Breakfast

Shakshuka with Spinach and Feta

November 5, 2023 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Shakshuka is hands down one of my top 5 favorite brunch items. My husband and I both happen to share a love of this savory dish. Recently, after a long beautiful hike in nearby Woodside, we topped off our perfect morning with a lovely brunch at the Village Bakery. A beautiful spot for any meal, but especially with a table on their back outdoor patio.

Shakshuka was on the menu so it was an easy order for both of us, “Two orders of the Shakshuka and 2 drip coffees with cream, please.” Shortly thereafter, we were delivered two personal size blazing hot cast iron pans with a smoky, moroccan-spiced tomato mixture with pastured eggs cooked over medium along with a side of toasted levain. Delicious. At $25 per entree, this was indeed a special brunch but one that made me want to perfect it at home for a fraction of the price. Working off of the flavors from the Village Bakery, a base recipe from New York Times and my love of adding greens to everything, I’m happy to report the end result rivaled the restaurant version and our tummies couldn’t be happier about it!

Cheers,

Christina

Smoky Shakshuka with Spinach and Feta

This is a household favorite! A cozy and filling brunch that we cannot get enough of. Quality San Marzano tomatoes in their puree and pasture eggs shine in this dish!

Course Breakfast, brunch

Keyword Shakshuka

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium 1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 small jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, minced
Salt & pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp harissa
1 28-oz canned whole plum tomatoes
2-3 cups fresh baby spinach about 1 – 5 oz container
6-8 eggs
¼ cup crumbled feta
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400℉.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and season with ½ tsp salt & ¼ tsp pepper. Cook until very tender, about 15 minutes.
Add garlic, cumin, and paprika. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
Push the vegetables to the sides and add the tomato paste & harissa to the center. Cook for 2 minutes, allowing the tomato paste to darken a bit.
Working over the skillet, use your hands to break up the canned tomatoes and add them along with all their juices. Stir to combine. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes until the tomato mixture begins to thicken. Taste for seasoning.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
Make 6-8 wells in the tomato mixture. Pour cracked eggs into each well. It's ok if the whites overflow. Sprinkle the crumbled feta over the entire dish.
Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes for eggs over medium. Cook more or less as desired. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve with toast.

High Protein Pancakes

September 1, 2023 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t love a stack of fluffy pancakes with warm maple syrup? This girl. They taste good going down, but the crash and then the immediate hunger from the simple carbs usually aren’t worth it for me. Though my family usually prefers waffles over pancakes for a morning treat, fluffy buttermilk pancakes from scratch still make appearances a few times a year in our house – usually when sleepovers happen or there is a special request. What you’ll never find in our house is traditional store bought pancake mix (chemicals and additives for breakfast, no thank you) and Log Cabin “syrup.” Yuck.

I made almond flour pancakes for years before seeing cottage cheese being used in pancakes and have been a fan ever since. They are reminiscent of our house favorite Dutch Baby Pancakes or Birthday Crepes. The cottage cheese combined with fresh lemon zest, a bit of sweetness from the banana, a handful of blueberries scattered on top and you have yourself a delicious, satisfying dish. Top it off with some butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. One of my favorite ways to enjoy these pancakes and increase the protein and fiber even more is to add a dollop of raspberry chia seed jam. Yum!

Cheers,

Christina

High Protein Pancakes

I have long been a fan of pancakes that include fiber and protein to avoid that post meal crash. High protein cottage cheese along with almond flour will keep you satisfied much longer than traditional pancakes and are just as tasty and easy to make. Add some fiber rich blueberries and you have yourself a delicious start to your day.

Course Breakfast, brunch

Keyword banana, cottage cheese

Servings 4

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

6 pastured eggs
1 banana
1 lemon, zested
1½ cups cottage cheese
1 cup almond flour
¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp vanilla
Optional toppings: Kerrygold butter, pure maple syrup, blueberries, chia berry jam

Instructions

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle on medium-high heat. Add a little coconut oil and spread around with a pastry brush or paper towel. Add the pancake batter in batches, cooking for a few minutes on each side, or until golden. Top as desired.

Swiss Chard and Spiced Sweet Potato Hash

February 27, 2021 by Christina Shoup 3 Comments

File this dish under one of my top 10 (maybe 5!) favorite things to eat. The word hash was never one of my favorite words – brings to mind a college beach camping trip where someone popped open a can of pink chopped up something (corned beef I now realize) that they called hash and put an egg on top of it. I’m not entire sure, and maybe it was good, but I didn’t eat much meat at the time and wasn’t going to ruin my trip this particular morning.

