I’m a nutrient nut.
And I’m thrifty.
Combine the two and I’m a nutritarian!
I’m all about getting the most nutritional BANG for my calorie BUCK.
Breakfast fit that description perfectly. Each ingredient was thoughtfully choosen for what it would add in terms of overall taste and nutrition.
It all started when I received a little box in the mail yesterday.
Inside were a few treats direct from Peru.
My lovely friend Cristina did a little shopping for me on a recent trip South. Bee pollen and maca. Sure, you can get both products here but in Peru they are fresh, inexpensive, and easy to come by. And they will remind me of both Cristina and Lima each time I use them. 🙂
Bee pollen is a rich source of antioxidents and protein. It is energizing, can improve metabolism, and is excellent for the immune system due to it’s high levels of vitamin C. Bee pollen has a strong flavor and is best used a teaspoon or so at a time. *People who are allergic to bees should avoid consuming bee pollen*
Maca, “the gift from the andes” as the bag reads, is a powder made from a turnip-like root that grows high in the mountains of Peru and Bolivia. Maca is known for balancing hormones (who couldn’t use a little help with that!) and is 22% protein, providing you with nearly two grams for 30 calories. It has a slightly sweet, slightly butterscotchy flavor.
Not planning a trip to Peru any time soon? Both of these products are commonly found at health food stores.
I thought there was no better way to add these superfoods into my breakfast than a jar of overnight oats!
Want to most nutrition from your morning oats? Soak ’em!
Last night I mixed up
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- ~1 cup plain homemade yogurt + a little extra whey (for protein, probiotics, and calcium)
- 1 tsp. chia seeds (for protein and Omega-3’s)
- 1 tsp. maca
- 1 tsp. bee pollen
- cinnamon (to stabilize blood sugar)
- stevia
I let the mixture sit at room temp for a few hours them put it in the refrigerator overnight. Soaking oats at room temperature with a little acid (from the whey in the yogurt) aids in the digestion of the oats. Don’t worry, the acid prevents the mis from going bad.
This morning I added antioxident-rich serviceberries from the freezer and a few Omega-3-full walnuts.
This super-nutritious jar left me satisfied but feeling light and energized.
I’m excited to experiment more with maca and bee pollen. I recall having a particularly amazing raw chocolate pie made with bee pollen years ago…got to figure out how to recreate that!
I’ll leave you with this classic Hippocrates quote to mull over when choosing what to lunch on.
“Let thy food by thy medicine and medicine by thy food.”
Gracefulfitness 