Berry Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Happy Monday! When I made my 2018 goals, I resolved to get out of cooking rut and also to reduce food waste. I absolutely hate when I have to toss food into the garbage, I feel like I may as well just open my wallet and throw out money. So in my quest to switch up my weekly menu + cut down on food waste, I’ve been looking for recipes with ingredients that can do double duty. And that’s why I’ve been loving to make this berry quinoa breakfast bowl. Every Sunday, I make a batch of quinoa that I add to my meals throughout the week. Usually I’ve stuck with using quinoa to add some protein to a salad or as a side alongside sautéed veggies. And now I’m eating quinoa for breakfast. Can you eat too much quinoa? Asking for a friend…

These berry quinoa breakfast bowls are easy to assemble, very filling and nutritious. There’s really not even a recipe to make these breakfast bowls, really just more of a guideline. So let’s get into it.

First up is making the berry almond milk. I buy Trader Joe’s Organic Mixed Berry Blend in the freezer section with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries & raspberries. I mix about half of the bag with 3 cups of almond milk using my trusty immersion blender. I use about 1 cup of berry almond milk for the quinoa breakfast bowl. The berry almond milk is also a delicious smoothie base and lasts about 3 days in the fridge in a covered jar.

Now that you’ve got the berry almond milk ready, it’s time to assemble the berry breakfast quinoa bowl. In a bowl, I add 1 cup of (cooked) quinoa, chia seeds, banana slices and Trader Joe’s Toasted Coconut Granola (SO GOOD!). You can add whatever toppings you want for this berry breakfast quinoa bowl. And then pour the berry almond milk and you’ve got yourself one happy breakfast.

Tip: Do not add the milk until the very end, the quinoa will start to absorb it immediately. I learned this the hard way when I decided to make this bowl the night before. When I went to grab it in the morning, the quinoa had absorbed all the berry almond milk. If you’re like me and eat breakfast at work, I recommend keeping the quinoa bowl and milk separate. It’s a little high-maintenance, I know. But for a healthy desk breakfast, worth it.