But really hash is just a dish of chopped up food things, and often uses leftovers, and it’s awesome! I’ve made it with actual corned beef, braised pork shoulder, and other amazing combos.

Sweet onions with the beautiful chard ribs and stems – never throw these away!

My favorite will probably always be a combo of greens and veggies, and this one tops one of my favorites. I love the sweetness of the onions and sweet potatoes and the deep flavor from the spices. The tomatillo sauce is something I often keep in the refrigerator for dishes just like this one, but any hot sauce works and is pretty important to balance the sweetness of the dish.

I hope you try this and love it!

Cheers,

Christina

Swiss Chard and Spiced Sweet Potato Hash

This hash is a perfect side dish to grilled or roasted chicken, pork carnitas or black beans – and one that my whole family loves. But the dish I look most forward to, is the next morning. I have a hard time coming up with a more delicious brunch dish than this hash blanketed with 2 fried eggs, tomatillo salsa, hot sauce and a sliced avocado. Heaven on a plate for this brunch loving girl!

Course Breakfast, brunch

Keyword fried eggs, spiced sweet potatoes, swiss chard

Servings 4 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes

3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chipotle chili powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp Kosher salt

Swiss Chard and Onions

2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, sliced
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 large bunch of swiss chard, roughly chopped ribs and stems removed and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped

Instructions

Cook the sweet potatoes first- heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally. When they begin to get slightly tender, add the spices and continue to cook until they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Remove to a medium bowl and set aside.
Next, cook the onions and swiss chard- in the same pan heat the remaining olive oil over medium-low. Add the onions and salt, stirring occasionally until the onions are sweet and translucent. Increase the heat to medium and add the garlic and chard stems. Saute until about 2 minutes, or until the stems are no longer crisp. Add the chard leaves, stir and cover briefly while the leaves wilt.
Add spiced sweet potatoes back to the pan and gently combine. Taste for seasoning.

Power Smoothie

February 25, 2021 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

It seems running out of smoothie names is going to happen well before I run out of sharing smoothie combos that my family enjoys! As I’ve said many times before, my family loves smoothies and literally drinks one every single day. That’s a lot of smoothies over the years! I look at ones I made for them over a decade ago and I am not thrilled that I used pineapple juice, nonfat yogurt (yuck!!) and most lacked greens or healthy added fats – I’ve learned so much in the past 10+ years and I’m proud of the nutrition knowledge I’ve worked so hard to aquire, really upping the smoothie game in our house. Growing teenagers and a long healthy life for my husband and me are my motivation to keep us well nourished.

Enter – the Power Smoothie! The inspiration for this combo is from the Duo Breakfast Menu at the Four Seasons Hotel in Wailea, Maui. Many years ago my husband and I were on a solo trip (sounds so dreamy right now!) and we grabbed a smoothie before our morning hike. They offered a smoothie with almond milk, banana and spinach – a good start, but I had them add peanut butter (before I knew peanut butter hurt my stomach!), coconut flakes and ground flax meal. These ingredients definitely turned it into a real power smoothie, respectable pre-hike fuel, and one we’ve been enjoying at home for years. And today, depending on the need, I’d also add a scoop of quality protein powder to really give us a healthy boost.

I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as we do!

Cheers,

Christina

Power Smoothie

This smoothie is one of my favorites to make before a family hike, a day of skiing, kid sports or a busy day at work. It fuels our bodies with healthy fats, protein and fiber to keep us full of energy for hours – and it’s delicious.

Course Breakfast, Drinks, Snack

Keyword power smoothie

Servings 2 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
3 tbsp peanut butter or almond butter
1 frozen banana
1 handful of spinach I love using Power Greens: baby kale, spinach and chard
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbsp ground flax meal
1-2 pitted dates
6-8 ice cubes

Instructions

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

Recipe Notes

For an added boost- add a scoop of your favorite protein powder. I enjoy Truvani’s Organic Plant Based Vanilla Protein Powder

Veggie and Quinoa Egg Bites

February 15, 2021 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

Egg muffins, sous vide egg bites and similar products are popping up all over grocery stores, big box stores and coffee shops – and for good reason! They are the perfect “fast food”– a convenient and healthy breakfast option for busy people. In this version, the quinoa adds a nice protein boost to go along with those veggies. I cannot think of a better way to start the day. My family and I have been big fans for quite awhile, affectionately calling them “egg pucks”. We’ll place one between a toasted English muffin or serve with avocado slices and Truff hot sauce.

