I've been in a breakfast rut lately. Cereal, toast, oatmeal...blah, blah, blah. So yesterday I decided to start mixing up my morning grains. I substituted brown rice for oatmeal and I was pleasantly surprised!
Breakfast can be the perfect time time to experiment with different whole grains in your diet. There are so many to choose from, ones we wouldn't normally be familiar with or think about, each adding their own unique flavor and texture. Grains like amaranth, quinoa and brown rice have recently become popular choices in breakfast bowls. They provide the body with the energy, protein and nutrients necessary to properly begin your day.
The best part about whole grain breakfast bowls is that they are so versatile and they make great use of leftovers you may have from the previous day's lunch or dinner.
There are so many different ways to make each breakfast bowl a nutritional masterpiece by switching up the fruit, adding a variety of nuts, seeds or dried fruits and alternating the type of milk you use. I happen to love using homemade almond milk, but you could also use coconut, cashew or hemp milk for example.
I also like having control over the amount of sugar I want in my breakfast bowl (something you don't often have with pre-packaged cereals and granola). Honey, maple syrup or brown sugar are delicious and natural ways to sweeten things up a bit.
Next time you open the cabinet, think beyond that packet of oatmeal. There's a whole world of grains just waiting for you and your breakfast!
*This post is part of a collaboration between The Hanging Spoon and JamieOliver.com in conjuction with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution (10 Meals That Could Save Your Life).
** If you are using leftover brown rice, simply warm the rice and milk for about 2-3 minutes in a small pan over the stove.
Blueberry Banana Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm cooked short grain brown rice**
- ⅓-1/2 cup plain almond milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp light brown sugar or good quality maple syrup adjust sugar content to your liking
- 1 small banana sliced
- handful fresh blueberries
- handful sliced almonds
Instructions
- Put the warm rice into a small bowl.
- Add the vanilla extract to the almond milk and pour over rice.
- Top with blueberries and bananas, brown sugar or syrup and almond slices.
Why isn't the nutritional information listed for these recipes? I would love to know the amount of calories, protein, fiber, sugar, and saturated fat. Thanks!
Hi Susan. Thanks for your question. My blog is not set up to list and calculate individual nutrients. I feel for the purpose and intent of my blog I choose not to focus on the individual nutrients but rather influence people's diet as a whole. However, I understand why someone might want to know that info so since you asked, I am going to give you a rough estimate... the recipe can serve 2 people so for each individual portion I'm estimating about 220 calories, 4 grams protein, 2 grams fat (none of it saturated, we are using almond milk here). Sugar content would depend on how much you add. I don't usually advise counting the fructose sugar from whole fruits but only added sugars in the diet. 1 tsp of granulated sugar is 4 grams. Hope that helps!