Seven days, seven healthy breakfasts

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I always look forward to breakfast. It feels so pleasant to start the day calmly with a cup of coffee and some good meal. Morning rituals have extra importance because they prepare me for the day. And I don´t want to step into it with a hungry belly and in a hurry. I like the sound of a filter coffee machine and the aroma that comes from it. The first cup of coffee tastes the best from the whole day, and I usually have it before breakfast. Sometimes, I take tea after coffee. I also enjoy the sound of bubbling puuro (porrige) on the stove and the sound of flipping through a newspaper. 

I prefer first meal to be on a sweet note, but healthy and nutritious. I bring ideas for seven tasty breakfasts  as an inspiration of what to prepare from Monday to Sunday. Last two recipes are on the weekendish flow, they need a little bit more time, but they indeed make the weekend mornings special.


1. Skyr with homemade granola

Skyr or yoghurt with granola is my most common breakfast. I've been making homemade granola for a while now, and I bet that if you try it you won't want to buy it anymore. One can get very creative, and experiment with different types of flakes, seeds, nuts, dried fruits and spices. As a sweetener I like to use Finnish tumma siirappi (dark syrup) which is more aromatic, also cheaper than for example honey. But the dark syrup can be well replaced with honey, as well as with maple, agave, rice, date or corn syrup.



Ingredients:

  • 5 dl oat flakes
  • 1 dl pumpkin seeds
  • 1 dl sunflower seeds
  • 1,5 dl chopped walnuts
  • 2 tbsp sunflower/rapeseed oil
  • 0,75 dl dark syrup
  • 1,5 tsp grounded cinnamon
Add after baking:
  • 10 chopped dates
Mix everything together and bake at 175°C degrees until golden. Stir occasionally during baking. After taking it out of the oven, add chopped dates. Let cool and put in an airtight jar.

For serving:
  • skyr, berries



2. Oatmeal with berries, nuts and marmelade

Oatmeal is very cosy food. It´s especially suitable in rainy, dark mornigs when one needs to warm up from the inside. I like to prepare it with water, but it also well works with normal or plant milk. We have many kinds of homemade marmelades from Petri´s mum which we like to have with puuro.



Ingredients for 2 portions:

  • 100 g oat flakes
  • 4 dl water

Tip: For creamy consistency add one tablespoon of flaxseeds when cooking the oatmeal.

Cook slowly on low heat until the oatmeal is creamy.

For decoration:

  • blueberries, marmelade, chopped nuts


3. Millet porrige with poppy, plum marmelade and pear

Millet is a little bit forgotten but excellent cereal, which is especially very good in sweet recipes. Its low price is also symphatetic. I highly recommend this combination with poppy and plum marmelade.



Ingredients for 2 portions:

  • 100 g millet
  • 250 g water
  • 250 g milk

For decoration:

  • 3 tbsp ground poppy, plum marmelade, chopped pears

Before boiling, rinse millet with boiling water to get rid of possible bitterness and aftertaste. Then boil the millet in water and milk until it´s soft and the liquid is absorbed. Add more water if necessary. Keep the lid on while boiling.

 

4. Gingerbread buckwheat with apples, raisins and dark syrup

I very much like the nutty flavour of buckwheat. It goes very well with dark syrup or molasses. 




Ingredients for 2 portions:

  • 100 g buckwheat groats
  • 2,5 dcl water
  • 1 tsp gingerbread spices
  • handful of raisins

For decoration:

  • dark syrup, chopped apples

Boil the buckwheat in water until it´s soft. Keep the lid on while boiling. Add raisins and gingerbread spices at the end of cooking.


5. Blueberry overnight oats in yoghurt with chia seeds and honey

Advantage of this recipe is that the preparation takes only few minutes in the evening, and in the morning delicious breakfast is ready. I especially enjoy overnight oats in summer when I don't feel like having a warm breakfast. But they are great all year round!






Ingredients for 2 portions:

  • 300 g natural yoghurt
  • 60 g oat flakes
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • handful of blueberries

For decoration: 

  • honey, few blueberries
Prepare two glasses. In the evening, put in each glass half of the ingredients, mix together and refrigerate overnight.

6. Buckwheat pancakes with a variation of fruit, marmelades and natural yoghurt

There is no better weekend breakfast than pancakes. Perfect for a long, slow morning. And these are ultra healthy. I like to put different filling options on the table, so everyone can choose according to their taste.



Ingredients for 2 portions (cca  6 pancakes):

  • 100 g buckwheat flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 dl milk
  • 0,75 dl water
  • 1 tbsp sunflower/rapeseed oil +  some more oil for cooking

For filling: 

  • fruit, marmelades, natural yoghurt...
Mix in the bowl flour with eggs and slowly add milk and water. Add also one tablespoon of oil and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Take a frying pan, wipe it with oil and cook pancakes for about 1 minute on each side until they are golden.


7. Baked cardamom apples filled with oatmeal and dates


This breakfast not only tastes very good but also looks very impressive. And the smell of baked apples coming from the oven is so pleasant, creating a homy atmosphere. Ideal for a romantic breakfast with your loved one.




Ingredients for 2 portions:
  • 2 large apples 
  • 60 g oat flakes
  • 1,5 dl water
  • 1 tbsp flaxseeds
  • 6 chopped dates
  • 1 tsp grounded cardamom

Pour boiling water over the oat flakes, flaxseeds, dates, grounded cardamon and let it soak in. Meanwhile hollow out the apples. You can cut part of the inside of the apples into small pieces and mix with the oat flake mixture. Fill the apples with the flake mixture and bake at 180°C degrees until the apples are soft and the flake mixture turns golden.



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