I highly recommend using silicone muffin baking trays so they are easy to pop out after baking. Egg pucks can be kept in the refrigerator for several days or frozen and reheated as needed. These are one of my favorite make ahead breakfasts to begin the week with or pack in a cooler to take out of town – recently we did just that and boy was it nice to heat these up before getting to the slopes bright and early.

I hope you try these and love them!

Cheers,

Christina

A pinch of cheese goes a long way – feta, parmesan and gruyere are my favorites

Veggie and Quinoa Egg Bites

These veggie and quinoa bites are a great way to start the day! Easily adaptable using ingredients and seasonings on hand – feel free to omit the quinoa altogether and double the veggies. Either way, it's a nutrient packed few bites and a household favorite.

Course Breakfast

Keyword egg bites, veggie and quinoa

Servings 2 dozen bites

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa see note below
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, quartered lengthwise and sliced thinly, white and light green parts only
1 zucchini, small dice
1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 cup chopped spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 eggs
2 tbsp nutritional yeast optional
2 tbsp water
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp mushroom powder optional
½ tsp kosher salt
A few dashes of hot sauce
¼ cup shredded gruyere or Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°. Use silicone muffin pan or prepare two 12-cup muffin pans by spraying with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil in a medium saute pan over medium low. Add the leeks, zucchini, bell pepper, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook until tender. Add the spinach and garlic and cook until the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat, add cooked quinoa and mix. Set aside and let cool while you prepare the egg mixture.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, nutritional yeast, water, garlic powder, mushroom powder, salt and hot sauce.
Fill the muffin pans with the vegetable and quinoa mixture, evenly distributing among all 24 cups. Pour the egg mixture in each muffin cup – this will fill about half way up. Top with a pinch of grated cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes and cook until the egg is set and pulls away from the sides.

Recipe Notes

*To make quinoa: Thoroughly rinse ½ cup of quinoa in a mesh strainer. In a small saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium-low and add rinsed quinoa. Stir the quinoa while it dries out and toasts for a minute or two, then add about a cup of water or desired broth and a pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and turn down heat to a bare simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork or turning it out to a sheet pan to cool.

Almond Butter, Banana and Chia Seed Toast

February 8, 2021 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

This is a “no recipe” recipe… but writing it down is a good way for me to remind myself about a great dish or send to a friend! Some time ago we were in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho and found ourselves at this darling coffee shop called Vault Coffee. They had a great toast menu and flavorful coffee and we enjoyed our breakfast so much we returned twice on our short visit.

As always, I made a note of my delicious toast and upon returning home began making it regularly. I love the subtle flavor of coconut oil spread on the warm toast and the crunchy chia seeds sprinkled on top – a satisfying meal that will keep you fuller longer than plain ‘ole buttered toast (as good as that sometimes is!)

Cheers,

Christina

Almond Butter, Banana and Chia Seed Toast

Who doesn't love toast? This healthy version is a great way to start the day or enjoy as a mid-afternoon snack. Adaptable to all kinds of breads, my go to choices are Heavy Seeded Rye Bread from my favorite local bakery, Backhaus, or Food for Life's Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Sprouted Whole Grain Bread.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Keyword toast

Servings 1 serving

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

2 slices bread, toasted
1 tsp unrefined coconut oil
2 tbsp almond butter
½ banana, sliced
1 tsp chia seeds
drizzle of honey optional

Instructions

Since the coconut oil is solid, be sure to spread immediately on the warm toasted bread. Divide the almond butter, banana slices and chia seeds among the slices. If desired, drizzle with a bit of honey and enjoy!

Maple Oat Nut Scones

December 6, 2020 by Christina Shoup 3 Comments

Waaay back in the day, I sold these scones through my eBay store called Coffee Companions. Cute name, huh? During the hours I wasn’t teaching 3rd grade or hanging out with my new husband, I spent lots of time in the kitchen making scones and biscotti. I sold them to my school for staff meetings and they were always a hit. I have no idea why I thought strangers, who had never tried my food nor seen any pictures of my food before, would want to buy my bakery items via mail order! This is quite normal in 2020, but back in 2002, not so much.

One of my favorite stories from my Coffee Companion days was from a woman who lived in the midwest and bought a box of these scones as a gift for her sister, who at the time was going through breast cancer treatment. Apparently, her sister didn’t have much of an appetite due to her treatment and wasn’t able to tolerate many foods. To her delight and her sister’s surprise, she really enjoyed these scones! I loved that she took the time to tell me this story as she placed her second order. I made sure to put a little extra love into that box of scones.

