a food wonk.

a guide to food and cooking with ease

breakfast

breakfast banana blender bread

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

Are you impressed with my alliteration skills? I thought about throwing a “best” in there, but that would just be overkill. Really though, this recipe is the best. Who wouldn’t want to eat banana bread for breakfast? This is basically how I eat my oatmeal but in loaf form– still super healthy, satisfying, and perfectly sweet. If you thought breakfast couldn’t get easier than making a bowl of oatmeal it just did. It’s great to have this all prepped for breakfast in the morning. You can enjoy it at home or easily bring it to-go.

This beautiful loaf was actually also made by a blender (yes, my little mini blender). I took the rolled oats I always use for my oatmeal to easily create a flour (no need to buy oat flour or any other flour). You can also use the blender to quickly blend the wet ingredients together. Just combine the two parts in a bowl and you’re set!

I love to eat this warmed and smeared peanut butter with a side of coffee. This recipe is totally customizable too. Add different fruits, chopped nuts, or more spices. You could even add chocolate chips.  I hope you enjoy this fun way of mixing up your morning bowl of oatmeal!

Time: 45 minutes
Active: 15 minutes
Serves: 10-12 slices

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rolled oats/oat flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup milk of choice
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • chopped nuts (optional)
  • cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°
  2. Add the oats to your blender. Blend until a flour forms. This will only take a few seconds.
  3. Add bananas, maple syrup, vanilla, and milk to the blender. Blend until combined. If you like your banana bread to have a little more texture, pulse the wet ingredients to leave some chunks of bananas.
  4. Combine wet and dry ingredients in a large bowl and add the baking powder. Add some regular rolled oats for texture. Fold in chopped nuts if you want.
  5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan. Top with more chopped nuts. Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

photo by Lea Kriesberg

coconut chia pudding breakfast bowl

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

Peach season is upon us! My ripe summer peaches go so well with this two-ingredient coconut chia pudding. I’m very loyal to my overnight oats, but I wanted to mix it up and try something new with this recipe. If you’re not familiar with chia seeds, they are tiny edible seeds that are a great source of healthy omega-3 fats and fiber. When mixed with a liquid like water or milk they form a gel-like consistency (they can hold about 10 times their dry weight in liquid!) They gel up quickly in around just 10-15 minutes, or just leave them in the refrigerator overnight.  I know some people might find the texture a little weird at first, but I think they’re really fun to eat because it’s just like a pudding. You can also use a blender to make the consistency smoother. Chia seeds are easy to find in most grocery stores, or you can order them in bulk online off of Amazon. For this recipe, I just combined canned coconut milk (another source of healthy fat!) and the chia seeds. You could use almond or soy milk too (using a plant-based milk will make it creamier.) Just like overnight oats, this is the perfect breakfast to prep in advance to make your mornings easier. This breakfast is also perfect for any vegan or gluten-free friends!  I topped my chia pudding with peaches and my homemade chocolate granola. Feel free to get creative with whatever toppings you like– nuts, seeds, bananas, berries. This recipe is perfect for summer and takes just minutes to make. Let me know what you think!

Prep: 3 minutes
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • coconut milk (1 can= around 2 servings)
  • chia seeds (6 tablespoons, 3 tablespoons per 1 cup liquid)

Instructions:

  1. Combine the chia seeds with coconut milk. Mix well. Let sit for 10-15 minutes or leave in the fridge overnight.
  2. Add fresh fruit and other toppings.

photo by Lea Kriesberg

vanilla roasted sweet potato breakfast bowl

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

Sweet potato and yogurt might sound like a weird combination– but you need to try this. I usually keep things really basic in the morning, sticking to oatmeal or a simple smoothie. I loved having this in the morning because with minimal prep, you get a breakfast that feels a little upgraded. This breakfast is loaded with protein and nutrients and tastes so good. You can buy any kind of yogurt you like, but in this recipe I used plain Greek yogurt to add protein and lower the sugar content. I made the granola I used in this recipe which was super quick, easy, and cheap, but you can also buy granola. I like making granola because I know it won’t have lots of added sugar and I can control what goes in it. Tossing the sweet potato in a little vanilla extract before roasting is probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Just throw the potatoes in the oven for 40 minutes and they are deliciously soft and sweet. Trust me on this one and go try it.

Cook time: 40 mins

Active: 10 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

  • 3 sweet potatoes (1/2 potato for one serving)
  • yogurt
  • vanilla extract
  • coconut oil
  • granola
  • cinnamon
  • nut butter

supplies

  • baking sheet
  • cutting board and knife

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
  2. Chop the potatoes into small cubes and toss in the coconut oil. Add about a teaspoon of vanilla until evenly coated
  3. Spread the potatoes on the baking sheet and roast for around 40 minutes or until fork tender. Toss around halfway through
  4. Save in a container and assemble bowls with yogurt, granola, cinnamon, and nut butter of choice

photo by Lea Kriesberg

 

recipe by Lea Kriesberg