Spring Breakfast Parfait {vegan+gf}

Some of my best memories with my mom include the most mundane experiences, and I’m sure that to you they don’t mean much…but to me?  They mean the world!

I don’t mean to sound like I’m whining or anything, but it was pretty rare to spend time doing fun things together due to her busy work schedule, so any little memory I could guard inside my heart, I did.

Those experiences which still make me smile to this day were simple--helping her make a month’s worth of kimchi in a huge tub and going to McDonald’s every Saturday after Korean class.  Whenever we went to the McD’s in the central area called Rivadavia (in Argentina) I would always choose a Happy Meal, and after I was done with the burger I proceeded to coax her into buying me either a swirled cone or a parfait!  Back then those parfaits tasted so amazing!  Now that I’m older and wiser I realize that they are laden with sugar, so in honor of thinking of my mom and watching out for my health, I came up with this vegan parfait recipe.

Not only are these perfect for breakfast in the spring, or summer, or winter…hehehe…but they are packed with healthy fats, fiber, protein, and natural sugar.  At first I wasn’t so sure if one serving would fill me up, but I soon realized that it kept me satiated till lunch time.  Delicious, cute, and satisfying?  Sign me up.

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If you’re on the lookout for a fun and easy breakfast recipe, then look no further my friends.  I’m thinking this is also a great alternative for entertaining guests or for a picnic with your loved ones.  Enjoy!

Spring Breakfast Parfait {vegan+gf}

This is a truly easy and customizable recipe.  Instead of coconut milk you may also use soy or almond milk. 

Makes 3 medium or 2 large servings

Ingredients for Quinoa Base

• 2/3 C dry quinoa
• 2 1/3 C water
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp allspice (or cinnamon)

Ingredients for Chia Pudding

• 3/4 C full fat can coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen)
• 2 1/2 TBSP chia seeds
• 3 TBSP pure maple syrup

Fruit Ingredients

• 1 large banana, sliced in medallions
• 8-10 medium strawberries, sliced (or other berry)

Directions

1. Make the quinoa at least an hour ahead of time.  In a medium pot cook the quinoa and water by first simmering it on medium heat.  When it simmers for a little while, bring it down to low heat and cook it slowly—about 25 minutes or until the water is soaked up and quinoa is tender.  Make sure to come back to it every few minutes and stir it a bit.  After it’s done, let it cool down or refrigerate it till ready to be used.
2. In a small-medium bowl, combine the milk, chia seeds, and syrup.  Whisk it thoroughly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  The mixture will be thick and gel-like, like pudding!
3. If you are using a long glass like I did, start by layering it with about 2 TBSP quinoa.  (If you’re using a bowl the measurements will differ.  Just try to eyeball the measurements as you go, you can’t go wrong. )
4. Then place a few banana slices and berries.
5. Top with chia pudding.  Repeat steps 3-5 one more time and garnish the top with berries.  Eat it cold and feel refreshed!

full-fat-coconut-milk

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Just keep in mind that these don’t taste like yogurt. They have their own unique twist and that’s what makes them so fun to eat.  Bon appetit!

What are some of your best memories with your parents?  (or guardians?)

Were you a fan of MCDonald type restaurants as a kid?  What was your go-to meal?

What classic favorites do you wish to recreate with a healthier nutrition profile?

love-ellie

Craving Oatmeal and Pancakes? No Problem!

Ever have one of those mornings when your stomach grumbles as soon as you wake up?  Then your mind wanders off into planning what you should make for breakfast because A--you want everything in your fridge asap or else you might chomp your husband’s arm off, B--you crave waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, and a big fat omelet all at once. (By the way, I still owe him because he’s been kicking me in his sleep!) Alrighty…so I know that those are totally insignificant problems, if you can even call them problems, hehe.  But when you’ve just finished feeding your baby and you can literally feel all the nutrients depleted from your milk-producing body, you better believe that nothing will come in-between YOU and that breakfast waiting to be made.