Cheers,

Christina

These are delicious plain, but an extra treat with the maple glaze

Maple Oat Nut Scones

These scones are a perfect pair to your morning or afternoon coffee. They are reminiscent of the ones you may find at your local (chain) coffee shop, but more tender, more flavor and a cinch to make. A wonderful treat to share with friends and family!

Course Breakfast

Keyword maple nut, scones

Servings 8 scones

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Scones

1¼ cup rolled oats
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, diced
½ cup cold heavy cream
½ cup maple syrup

Glaze

½ cup brown sugar
5 tbsp whole milk
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted or whisked free of lumps

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, both flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add cold butter and rub with fingertips until butter is coated with flour and the mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a measuring cup, combine heavy cream and maple syrup and add to flour mixture. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold mixture just until dough comes together.
Dump the dough on a lightly floured board and gently knead a few times. Using floured hands, shape into a circle, about 8 inches in diameter. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut dough into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to a baking sheet and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on a baking rack while you prepare the glaze.

Glaze

In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk and butter. Heat to a gentle boil, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth.
While glaze is still warm, drizzle over scones. Sprinkle with additional chopped nuts, if desired.

Pumpkin Pancakes

November 8, 2020 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

It seems Starbucks and Trader Joe’s have done a good job of creating pumpkin season. Pumpkin flavoring in everything from coffee to cereal, pasta to popcorn, even when the food item or beverage doesn’t have any real pumpkin as an ingredient. I get it though! The famed Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL for people in the know) is a signal of fall, of boots and sweaters, of cozy movies by the fire. And it resembles the start of the holidays, of family and friends. I love all of this. And while I have a healthy respect for seasonal spices and ingredients, I’m not really in the “pumpkin everything” camp.

That said, I love to make our family favorite glazed pumpkin cookies and enjoy pumpkin pie or bread pudding at Thanksgiving, but other than that, that’s about all the pumpkin I need. One of my kids, however, has a birthday just days before Thanksgiving and since he was little has been a big fan of everything pumpkin. When he turned 10, I remember his specific birthday food requests: pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, glazed pumpkin cookies as the treat he wanted to share with his 4th grade class, and pumpkin pie for his birthday dessert. Pumpkin everything and I was happy to oblige.

This recipe is one of those pumpkin recipes that I not only enjoy making for my family, I also truly enjoy eating as a fall treat. They are perfectly spiced, fluffy, and are delicious with crispy slices of bacon on the side. I hope you enjoy them, too!

Cheers,

Christina

Pumpkin Pancakes

These fluffy pancakes have been a fall favorite in our house for over a decade. They have a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup and some added nutrition from canned pumpkin puree and ground flax seed. Our favorite way to enjoy them is with a little salted butter that is melted and whisked with warm maple syrup and drizzled over top – delicious!

Course Breakfast

Keyword pancake, pumpkin

Servings 20 pancakes

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

2¼ cup flour
3 tbsp ground flax seed
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground ginger
a pinch of nutmeg

Wet ingredients

2¼ cup whole milk
¾ cup canned pumpkin puree
¼ cup melted butter
2 eggs
3 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture.
Heat a nonstick griddle or pan over medium heat. Melt some butter or coconut oil on the heated pan and pour about ¼ cup batter for each pancake. I also find using an ice cream scoop to be super easy for this job. Cook pancakes a few minutes on each side and enjoy with salted butter and warm maple syrup. They are also quite good plain!

Quiche with Bacon, Baby Kale and Gruyere

November 6, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

A good quiche is one of my all time favorite dishes. I frequently order it when I see it being offered on a restaurant or bakery menu and am often underwhelmed, always wanting more flavor. This quiche is nothing like that. It’s deeply flavorful, creamy, flaky, light, and just down right perfection. The addition of cream fraiché as part of the liquid is such a game changer in quiche fillings that I’ve incorporated it in nearly all my variations.

If I have time during the week, I’ll prepare some dough and roll it out in a tart pan, freezing it until I’m ready to make my quiche. I never regret taking a few extra minutes to do this – it makes a lazy weekend brunch so satisfying and easy to pull together. I’ve also pulled a pretty smart parenting move and taught my teenage son how to make pie and pastry dough. He’s almost always willing to take care of this kitchen task and wrap it for the freezer. He makes a few bucks for the chore and we all get treated to a delicious quiche as a result. Everyone wins.

Cheers,

Christina

Extra filling makes a baby crustless quiche – Yum!

