Nutrition: Warming Up To Winter With A Comfort Food Breakfast, by Julie Daniluk

This is my favourite breakfast when the snow starts to get so high that you can’t see the recycling containers out on the street when you’re looking out your window. Funny way to reference snow, I know, but don’t you ever rely on your neighbor to tell you if you’re on a garbage or recycling day?

I suggest you get familiar with this amazing grain called Quinoa. To quote my friend and fellow nutritionist Jae Steele, “Quinoa (say KEEN-wah) has the highest protein and calcium content of any grain – more than cow’s milk in fact! Cooked, it’s also the prettiest grain.”

When it is rolled flat like oatmeal, it cooks in only 90 seconds flat, so it is perfect for those who have little time in the morning.

This cereal is perfect for a portable meal at work or school. Simply add all the ingredients to a wide mouth thermos and enjoy when you get to your destination. Note: For extra creaminess, serve with almond or light coconut milk.

Warming Quinoa Muesli

(Makes 2 servings)

2 cups boiling water
¾ cup rolled quinoa

Sprinkle with your choice of:
1 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp honey or maple syrup
Pinch of sea salt
¼ cup dried cranberries
10 chopped almonds or hazelnuts

1. Boil water in a medium saucepan. Add rolled quinoa and stir for 90 seconds. Distribute the hot cereal evenly between two bowls (or put one cooled portion in an airtight container for the next day).

2. Mix in the spices, nuts, honey and salt until evenly distributed.

Julie Daniluk, RHN, hosts Healthy Gourmet, a reality cooking show that highlights the ongoing battle between taste and nutrition by using unique groups such as bikers, dragon boat racers and ballroom dancers to challenge their taste buds with nutritious foods. Julie is excited that her show was chosen to be part of OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network). Similar to Oprah’s book club, programs on OWN explore stories of strength and transformation. Television viewers also recognize Julie from her “busted” segments on The Right Fit (W Network) and The Marilyn Dennis Show (CTV) where she examines the foods people need to stay healthy, acting as a nutrition encyclopedia. Her fun and engaging style comes in handy when she creates a recipe a week that is packed with health tips for www.chatelaine.com.