Paleo Breakfast Quinoa

Paleo Breakfast Quinoa

Eating meat and eggs in the morning is something I find difficult to do. I have never in my life been a morning person, and the thought of breakfast is not something I typically look forward to. My unhappy stomach is currently making the situation worse. Breakfast, however, is considered to be very important to a paleo lifestyle for reasons that make sense to me. First, it sets the tone for your body: give it lots of good protein and healthful fats in the morning, and it’ll decide to operate off of that for the rest of the day. Also, a good breakfast helps to maintain even insulin levels, gives your body a good fuel source, and causes the body to feel more satiated throughout the day.

Still…I miss my little bowl of steel-cut oatmeal and cinnamon in the morning. Mild, a little sweet, and not resembling an animal’s body part in the remotest sense, oatmeal was really nice.

So I’ve decided to compromise: breakfast quinoa. Quinoa looks like oatmeal, but contains complete proteins and lots of minerals. A little of this grain-and-gluten-free food cuts down on the amount of meat or egg I need to eat at the beginning of the day and makes for a more gentle start for my stomach. And it’s very simple to make. Here’s how I do it:

•  Take one box/bag of your favourite pre-soaked, pre-rinsed pure quinoa.
• Follow the directions on the package to cook your quinoa on your stove-top, but substitute 1/2 of the water required with coconut milk.
• Once you’ve added your quinoa to the pot, add a handful of diced dried fruit (apple, mango, raisins, apricot, cranberries, cherries, blueberries – whatever you like and have on hand).
• Also add 1 or 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, depending on how much quinoa you are making.
• Let all that cook as normal, and let your quinoa sit covered for the normal amount of time.
• Then, serve it hot with a little honey drizzled over the top and an extra dash of coconut milk, or skip the dried fruit during the cooking process and top your little bowl with fresh fruit.
• Enjoy.