out that there is an alternative to this breakfast cereal that is equally tasty (if not even more?) and without containing any gluten made me soooo happy! Plus, when it comes to the nutritional values of these two breakfast cereals, I find Nutribrex a slightly more interesting option. I am leaving their ingredients below so you can check it yourselves:

Weetabix ingredients:

• Wholegrain Wheat (95%), Malted Barley Extract, Sugar, Salt and Vitamins (Niacin B3, Iron, Riboflavin B2, Thiamin B1, Folic Acid)

Nutribrex ingredients:

• Wholegrain Sorghum (96%), Golden Syrup, Salt, Vitamins (Niacinb B3, Riboflavin B2, Thiamin B1, Folic Acid)

 

You can easily find Nutribrex in any supermarket in the UK but, sadly, they are not sold overseas. However, you can order it from the company’s website.

Muesli from Rude Health

From my shopping experience, it is not an easy task to find muesli that is both oil and sugar free. Even when the muesli does not contain refined sugar, it usually contains syrup, such as rice, agave or corn syrup. I am not saying that just because they have syrups you should absolutely avoid them at all costs because they are not a good option for breakfast. Please do not get me wrong because that is not what I am saying at all. All I am saying is that, based on my personal preferences and taste, I would rather have a breakfast that contains nutrient-packed alternatives to refined sugar or syrups, such as dried fruit for instance.  That being said, the main reason that led me to buy this organic muesli was its combination of 23 ingredients that are all natural, non-GMO and delicious. As the brand says, including so many ingredients in their muesli recipe makes every spoonful taste different.  You can find all the ingredients listed below:

Ingredients: Oats, Rye Flakes, Raisins, Sultanas, Barley Flakes, Apricots, Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Dates, Golden Linseeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Cranberries, Quinoa, Apple, Buckwheat Flakes, Goji Berries, Hazelnuts, Puffed Rice, Blueberries, Poppy Seeds, Linseeds, Cinnamon.

 

So, as you can see this muesli has it all – good carbs, protein and good healthy fats -which makes it a wholesome grain-based breakfast option. Plus, I love its crunchiness and natural sweetness!

Even though this muesli is quite a light grain-based option because it does not contain any wheat, the only thing I’d change in it would be making it completely gluten free. This way, a greater number of people could actually indulge in its yumminess.

Ahh.. and if I could change its price, I’d too haha. I find it relatively pricey but still worth buying. As I love it so much, its price just forces me to be always on the lookout for deals! 🙂

Now, off to my third favourite breakfast:

Muesli puffed rice and milled from Lima (GF)

I love the combination of good carbs used in this muesli: puffed rice and milled and cornflakes! YUMS. The sweetness of this muesli also comes from natural ingredients like raisins, dates and dried apples. Plus, every single ingredient is organically grown.

Ingredients: Raisins, sunflower seeds, cornflakes, puffed rice, puffed millet, hazelnuts, dates, dried apples.

Thus, this muesli is just another grain-based breakfast rich in good nutrition due to the essential minerals, vitamins and dietary fibres it contains.

 

What about you guys? What is your opinion about breakfast cereals?  Are you familiar with any of these three products? Would love to hear your thoughts! 🙂

 

Much Love

Blissfully Grateful