This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
I train the majority of my clients first thing in the morning. As we’re wrapping up their sessions, I frequently ask them “what’s for breakfast?” or encourage them to go home and eat a good breakfast before they head to work. Eating a good breakfast with a mix of protein, carbs and fat will help them recover from their workout and stay on track all day long.
The thing that comes up for my clients most often when it comes to breakfast is not having enough time to eat much more than a cup of yogurt, bar or piece of fruit on the way to work. I totally get that it can be a big challenge to fit in working out, making breakfast and getting ready all before heading to work. I used to live that life! These days I am really fortunate to have time to cook breakfast at home most mornings but I know that’s not the case for most.
I decided to develop a recipe for a Quinoa and Steel Cut Oatmeal Breakfast Bake that can be prepared ahead of time, stored in the fridge and quickly rewarmed and eaten for breakfast on busy weekday mornings. It’s gluten-free, high in protein and fiber and will keep you feeling satisfied all morning!
The star ingredients of this breakfast bake are quinoa, steel cut oats and Silk Vanilla Soymilk. Why? As I’ve discussed several times before on my blog, quinoa is a small but mighty nutritional powerhouse. It’s high in protein and in fiber and one of the only plant foods to offer all of the essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Steel cut oats are never processed, unlike their rolled counterparts, and are also a good source of protein and fiber. And finally, Silk Vanilla Soymilk because it’s cholesterol free, low in saturated fat and a good source of plant-based protein with 8 grams per serving.
The first step is to cook the quinoa and oats in a mixture of Silk Vanilla Soymilk, cinnamon, salt and water. What I love about using the vanilla flavored Silk is that you don’t have to add additional sweetener. Some recipes call for up to a cup of sugar!
Once the quinoa and oats have soaked up all the cooking liquid you stir in beaten eggs, vanilla extract, topped baking powder and fruit. In this recipe I used banana and blueberries but you could get creative based on what’s in season. I think a peach variation would be nice in the summer and apples in the fall.
I topped the mixture with a sprinkle of brown sugar (just for color…not needed for sweetness) and sliced almonds.
It baked for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven and came out looking fluffy and delicious. I let it cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.
When it comes to serving, you can go as basic as straight up with a few extra blueberries added to the plate.
Or top with almond butter (always a good idea in my book!).
Or serve it in a bowl topped with almond butter and a drizzle of Silk Vanilla Soymilk. This is my favorite!
So if you also struggle with finding time to make a satisfying breakfast, give this a try. It will feed you for a whole week!