That’s exactly what happened yesterday early in the morning.  I just wanted a huge bowl of hot oatmeal but you know how it goes, once you cook it on the stove your pretty little pot gets all dirtied up with sticky bits of oatmeal.   And then it feels like so much work because you have to scrub the pot like crazy.  I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about, huh? 

I also wanted a hearty stack of pancakes, so I came up with this simple recipe that barely requires effort because you don’t need two separate bowls for the wet and dry ingredients.  Just throw it all together at once and voila!

These little guys are so easy to make because they don’t require processing the oats and as you already know, I like to pulverize my oats in order to use them in baking and pancake recipes.  Well, yesterday I realized that I don’t need to do all that extra work in order to end up with hearty and fluffy pancakes!  Whole rolled oats work just fine, but of course the texture is more dense than if you were to use fine oat flour. You probably have all or most of these ingredients so they’re ideal to make anytime, anywhere.  I guess from now on this will be my go-to recipe whenever I feel hangry in the morning.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Pancakes {GF}

Makes 3 pancakes

Ingredients

• 1/3 C rolled old fashioned oats
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice***
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 TBSP pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg
• 2 TBSP almond milk (or other)
• 5 drops Stevia (or 1 tsp sugar)
• oil spray

Directions

1. Grab a small bowl and mix all the dry ingredients together with a fork or a whisk.
2. Add the pumpkin puree and egg to the dry ingredients and mix it up till well incorporated.
3. Add the milk and Stevia (or sugar) and mix it a little bit more.
4. Heat a skillet on medium heat and spray with oil.  Wait for 30 seconds to warm up the skillet.
5. Spoon about 1/4-1/3 C of the batter on the skillet, which results in about 3 pancakes.  Flip after approximately 1 minute or if they’re slightly bubbly.

Selah’s Growing Like a Weed!

Little Miss Selah is surprisingly in the 80 percentile of the height scale, and I know that she definitely didn’t get that from me, hah!  She’s turning 5 months old in two days, but she’s been wearing 6-12 month clothes for quite some time now because she’s long and gains weight quite rapidly.

Due to the outfits that she’s outgrown over the last few months, yesterday called for a closet clean up as I’d been procrastinating on it pretty badly.  Whoaaaaa, check out that pile of baby clothes!  And that’s only 3/4 of them!  I already know what I’m going to do with them so I’m pretty excited about that.

And also…this happened for today’s lunch.

If you love brussel sprouts and fall inspired dishes,  then stay tuned for this super easy and healthy recipe.  The flavor combination was just so good that even I surprised myself.  I’m thinking that it will be a great side dish for Thanksgiving dinner.

What do you do with baby clothes?  Do you keep them for the future or do you give them away?

What are your favorite types of flour to use in baking and cooking pancakes?

Do you have go-to meals or recipes for when you feel “hangry”?

Love,

Ellie <33

Even Better Banana Muffins+the Weekend

Banana muffins!!! Ehhh…what’s to say about them except the fact that there are probably a gazillion recipes out there?

Well, let me think.  They’re delicious, satisfying, great for breakfast and dessert, and they can easily be modified for the health conscious eater—particularly if said health conscious eater has only begun his healthy living journey and has a picky palate.  As if those reasons weren’t enough for you already, let me just tell you how wonderful these banana muffins are.

They’re basically an old recipe of mine that I just knew needed an update of ingredients and some pimped out photos.

Haha, pimped out.  Does anyone say that anymore besides me and, uh….me?

But back to the updated ingredients.  If you remember my post featuring GF pancakes with pumpkin frosting and how I wanted to make them even better than they already were, these semi-healthy banana muffins are pretty much the same idea.  As I get better at coming up with recipes and fine tune (roughly) my cooking and baking skills, I like to take those recipes and make them current according to where I am in life.

This batch of goodies is actually higher in fiber than last time’s as well as gluten free and [almost] vegan.  Instead of using butter in the streusel topping like I did this time, you can easily substitute it with Earth Balance.

