Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We've all heard that - I really believe it. I love oatmeal, too, But here's another great grain cereal for breakfast:

Genius Breakfast Cereal

INGREDIENTS
1 / 2 cup millet
1 / 4 cup quinoa
2 tablespoons amaranth
2 /4 cups water
Pinch of salt
1 / 4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of honey
Chopped nuts and fruit, optional

Rinse well and drain grains with fine-mesh strainer. Add 2 3 /4 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes until all grains are soft. Add cinnamon, honey (milk, rice milk or soy milk), nuts and fruit. Eat while listening to a concerto. Then spend the rest of your day working out higher math equations, composing a symphony, writing a novel or thinking great thoughts. Guaranteed, this cereal will make you feel – and think -like a genius!

I also make this with just quinoa (about a cup). Add vanilla rice milk, dried cranberries and slivered almonds. Not only very tasty, but enough protein to keep you going all morning. Good luck!

I'm totally into fruit smoothies, especially for breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up. As long as you have the fruit already frozen, it only takes minutes to prepare, and feels decadent at the same time. I keep my freezer stocked with frozen fruit (in pieces, so it blends more quickly). Then I just pick and choose, depending on my mood.

I use frozen bananas as my base (let them get real ripe, as if for banana bread, and then peel and freeze). If I want add'l liquid but not a juice I add oat milk (any "milk" will do). To give it a boost for breakfast, I will toss in some protein powder. A mix of one banana, a few strawberries, 1/2 c. lowfat oat milk, and half scoop of protein powder (whey, soy, or rice, as you prefer) of choice keeps me going strong until lunch time without feeling weighed down. You could also add a soy yogurt or something like that, which some people really like. Tip -- don't leave the blender sitting around or it becomes a pain to clean; either rinse right away or soak and wash later.

I overdid it on oatmeal at one point and was sick of the stuff. Then I discovered muesli (is that right?). I can better muster the prep energy the night before so it's perfect -- I just toss 1/3c of rolled oats in a bowl, mix in spice/nuts/seeds of choice (I toss in some what germ, walnuts, and cinnamon) , and then just barely cover with "milk" and leave in the fridge over night. It's ready when you are in the morning.

And congrats on the new baby!

A good cooking and sprouting grain that is often overlooked is quinoa. It's quick and easy, and can be used as porridge in the morning, is a great cous cous substitute, makes a kick ass tabouli after sprouting (It only takes 24 hours at the most to sprout) and you can make the tabouli without tomatoes if needed, too.

Good luck.

-Lyn

Try expanding into the world of legumes! Lentils are easy and quick to make. Lots of high quality fiber, protein, and carbs.

I recently went wheat-free. If you like pasta & live near a Trader Joe's. try their brown rice pasta. It really tastes just like semolina pasta, which most wheat-free ones don't seem to to me. I've also been eating a lot of corn tortillas lately. Mmm. Tacos!

I was a totally wheat-aholic, too, apparently. I've been eating more rice dishes like risotto because it is still starchy & fills me up. Oh, Amy's makes a wheat & dairy free pizza which is good, too.

Here's a recipe that made a good impression at a pot-luck last night!

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes - about 3 cups worth
Black Beans- 1 1/2 cups cooked
Garlic - 2 cloves chopped
Ginger - about a 1/2" piece chopped
Onion - 1/2 yellow chopped
Salt - to taste
Olive Oil - about 2 Tbs
Coconut oil (I used virgin coconut oil for the flavor) - 1-2 Tbs

1) Cook the sweet potatoes and mash 'em with olive oil for texture and salt to taste. I steam, then peel...makes it easy. **If yer not using the virgin coconut oil in the other part of the recipe, maybe mash the potatoes with some coconut milk.**

2) While that is happening, heat 1 Tbs virgin coconut oil in a skillet on medium and cook the onions, garlic and ginger until the onions are translucent. Add the black beans (sometimes I add another bit of cocnut oil at this point if it has all been sucked up by the onions so the beans don't stick). Mix thoroughly. Salt to taste.

3) spread the mashed sweet potatoes in the serving dish and then spread the black bean mixture on top of that.

Enjoy!

Though not *completely* vegetarian this site is *primarily* vegetarian and has quite a few nice, quick and pretty original recipes. I also find it very well laid out and friendly for printing recipes that grab your interest.

Have a look at 101 Cookbooks: www.101cookbooks.com/