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.
How To Make A Healthy Breakfast Bowl
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!
Using Leftover Brown Rice + Food Safety Notes
If you are using leftover brown rice, simply reheat the rice by adding some milk in a small saucepan and cook for about 2-3 minutes on low heat.
Important Food Safety Note About Storing Rice:
Rice may naturally contain a bacteria called Bacillus cereus. These spores can potentially survive even after cooking. If rice is left out without refrigerating promptly, these spores can multiply and pose a risk for food poisoning. In order to avoid potential risk, it is important to store any leftover rice immediately in the refrigerator. Never reheat rice more than once.
Blueberry Banana Brown Rice Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked short grain brown rice *see important food safety note above
- ⅓-1/2 cup plain almond milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoon 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
- Warm the leftover rice on the stove by combining rice and milk in a small pot on low heat.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer rice mixture to a bowl and 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!