I hope you enjoy these as much as our men’s group did.  Most of them don’t even claim to watch out for their health but still ended up loving them!  I have a feeling that these will be just a bit more popular with my loved ones, yay!

Banana Muffins for Everyone {GF & easily veganized)

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients for muffins

• 1 C sour almond milk (1 TBSP lemon juice+almond milk to 1C)
• 1 TBSP chia seeds
• 1 1/2 C oat flour (you may process whole oats)
• 1/3 C millet flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 medium banana, mashed
• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 8 drops Stevia (or 1/4 C brown sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 medium banana, chopped
• 2 TBSP melted coconut oil
• oil spray for muffin tin

Ingredients for streusel

• 1/3 C oat flour
• 1/4 C rolled oats
• 1/4 C brown sugar
• 4 TBSP room temp butter, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.  In a measuring cup pour the lemon juice and almond milk.  Add the chia seeds, stir it up and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl mix the oat flour, millet flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl mix the mashed banana, brown sugar, Stevia, vanilla, chopped banana, and coconut oil last.  Quickly whisk it together until it’s well incorporated with the oil.
4. Now for the streusel topping, mix the oat flour, rolled oats, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Then add the butter cubes and use your hands to mix it together into chunks.  Set aside.
5. Pour the last wet muffin ingredients into the dry ingredients along with the sour almond milk with chia seeds.  Mix rather thoroughly but don’t overbeat the batter.
6. Spray the tin with oil and pour the batter to about 2/3 of the way up.  Sprinkle with streusel topping and bake for approximately 22-24 minutes.
7. Let it cool down for 5 minutes and serve!

And here are some pictures from my parents’ birthday!  We got together at my sister’s new home and had a blessed time together as usual.

By the way!  Do you notice anything different about me?  Hmm…how about my new hairdo?  Hah!  It wasn’t washed in this picture since I got it permed a few days ago.  I cut at least 4 inches off of my hair and got what is known as the Digital Perm.  It feels good to have a change like that especially since hair is one of moms’ least concerns!

I wound up driving all the way down to Porto’s and purchased the cake called Checkers.  It was sort of like a light chocolate mousse layered cake with some hints of vanilla in it, topped with a glossy layer of chocolate ganache.  It was really light and delicious although the cake itself doesn’t look like it’s light at all!  I highly recommend this one to chocolate lovers out there, but I think Korean cakeries still hold my heart very deeply. 

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Which recipes have you updated recently?

Do you prefer fruity or chocolatey cakes?

-I’m more of a light frosting+fruit person, but chocolate is always welcome as well.

Love,

Ellie <33

Updating Recipes+GF Pancakes with Pumpkin Frosting

Hello hello!  How’s your Thursday treating you so far? Or Wednesday, or Friday, depending on where you’re reading from. Before I go on any further I would like to thank you for the kind comments on my last post regarding my past!  It certainly wasn’t a secret since I’ve already talked about it on my “Meet Ellie” page, but I guess that the lack of details in my story made it seem as if I’m still struggling with ED.  Thankfully it’s not an issue like it used to be and I’m glad to report that God has freed me from that sin.

One thing to note, however, is the fact that ED can come in countless of different forms and shouldn’t be disregarded by anyone.  It’s not a clear-cut “addiction” that is easy to spot because it’s not just about bulimia, anorexia, and so forth, which are extreme measures that I didn’t have to deal with but so many others have.  And I’m forever thankful that my eyes were opened before I traveled down that dirty road.   Nevertheless, since it can unexpectedly happen to anyone at any given moment, it is super important to keep an eye out for those whom you love!

Smile

Remember that we all have thorns to deal with and most likely every single person you come across with today is facing something.  So let’s get out there and make someone’s day!  Let’s smile at them, listen to their problems, and even tell them about God’s love if that is your belief.  If it’s not--well, just know this.  God is so in love with you that He’s waiting for your love in return because He respects our decisions.

