Rituals and routines help to ground us and make us feel connected to earth and to a higher sense of purpose. These rituals don’t have to be exotic. They can be a slightly different intention and way of approaching you regular morning routines. Tomorrow, instead of rushing around in a frenzy, consider how you can turn your morning washing and breakfast into a nourishing and sustaining morning practice.
I have several morning rituals that help set a rhythm and routine to my day. I have my morning ablutions (showering etc…), my morning meditation and yoga practice, lighting incense and candles at my altars throughout our house, and there is the ritual of my morning meal. I start to think about my tea and breakfast while still in the bathroom getting ready for the day. In the summer, I am more likely to have green tea and a smoothie or fresh pressed juice. As our Vermont days are quickly getting cooler and darker, I am now consuming a rich plant based chai tea and a lovely vegan hot breakfast of delicious super grains.
The combination of grains I have been enjoying this past month includes amaranth, teff, oats, flax, and sometimes chia. These are powerhouse grains of nutrition. According to The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization encourages the use of amaranth in impoverished nations because wherever amaranth is grown there is little or no malnutrition. Such a simple grain can do so much good! Amaranth is considered a C-4 plant that has above-normal efficiency in converting soil, sunlight, and water into plant tissue. Our environmental and agriculture solutions are usually much more simple than big businesses would have us believe. Amaranth is also higher than milk in protein and calcium content. Vegan foods really do provide us with all our necessary nutrition!
The other ingredients in this super grain breakfast combination also provide rich sources of nutrition. Teff is a remarkably rich source of calcium, iron, zinc, and copper. Oats help to stabilize ones blood sugar and soothe the nervous and digestive systems, and they are high in protein. Flaxseeds are a good source of calcium, iron, potassium, and Omega-3 fatty acids, and due to the lignin in flax, they are mildly estrogenic and can help normalize a woman’s cycles. Each time I stir my bubbling pot of morning goodness, I feel I am honoring and offering loving care to my body temple in this simple ritual of morning breakfast.
I have several morning rituals that help set a rhythm and routine to my day. I have my morning ablutions (showering etc…), my morning meditation and yoga practice, lighting incense and candles at my altars throughout our house, and there is the ritual of my morning meal. I start to think about my tea and breakfast while still in the bathroom getting ready for the day. In the summer, I am more likely to have green tea and a smoothie or fresh pressed juice. As our Vermont days are quickly getting cooler and darker, I am now consuming a rich plant based chai tea and a lovely vegan hot breakfast of delicious super grains.
The combination of grains I have been enjoying this past month includes amaranth, teff, oats, flax, and sometimes chia. These are powerhouse grains of nutrition. According to The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia by Rebecca Wood, The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization encourages the use of amaranth in impoverished nations because wherever amaranth is grown there is little or no malnutrition. Such a simple grain can do so much good! Amaranth is considered a C-4 plant that has above-normal efficiency in converting soil, sunlight, and water into plant tissue. Our environmental and agriculture solutions are usually much more simple than big businesses would have us believe. Amaranth is also higher than milk in protein and calcium content. Vegan foods really do provide us with all our necessary nutrition!
The other ingredients in this super grain breakfast combination also provide rich sources of nutrition. Teff is a remarkably rich source of calcium, iron, zinc, and copper. Oats help to stabilize ones blood sugar and soothe the nervous and digestive systems, and they are high in protein. Flaxseeds are a good source of calcium, iron, potassium, and Omega-3 fatty acids, and due to the lignin in flax, they are mildly estrogenic and can help normalize a woman’s cycles. Each time I stir my bubbling pot of morning goodness, I feel I am honoring and offering loving care to my body temple in this simple ritual of morning breakfast.
YIELDS
About 3 cups
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1/4 cup amaranth seed
- 1/4 cup teff seed
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed
- 1 Tbsp chia seed- optional
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 2 Tbsp chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 tsp cardamon
- 1 tsp- dash cinnamon
- splash or to taste non-dairy milk
- splash or to taste maple syrup
Directions
Add water, grains, and seeds to your cooking pot. I use a whisk to loosen grains into the water as they tend to clump. Next, add raisins, ginger, and cardamon and bring to boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10–15 minutes. Be sure to watch the pot and stir frequently. Once mixture thickens, remove from heat. This pot will make two modest bowls of porridge, or one heaping bowl. You might add a few more raisins and ginger on top, with a dash of cinnamon and non-dairy milk. I like my porridge unsweetened, but my husband enjoys a splash of maple syrup on his. Be sure to take a moment to offer thanks to the earth and to all of the people that brought these nourishing grains to your kitchen. Enjoy!
Vegan Chicken Of The Woods Fajitas
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Photo: Angie Follensbee-Hall