Easiest way to remove that rim without losing the whole thing on the kitchen floor

Quiche with Bacon, Baby Kale and Gruyere

Quiche is a perfect make ahead breakfast or brunch dish. It is equally delicious for lunch or a classy dinner main with a salad and glass of wine. This dish is adapted from Huckleberry, one of my favorite cookbooks, as well as inspired by some tried and true ingredients such as flour and creme fraiché from the famed Tartine cookbook. I hope you love my favorite version.

Course Breakfast

Keyword quiche

Servings 8 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Quiche filling

4 eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup crème fraîche
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp dijon mustard
a few dashes of hot sauce
¾ cup grated Gruyere cheese divided
1 cup baby kale or spinach, lightly packed cup, coarsely chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked, coarsely chopped

Flaky Tart Dough

2 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup butter, cubed, placed in freezer for 10 minutes Kerrygold butter is my favorite for this
5 tbsp ice cold water

Instructions

Preparing the tart dough

Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to food processor, pulse to combine.
Scatter semi-frozen butter on top of the flour mixture and pulse a few times until you see pea-sized pieces of butter throughout.
Add ice cold water through top funnel while briefly pulsing, until water is incorporated. Don't over process.
Dump mixture on a lightly floured board and gather dough together, kneading and gathering until no dry pieces are are left. Form into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Grease a tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll chilled dough out on a lightly floured board and gently lay into a tart pan. Allow the dough to get into the sides and trim excess dough with a rolling pin lightly pressing the edge of the pan. Dough can also be placed into a pie pan with edges folded under and pinched. Place tart pan on a baking sheet.
If time allows, freeze prepared tart shell for 1 hour. Otherwise, place in the freezer or refrigerator while the oven preheats.

Baking the crust

Preheat oven to 350°. Line the tart shell with a piece of parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake about 20 minutes, till edges begin to lightly brown, then remove parchment and beans or weights and continue baking until crust is deeply browned, about 20 minutes longer.

Quiche filling

In a medium bowl add first 8 ingredients and whisk until free of lumps. Fold in ½ cup cheese.
Scatter chopped greens and cooked bacon over the cooked tart shell. Fill tart shell with egg mixture as full as you can without overflowing. Carefully top with remaining ¼ cup cheese. Bake until middle is set and cheese is golden, about 25 minutes.
Remove outer rim of the tart pan by placing quiche on a large can (28 ounce can of tomatoes, for example) and the rim will drop to the counter. Transfer the tart to a cutting board or serving plate and carefully slice the quiche. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Notes

Any extra filling can be baked in a greased ramekin for a delicious crustless quiche.

Overnight Oats

July 14, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Overnight oats are such a welcome treat in the morning, especially during the summer months when even the thought of a steaming bowl of anything makes you sweat just a little. I’ve been making these for longer than I can remember. When my kids were younger, I used to tuck them in at night and head straight to the kitchen when I had only 5 minutes of energy left in me. Thankfully, that’s all the time it takes to make this tasty make-ahead breakfast!

The oats can easily be adjusted to suit your tastes. Don’t love bananas? Use blueberries, peaches or apples. Not a fan of almond milk? Use any dairy or non-dairy beverage. This happens to be my favorite combination of flavors and lends itself to a variety of crunchy toppings to be added in the morning.

We’ve taken these oats on camping trips, road trips, early morning youth sports events, and when I was in culinary school, I packed these several times a week and ate breakfast during my morning commute to San Francisco. Easy, portable, healthy and kept me full all morning.

And while this used to take me 5 minutes to make two jars of overnight oats, I’ve got 3 kids that now request one for the morning and it’s definitely worth the extra few minutes to make several more. And bonus, it’s easy enough for them to make their own!

Cheers,

Christina

Overnight Oats

This is a perfect make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings and one our whole family enjoys. It's portable, easily adaptable to fit your tastes and full of fiber and nutrients to keep you full for hours. It's great cold straight from the fridge or heated briefly in the microwave, but in any case, don't forget some sort of crunchy topping before you enjoy!

Course Breakfast

Keyword breakfast, make ahead breakfast, overnight oats

Servings 1 serving

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

⅓ cup old fashioned oats
⅓ cup greek yogurt, plain
½ cup almond milk
½ banana, diced
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tsp chia seeds
2 tsp ground flaxseed meal
¼ tsp vanilla extract
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
drizzle of maple syrup
crunchy toppings: chopped nuts, toasted coconut, granola optional

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a mason jar or tupperware with lid. Refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, add crunchy topping. Eat cold straight from the refrigerator or take the chill off in the microwave for 30 seconds before adding a crunchy topping.