Alrighty.  Enough of that serious talk so let’s move on to some good ol’ food, yes?!

And to make that even more exciting, let’s talk about a fall recipe…Muahahaha…

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Exactly about a year ago I posted a recipe for these amazing millet pancakes that I studded with peaches.  They were so full of flavor thanks to the caramelizing that the peaches got from cooking on the skillet!

Even though I loved everything about that recipe, I thought that tweaking it just a bit more and updating it would make it perfect.  This week I realized while I was scrolling through my recipe page that I haven’t referred back to my old recipes for quite some time, and then I wondered….”Is that recipe still any good?!  Did I measure those ingredients correctly to a T, so that others who follow the recipe will have the same outcome?  What if I can make it better than the last time?”

Smile with tongue out

And thus, I went back to my gluten free Peachy Millet Pancakes to create this perfection.  It is by far one of the most pillowy and moist pancakes I’ve made, and I was so pleased with the result because gluten free dishes can be challenging sometimes!

Since I didn’t have any peaches on hand and the fall weather beckoned me to throw pumpkin in there, I didn’t add any fruit to the batter and instead made them plain.  Here’s the recipe.

Fluffy Millet Pancakes with Pumpkin Frosting {GF}

This is a remake of my old Peachy Millet Pancakes. 

Makes 8 pancakes, serves two

Ingredients for cakes

• 1/2 C millet flour
• 1/4 C brown rice flour (or fine oat flour)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 TBSP chia seeds
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 whole egg
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil (or other)
• 1/2 C almond milk
• 2 TBSP greek yogurt
• oil spray for cooking

Ingredients for frosting

• 1/2 C pumpkin puree
• 1/4 C greek yogurt
• 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice
• 2 TBSP maple syrup (or other sweetener like Stevia)
• banana slices (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking soda, salt, chia seeds, and cinnamon.  Then add the egg, oil, milk, and yogurt and mix the batter with a whisk.  Do not overbeat it but just enough to get everything incorporated.
2. Heat a skillet or pan on medium high heat and let it warm up for about 1 minute.  Spray with the oil.
3. Bring down the heat to a medium and pour about 1/4 C of the batter on the skillet.  When tiny bubbles begin to form on the pancakes and they begin to rise, you may flip them over.  Place them on a plate after they’re done cooking.
4. For the frosting, mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl and spoon a good amount on each pancake.  Add the banana slices to the frosting and keep layering them that way.

The consistency is truly like a slice of cake!  And it kind of looks like cake layers, doesn’t it?

Take care and have a great day guys!

Ps:  For those of you who know Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel and his going home to the Lord, I'm sure your heart goes out to his family as well.  But man, what a great example he was and how he encouraged all of us to live a life of love and faith!  May God bless his family with peace and a healthy time of grievance.  <3

Do you revisit your old recipes?  If so, do you like to tweak them and make them better than before?

What’s your current food love right now?

Love,

Ellie <33

Pillowy Pancakes+Ballet Body: Total Body Review

As silly as I feel typing out these words, I have to admit that despite the curve balls that life has thrown at us lately there’s always something to smile about--even if they are the smallest things that we usually take for granted in our daily lives.  Wouldn’t you agree? Greg and I have been preoccupied with unexpected events that transpired this past week.  Although the emotional side of it is not quite over yet because there’s still a lot more to take care of, the bright side is that we’ll have the opportunity to show love to some people who are very dear to us as they have been facing extremely difficult times.  More than anything, we’re super thankful that we have God to lean on because without His help we would be trudging along on an empty tank, and an empty tank is something we do not want in times like these!

In the midst of all the busyness, however, I’ve been learning to take care of myself and still enjoy the simple, beautiful things in life! At least to the best of my abilities.

