Quinoa… for Breakfast?

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Ever since I trained for and ran my first half-marathon last February, I have been extremely interested in experimenting with healthy recipes. One ingredient keeps appearing over and over in the recipes I’m finding – quinoa. While it looks similar to rice, quinoa isn’t actually a grain at all; it’s a seed. And this little seed packs lots of protein and fiber, so it’s a great replacement in rice or pasta dishes. You may have seen LFA Master Trainer Deb’s post last week about a quinoa salad. If you haven’t, I would recommend checking that out as well.

But quinoa is not only for savory dishes; it has a sweet side too.  

Instead of oatmeal or other warm cereal in the morning, try this Chocolate Banana Breakfast Quinoa from Greatist. The great thing about this recipe was that I didn’t have to purchase any new ingredients; quinoa may be the one thing you don’t have on hand but since I cook with it regularly it was already in my pantry.

What You’ll Need:

1/2 cup raw quinoa
1 cup + 1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
Dash of sea salt
1 banana, 1/2 mashed, 1/2 cut into slices
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh mint for garnish

What To Do: 

1. Bring 1/2 cup of quinoa, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup almond milk, and dash of sea salt to a boil in a small pot.
2. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed (about 10 minutes).
3. Remove quinoa from stove and transfer to a bowl.
4. Mix in the mashed banana, cocoa powder, vanilla, and honey. Stir until evenly combined.
5. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of almond milk over quinoa, garnish with banana slices and mint (if desired), and enjoy!

Source: lifefitness.com/blog. Visit the Life Fitness blog for more health and fitness information.