Breakfast or Snack | Citrus Blast Smoothie

I've been hit hard this month with a bad case of strep throat. In fact I've had the virus two times in the last three weeks! Two different times going to the Dr's and two different prescriptions. NO FUN if you ask me! So I've decided to up my vitamin C intake with a yummy Citrus Smoothie. My four most favorite foods in the whole wide world are: Sweet Potatoes, Avocado, Grapefruit and frozen Jr. Mints (yes you read that right, frozen Jr. Mints... best treat in the world! Try it, I know you'll like it!)

Whole Living says, "As you might have guessed, grapefruits are full of vitamin C, a major antioxidant that helps fight infection, may shorten the duration of colds, and protects against free radicals."

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Power Foods: Grapefruit 

So with that tid bit of knowledge I knew it was time to indulge in one of my top favorites. And nothing feels better on a sore throat than a nice cool slushy drink! I hope you try it and like it! 

Juice from one orange (or you can throw the whole thing in, it's up to you!)

1 whole Grapefruit peeled

2 handfuls of Spinach

5 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients but ice cubes in blender until smooth. Add ice cubs and blend to desired slushy. Pull out a straw and sip away to citrus heaven!

Breakfast | Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

We do breakfast for dinner at our house at least once a week. 

Buttermilk pancakes are the BEST pancakes hands down. 

(well they come in a close tie next to my pumpkin griddle cakes)

To spice things up a bit for the kiddos we use pancake molds. 

Trust me, when pancakes look this cute - kids can't resist them!

One plate of ABC's - One plate of 123's

And just like that they are all gobbled up!

Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup oats (what ever kind you have on hand)

1/3 cup fine ground yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons real butter, melted

2 tablespoons molasses

Mix first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, set aside. In a large bowl whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and molasses. Add dry ingredients; mix just until blended. Heat griddle and brush with butter. Drop 1/4 cup batter onto griddle for each pancake. Cook until brown. Serve with pure maple syrup, almond butter, fruit... what ever your little heart desires. ENJOY!

Did you know you could substitute buttermilk with greek yogurt? I didn't until tonight when I realized we didn't have 2 cups of buttermilk in the fridge. My best friend google told me about the substitute. We swapped a cup of buttermilk for a cup of yogurt. The pancakes turned out fabulous! 

Breakfast | Cashew Craisin Quinoa

Here's the deal. I usually have a green or pink smoothie for breakfast, but when its 20 degrees outside, sometimes that icy drink doesn't sound too hot - literally. SO what's a cold sleepy girl gotta do? Make a yummy pot of creamy Cinnamon Quinoa! 

For todays breakfast I made Cinnamon Quinoa and topped it off with : sprouts, raw cashews and craisins. One word, YUM. I'm a HUGE fan of raw cashews and craisins it's the perfect duo in my opinion. So try it, because you'll like it!

Cinnamon Quinoa

i love me a yummy cinnamony-mapley warm breakfast and this always hits the spot. 

the quinoa seed usually doubles if not triples in size. 

i store leftovers in the fridge for a quick breakfast or snack. 

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa

2-3 tsp ground cinnamon

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (can also use honey or agave)

dash of real salt

add all ingredients together except quinoa. when water/cinnamon mixture is boiling add quinoa. cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.