Take for example this stack of pancakes.  They may seem like the overrated diner pancakes that you used to order as a kid (or maybe still do), but the fact of the matter is that they’re super healthy pancakes that are hearty yet pillowy-like-white-clouds.   I think that these are a great alternative for those who need gluten free cakes.  And hey…I hear that oats help in the nursing department so I’m trying to get them in my diet as much as I can.  Yeap, that’s my excuse story and I’m sticking to it. 

Pillowy Oat Pancakes

Makes 2 servings or 1 large serving

Ingredients:

1 C oat flour (I processed rolled oats)

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 TBSP chia seeds

1 whole banana

1 large egg

2 TBSP greek yogurt

3 TBSP milk of choice (or more to thin it out)

oil spray for skillet

Directions:

1. Add the oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and chia seeds into a food processor or a Magic Bullet.  Pulse it until the chia seeds are pulverized.
2. Add the banana, egg, yogurt, and milk to the flour mixture and pulse it while stopping a few times to scrape the sides.  Add more milk if you want a thinner batter.
3. Immediately heat up a large skillet on medium heat and spray it with oil.  Let it sit for 30 seconds and start to pour the batter onto the skillet.  I prefer to spoon them with a 1/4 C measuring cup, but the size is up to you.
4. Top, drizzle, and enjoy!

Worth Mentioning

Lately I’ve been enjoying some foods that are truly worth mentioning—some of them being new and some of them making a comeback after a long hiatus.

Up until now I had only heard of the great benefits and taste of Hemp seeds.  These hemp seeds by Manitoba Harvest are so chewy and soft, and they taste extra nutty full of good-for-your-heart fatty goodness.  I’ve been using them as toppings on my morning oatmeal, yogurt and cottage cheese mixes along with the Kind granola that you see above.  Now, I’ve always been a huge fan of Kind snack bars because of the ingredients and amazing taste, and I have to give them some recognition for succeeding with their extra crunchy granola recipe.

Cottage cheese has made its way back into my life, and so has PB&CO's Cinnamon Raisin Swirl peanut butter.  Mmmm.

Ballet Body:  Total Body Review

Another thing that is worthy mentioning is Leah Sarago’s new Ballet Body: Total Body DVD!

I have said it before and I’ll say it again.  Leah definitely knows her stuff and has such a creative way of going about fitness.  I just cannot rave enough about her knowledge of the human physique because her techniques clearly rend results in building up “elongated” and graceful looking muscles.

Going back a few weeks ago when I was hosting the Ballet Body giveaway, I was pleasantly surprised when I tore open the package that contained the giveaway DVDs.  Not only had she sent me a sweet hand written note, but she also sent me her newest Total Body DVD as a little gift of appreciation.  As soon as I unwrapped it,  I popped it into the DVD player and gave the upper body segment a try.  Needless to say, I was instantly hooked and knew that this workout would be going into my weekly fitness rotation.  Here’s a brief rundown of the routine.

• All you really need is a yoga mat, 2-5 lb. dumbbells, and a sturdy chair or a waist-high bar or stand.
• The total routine is about 75 minutes long and each segment is broken up so that you can choose what you want if you’re in a hurry:  20 minutes of upper, core, and lower body.  There’s also a great 10 minute stretching segment.
• The movements transition rather quickly so the workout seems shorter than it really is.
• The upper routine is very challenging and contains a variety of push-up and plank inspired movements.  The dumbbells are used to mimic swan arm type of movements.
• The lower routine is comprised of plies, releves, and countless of pulses.  It does a great job at working the hips, glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs, and more.
• Instruction is not voice-over like the other DVDs.  Leah actually instructs and gives alternative modifications as she performs each exercise.
• Great for beginners because it contains so many eclectic movements, so long as they go at their own pace and fitness level.
• Makes you one sweaty dancer (wannabe) at the end of the workout!  It provides a good amount of cardiovascular benefits.

So there you have it!  I’ll be more than willing to answer any additional questions you may have so don’t be shy.  :)

What food or food products are new to you right now?

Do you actually like diner pancakes?

-Depends where it’s from and how hearty they are.

Love,

Ellie <33