Where did the all the Pumpkin go?
I’m sure most of you had the same reaction a few weeks ago when you marched into your neighbourhood Starbucks and gazed into the pastry display – – horrified to see that the pumpkin scones and pumpkin cream cheese muffins were GONE!
“Done for the season” I was told by my half asleep barrista.
What? There is a pumpkin season?
Isn’t that the sort of thing that should be made very clear from the outset – maybe some public service announcements, just so someone doesn’t get caught by surprise on a cold dark Sunday morning?
Truth is I steer clear of the pastry cabinet of yumminess most of the time, but probably 2-3 times per autumn I will indulge in one of these two treats. Mostly, I just like to know they are there, just in case.
Get your breakfast pumpkin here…
For those of you trying to add muscle mass, this really is one of your most important meals of the day in addition to lunch, dinner and your snacks J
For those of us not trying to pack on pounds of mass or even trying to dump some fat, we should still be eating breakfast, but just watching our portion sizes carefully.
So, with that in mind, I want to share with you a recipe that I got from Mitch in our private Next Level Transformation group – he is doing an amazing job with his training – consistency is the best of all the athletes in this select group!
He is also a great ‘group’ guy because he passes along recipes like this – –
Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Quinoa (make this a hyper link to the url below and insert image of pumpkins or maybe pumpkin pie)
http://www.onceuponacuttingboard.com/2013/10/pumpkin-spice-breakfast-quinoa.html
From the website www.OnceUponACuttingBoard.com
I tried it…I LIKED it!
And…I made extra and re-heated it – that works too. So I will be making this stuff in bulk (enough to last a couple of days) and take it up to Collingwood this winter when we go skiing, I think it will be just what we need before we hit the slopes or the cross country trails.
Remember to use pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling. If you are really stuck and cannot find plain puree – then cut back on the added maple syrup and cut back on the volume of the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice you add and then adjust for taste.
Pumpkin pie filling has quite a lot of sugar in it and is already seasoned with nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.
Definitely add the chopped nuts to it as well – delicious!
Mitch made his with almond milk and said it was good so I tried it and indeed it was!
Quinoa – It’s not just for dinner anymore
I thought eating Quinoa for breakfast might be a little weird too – but it was great and a little higher in protein (and it is a complete protein) than your typical grain – probably because it is actually a seed not a grain.
Eating this type of food for breakfast also mirrors the diet in many countries where there is a lower BMI and lower cardiovascular disease, decreased Type II Diabetes and longer life expectancy.
You can find out pretty much everything you want to know about breakfast in this article from our friends at Precision Nutrition….
All About Breakfast from Precision Nutrition
Give the recipe a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Cheers,
M