Nobody told me how stressful the combination of work/school/commuting/family life would be. When I first thought about going back to school, I was confident. I can do this, I told myself. After all, I've been to college twice before and I kicked ass! What I failed to remember was the fact that both of my previous college experiences were a) quite some time ago and I was ahem, younger and b) I was totally immersed in both of my previous scholastic experiences, with no worries about pesky things such as credit card bills, maintaining a relationship with my girlfriend, making sure the dog gets walked, working a physically demanding job and oh yeah, making sure I get enough sleep so I can get up the next morning and do it all again.So, this is hard. Now don't get me wrong, I am loving school and my job is very fulfilling as well. It's just so much more difficult to juggle everything else in my life.
Which brings me to breakfast. School is ruining me for packaged and processed foods, with every class bringing home the importance of a diet rich in whole, unrefined grains and produce. And this isn't just a health concern-- there's no denying that the less our food is processed, the better it tends to taste. I've found myself shying away from breakfast cereals and the boring routine of toast or a bagel. But who has time to cook oatmeal or porridge every day?
Enter quinoa, the super breakfast food. It's deliciously nutty flavor pairs well with dried fruit and nuts and once cooked it holds up very well in the fridge, making it easy to make a big batch of this porridge at the beginning of the week and reheat portions every morning for a quick and extremely healthy breakfast. Best of all, quinoa is one of the only plant sources of complete protein, so it will fill your belly and give you energy for the day.
This porridge is very open to interpretation: substitute any sort of dried fruit that catches your fancy, try sliced almonds or toasted walnuts instead of the sunflower seeds, etc. I find the grated apple adds moisture and combined with the apple cider, gives the whole thing a very autumnal taste.
So these days I am eating a fast and healthy breakfast and trying to remember to breathe as I rush off to catch a bus/get to work/run home to walk the dog/run to class.
Bain taitneamh as do bheil!
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOKING TIME: 15-20 minutes
SERVES: 4-5 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup water
1 cup apple cider
1 small apple, flesh and skin grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup dried cranberries
salt, to taste
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon grade B maple syrup
almond milk, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
In a heavy bottomed pot, bring the water, grated apple and apple cider to a boil. Add spices, cranberries and quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer and cover until water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy and soft. Stir in sunflower and pumpkin seeds and drizzle maple syrup on top.
Serve with a good dollop of almond milk.
