I gravitate towards the savory breakfast, even to the point of eating leftover dinner in place of waffles, pancakes, or sweet porridges. However, sometimes my sweet tooth gets the best of me. Luckily, I can make a mean bowl of breakfast porridge and amaranth is one of the ways to my sweet-breakfast heart.
I absolutely adore amaranth for both the grain and in floral arrangements. When growing, it’s colorful and definitely and eye-catching addition. Yet, the grain, in terms of cooking, doesn’t quite get the same love.
Amaranth takes a little know-how. It’s similar to quinoa in that it’s actually a pseudo-grain or better known as a seed. It does not, however, cook up like quinoa. Amaranth, if cooked like any other grain, becomes a bit gummy.
Amaranth has a higher level of amylopectin, a main component of starch. This component creates a slightly more gelatinous texture to the cooked grain; think sushi rice versus long-grain rice. The creamy feel of cooked amaranth lends itself well to porridges and polentas. There are ways to use amaranth in more traditional grain ways, it just takes an extra step.
I try and stick with only fruits and vegetables I can source locally but I occasionally love a good banana dish. It also helps that we almost always have bananas around thanks to a child who had a mild obsession with them for some time.
Of course, if you wanted to stick to something you could buy at the farmers market, try peaches, apples, or pears. I like all of these options for cooking in the butter/sugar mixture. You could also just load this amaranth porridge with fresh berries and call it good.
This one is easy. I actually prefer this porridge with non-dairy milk such as almond or oat. Same goes for the cream on top. As for the butter, you could use coconut oil or my friend Emma recently introduced me to Miyoko’s vegan butter. It’s actually really good and a solid 1:1 for dairy butter.
[tasty-recipe id="37982"]
The post Amaranth Porridge with Caramelized Bananas and Pecans appeared first on Naturally..
Makes 10 rolls
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Active time: 45 minutes
It’s basil season! And spinach season! And, well, let’s just say it’s lasagna roll season, too.
These make a great appetizer if you’re doing a little summer entertaining, or a filling entree if you prefer. Tofu ricotta is elevated with the addition of some Pumpkin Seed Pesto. The mellow flavor of pumpkin seeds really lets the basil shine. The sautéed spinach is really really garlicky, as is the pesto, so this makes the perfect date night meal.
What I really love, besides how flavorful these are, is the texture. Baking the rolls makes the noodles soft but still toothsome, with little crunchy bits on the edges. Smothered in cashew cream and pesto and finished off with a scattering of additional pumpkin seeds, these lasagna rolls will fulfill even the most wild fantasies: creamy, crunchy, velvety, chewy, and hearty all at once. Yes, there are a few components here, but none are too difficult to pull off and also LASAGNA ROLLS.
Serve with Caesar Salad to round out the meal!
PS This is my first blogpost using only iPhone photos, so take a deep breath with me. Sorry $2000 camera, this is just easier. Since I’m not an aspiring photographer, I’m not ashamed to admit that adjusting lighting and apertures and editing in Photoshop is just too labor intensive for me these days. A few adjustments in VSCO cam, a button to upload to Flickr, and my work is done here. You get the picture. Har har.
Hi friends! Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? We’re officially on baby watch and I feel like a little kid heading towards Christmas morning. Baby August will be here ANY DAY and the girls can’t wait to meet their new cousin. I’m so thrilled for Kyle and Meg! By the time I write next week’s Friday Faves post, he’ll be here!!
Other than Baby Watch 2019, we have some fun plans for the weekend: a soccer game with friends, girls’ night, date night, a birthday party, taxes (ew) and finishing up the house. This is in between the usual weekend fun of pancake mornings, staying in our jammies as long as humanly possible, and playing outside with the girls.The Pilot made a ton of progress on the garage while I was in Portland, so we’re just putting the final touches on everything in between hauling boxes to recycling and Goodwill. It will be so nice to have our garage gym set up again!
(Our lil garage gym from when we were in San Diego)
It’s time for the weekly Friday Faves party! Please shout out something you’re lovin’ in the comments section if you’d like to join in the fun.
This floss! Is it weird to be so excited about floss? I picked this up at the Beautycounter conference. In the shop, they had quite a few products from clean brands they love. I was intrigued by this floss since I’d recently heard that certain floss brands are not so great for you, and even though it was expensive for the floss world. I decided to give it a whirl.
The verdict? It has a gentle mint flavor and is a thicker strand so it feels like it really cleans in between my teeth. Floss isn’t usually something I’m that picky about, but now that I’ve tried the good stuff, I guess I can’t go back.
My second Trunk Club delivery! (<— referral link) It wasn’t quite as big of a home run as my first trunk – some of the sizing was off – but I LOVED this Madewell dress. It will be super cute this spring and summer with sandals and a jean jacket or with wedges and hoops out to dinner. You can check out my full review of Trunk Club here. I especially love it because you can see what they’re going to send in advance (and decline certain items to be replaced by something else) and we don’t have a Nordstrom in Tucson. This gives me a way to have some items curated for me and try them on before I purchase. It’s like a lil Nordstrom shopping experience right at home. (Plus if you have a Nordstrom card, they waive the $25 fee! <— this fee goes towards anything you’d like to purchase)
Definitely check out this podcast episode with Shawn Stevenson and Chalene Johnson. They’re two of my favorite people – and huge inspirations for me in the fitness industry – and this issue was filled with so much truth, knowledge, and motivation.
I loved this article with dad texts (and all of the heartfelt and hilarious comments).
Dinner party tips from the QUEEN.
A very interesting peek into the life of one of my favorite Peloton instructors.
Why RDs don’t recommend keto for weight loss or as a lifestyle (and I 100% agree with them).
Great list of mom hacks. I never leave the house without a snack bag.
I’m officially back on the acai bowl train. I recently grabbed one with a friend at Nekter and it was SO.GOOD. If you’re looking to make one at home, here’s my go-to recipe).
Ok I need to try this for an easy, savory dinner.
A Mediterranean chicken sheet pan recipe.
Prep & Pastry is growing. So pumped about this!
A guided cooldown; perfect for post-workout.
Pick up those weights, friends.
My latest post for WebMD is here! This one is all about finding a workout that works for you.
Exercise can have a biggest impact on weight maintenance than nutrition.
Don’t forget to check out this week’s total body strength + HIIT video!
Happy Friday!
xo
Gina
Congrats to the winners of the sneaky lipgloss giveaway: @fit_lindsaymae and @wigglewoggle ! I’ll have your lip glosses on the way today and stay tuned for more sneaky giveaways.
The post Friday Faves appeared first on The Fitnessista.