Hello Lovelies:
We’ve all heard that we should eat breakfast like a king, but how exactly do we do that? What makes a breakfast healthy and balanced anyway? And what do we do if we don’t have a ton of time to spare?
Enter quinoa porridge! Whether you want to enjoy it fresh and warm or make it the night before and take it with you in the morning, it has you covered. And there’s some seriously wonderful nutritional bonuses waiting for you in that bowl too. It’s all win baby!
Let’s talk about what makes for a healthy breakfast and why you totally need to give this Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Porridge a try:
Why Does Breakfast Matter Anyway?
If you’re anything like me, the idea of fasting sounds… horrible. I mean, I would just get a serious case of the hangrys, which is no fun for anyone!
But surprise, surprise, even if you never skip a meal you fast every single day! For hours! Every night when you go to bed you don’t eat or drink until morning. And if you’re one of the 31 million American’s that skip breakfast every day, you extend that fasting period until lunch.
But that’s bad news bears my friend! Breakfast literally helps to give you the fuel you need to face the morning. If you want to avoid prolonged tiredness, irritation, sugar cravings and all of the awful downsides of a hungry morning, eat a healthy breakfast! I promise, it will help to get you through the day.
And if you’re not a morning person (I’m sure not) and you have a busy day ahead don’t you worry! There are some wonderful breakfast options that you can easily make the night before (like this quinoa porridge or these overnight oats).
What Makes a Breakfast Healthy?
A healthy breakfast should include some carbs with fiber, protein and healthy fats. And definitely we want to avoid a lot of the sugary, overly processed cereals many of us tend to eat for breakfast. That’s actually more like a dessert than a healthy way to start your day! You’re basically setting yourself up for a major sugar crash, the total opposite of what we’re going for here.
That’s why quinoa porridge is such an awesome option! For one thing, we’ve got tons of fiber, which is to be expected from most grains. And that’s wonderful because it helps to create a healthy, happy digestive system and regulate blood sugar levels (source).
But, on top of all of that goodness, quinoa really brings a few extra special features to the table.
Quinoa is also a complete protein baby! Most grains are lacking in the amino acids lysine and isoleucine, which means that they don’t offer all of the 9 essential amino acids the human body needs. But quinoa has those in spades. Proteins are the building blocks of life; your body needs them to repair cells and create new ones. And they also play an important role in our metabolic processes, so getting your protein on in the morning is a pretty good idea (source).
On top of all that awesome, quinoa is a pretty wonderful source of fats. That’s another way that it kicks it’s fellow grains in the butt! Around 28% of quinoas fats come to you in the form of the heart healthy oleic acid. And we even have a sprinkle of the anti-inflammatory omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) for good measure too.
You’re also enjoying a good source of manganese, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin B9 and zinc. Why aren’t we eating quinoa for breakfast more often?! Let’s make that happen.
Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Porridge
This recipe serves 2 and can be enjoyed fresh and warm or cold the next morning. I’m all about a breakfast that I can prep the night before so I can roll out of bed on a busy morning and have everything ready. Makes it a little less hectic! Are you the same way?
Here’s how you can put it all together:
Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Porridge
Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Porridge | Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, healthy breakfast. Only 6 ingredients! Enjoy immediately or make the night before for a busy morning.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Quinoa
- 1 1/2 Cups Coconut Milk (Or Non-Dairy Milk of Choice)
- 1 Apple (Gala, Pink Lady, Red Delicious or Honeycrisp)
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- 2 Tbsps Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsps Crushed Walnuts
Instructions
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Core your apple and slice it into cubes.
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Add all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan and mix until well blended.
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Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low/medium.
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Simmer until the liquid is absorbed (approximately 15 minutes), stirring often.
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Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
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Serve immediately or refrigerate and enjoy cold the next morning.
Now it’s your turn! Do you skip breakfast? Are you excited to give quinoa porridge a try? If you give treat yourself to this apple cinnamon quinoa porridge, I’d love the hear your thoughts in the comments <3. Enjoy!
Health and love,
Thought of the day: I will feed my body with the love and kindness it deserves
Laura
Yum, this looks so delicious!
Sara
Thank you so much Laura! I’m so glad you like it. I hope you get the chance to treat yourself to some :).
Cara Owens
Sounds really delicious! Starting the day off with a healthy breakfast is so important!
Sara
I couldn’t agree more Cara! I could never skip breakfast. It’s really one of the most important parts of morning self care in my opinion. I hope you have a wonderful breakfast tomorrow morning ^^.
fireflylights
Quinoa as porridge?? What a great idea!
Sara
You’re so sweet Lindsay! Thank you. It’s certainly a different take on porridge, but it works so well! I hope you treat yourself to a bowl. <3
Sylvia from Outdoors Wonders
Wow, quinoa porridge. Didn’t know about that. Funny how i just had quinoa, veggies and chicken for lunch a few minutes ago. I am not experience with porridges but the apple elements make me want to consider this!
Sara
That sounds like a fantastic meal Sylvia! Quinoa is the best. And I love how versatile it it – great cold or warm and in sweet and savoury dishes. I promise that quinoa for breakfast won’t disappoint! Let me know if you give it a try – I hope you love it as much as I do. ^^
Kirstine
Looks amazing. Not so much into the quinoa taste (even if they are super healthy) might swop them for buckwheat and try if it taste good ??
Sara
I’m sure that would work Kirstine! Let me know. Rolled oats might make an interesting combo too – you could probably use the same ingredients for some pretty yummy overnight oats. There’s almost always a way to tweak a recipe to your liking. And apples and cinnamon go so well together, I’m sure they’ll compliment whatever grain you choose. 🙂
Echo
I was actually at the store yesterday looking for a new something for breakfast. This look delicious!
Sara
I’m so glad you like it Echo! I hope this adds a little extra yum to your breakfast rotation. It’s always fun to find something new you love. Let me know what you think :).
Dagmara
I like quinoa, but I would have never thought of using is for my breakfast. Definitely something I use as a base for salads. Thank you for the tip!
Sara
It’s the best in salads! I love doing that too. I was really excited to discover another way to incorporate it into my diet – it makes for a really good breakfast. I hope you give it a go ^^. Let me know what you think Dagmara! <3
Herlina Kwee
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I am used to rice porridge with all the fixing. I never try quinoa before. It does look yummy!
Sara
I’ve actually never tried rice porridge! So maybe we should each give the other a go one morning and let each other know what we think xD! Any recipe recommendations? Thanks for the inspiration Herlina!
Jessica from The Fit Train
I NEVER skip breakfast–so so important for a healthy life! This looks very yummy; I love quinoa for all those benefits and the extra protein.
Sara
I’m so glad to hear that Jessica! Me neither! I couldn’t imagine – I think it would be absolutely awful! And I’m so glad you feel the same way about quinoa – that’s one really special plant! 🙂
mjndiaye
Yum — looks delicious & super easy — and we have a ton of apples right now, so perfect timing!
Sara
I’m so glad this recipe found you at the perfect time! I love this time of year – apple picking is so lovely. Hope you make all kinds of deliciousness with all of those apples ?. And I hope you adore this recipe! Let me know ♡.
Plantifully Based
sounds absolutely delicious! I need to start getting some more quinoa in my diet!
Sara
Thank you darling! And I feel ya. It’s something I’ll eat tons of and then forget about for months. I’m trying to change that ^^. There’s so much good food, it’s hard to keep up ?.