As we get ready for spring, I thought I’d take one look back at my favorite cool weather breakfast.  I love it so much I might eat it through the beginning of spring, but probably not into summer.

I start the night before with my favorite new appliance – my Zojirushi rice cooker – it’s so much more than that!  I put 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of Steel Cut Oats in the rice cooker, set the timer, and go to sleep.  It doesn’t even matter if I’m not sure when I’m going to be awake and ready to eat the oatmeal because the rice cooker has a warming function that works for at least a couple of hours!

[updated note: this would probably be a 2 person serving; it was perfect for me in the earlier days of nursing when my body was still craving lots of good quality calories]

When I wake up the next day, I get all of my ingredients out and ready. Depending on my mood, or on what fruit I’m adding, I sometimes add a splash of maple syrup (the real stuff! not the caramel flavored colored high fructose corn syrup stuff). Then I mix in some cinnamon, which I use in just about everything.  You can really add whatever you’re in the mood for.

So where are the Super Foods, you ask?  Here they come!

In goes a teaspoon of Maca powder which is great for a lot – I have found it to really help boost my energy and keep me more focused.  Then I add a heaping teaspoon or two of chia seeds – amazing little things! They help balance the blood sugar, they’re a great source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, and they’re a complete protein to mention just a few things. Check out www.mychiaseeds.com for more info.

Next comes my fruit, and this changes based on my mood and what I have on hand.  Sometimes it’s bananas and/or dried cranberries.  Sometimes I heat up some frozen strawberries and make a syrup and mix that in.

Then I’m ready to dig in and eat a great balanced breakfast that keeps me energized and full for hours without the crash that we get from refined foods.

So let’s recap the recipe and a bit about why each ingredient is so healthy:

Steel Cut Oats – whole grain so it hasn’t been stripped of any vitamins or minerals

Maple Syrup – just a little bit for a natural sweetener

Cinnamon – yum! (plus it is loaded with antioxidants and has antibacterial properties)

Maca powder – for vitality and mental clarity

Chia seeds – for the fiber that balances blood sugars, complete protein, and Omega 3 oil

Banana, cranberries, strawberries or other fruit – getting some of your fruit in early gives you a healthy energy boost and gives some nice flavor and texture to the oatmeal.

Enjoy! If you try it out, let me know what you think 🙂