Quick & Healthy Breakfast Ideas (002)

Today's quick yet healthy breakfast consists of homemade avocado toast, cheesy spinach eggs and a fruit bowl of tangerines and cherries. It takes less than 20 minutes to make but is so filling and perfect for fueling up for the day ahead.

Avocado toast:

1. Cut 1 avocado and spoon it in a bowl. Use a potato masher to crush the avocado until it is creamy and free of any large chunks.

2. Add in salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and lemon juice. Stir to equally distribute the seasoning. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.

3. Toast your bread of choice (I prefer multigrain bread).

Tip: I add a generous amount of lemon juice because one avocado will make 2-3 days worth of spread. The lemon will keep the spread fresh and prevent oxidation from occuring while being stored in the fridge. For storage I recommend packing the spread into a small container, this will minimize excess oxygen and further reduce oxidation.

I made my cheesy spinach eggs similar to the steps found in "Quick & Healthy Breakfast Ideas (001)". The only difference here is I didn't use bell peppers and topped my eggs with cheese while they were still hot too let the cheese melt.

I decided to make a fruit bowl out of cherries and tangerines because that's what I had on hand but you can easily choose different fruits.

Health benefits of ...

Avocados:

Avocados are extremely healthy and important for a balanced diet. They are packed with antioxidants, potassium (more than bananas), fiber and most importantly omega 3 fatty acids which are monounsaturated fatty acids.

Omega 3 fatty acids have been proven to have several health benefits such as: reducing inflammation, improving cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure, improve reproductive health, improve bone and joint health and help regulate imbalanced hormones. Fish oil tablets are also a great source of omega 3 fatty acids.

Cherries:

I personally feel like cherries are unappreciated. I've noticed that people love to include processed and over sweetened cherries on top of desserts but I rarely see people eating them as a snack.

Cherries contain anti-inflammatory properties and are rich in antioxidants, nutrients and melatonin. They have also been shown to improve exercise recovery, benefit heart health, improve sleep quality and relieve insomnia.

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I only focused on the benefits of cherries and avocados because I felt like their benefits are less known. However, if you have questions about the benefits of spinach and tangerines, I encourage you to do research to learn about them.

We are the only ones responsible for our health and diet; it is important that we teach ourselves how to live healthier lives through research, a balanced diet and discipline.

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Song: Taxi - Ambelique (Taxi Riddim)

Seasoned Saltfish Rice & Grilled Jerk Chicken

With several different ingredient combinations, seasoned rice is the jamaican equivalent of a "one pot" dish. Growing up, my mom would often make seasoned rice on her sick days or busy weeks. It is a convenient yet delicious meal making it perfect for a busy lifestyle. Seasoned rice is typically served on it's own but for this recipe I served my rice with grilled jerk chicken for added flavor.

Ingredients:

Jerk Chicken:

3 chicken breast, butterflied to make 6 thinner pieces of chicken breast

Paprika

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Dry chicken seasoning

Dry jerk seasoning

Black pepper

1-2 tbsp of jerk marinade (less if you don't like things too spicy)

Seasoned Rice:

3 cups of rice, washed

Handful of spinach

3-4 plum tomatoes, diced and seeded

1/2 of a large onion, diced

Saltfish (large piece)

3 sprigs of thyme

1 tbsp of butter

salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation:

Jerk Chicken: Butterfly chicken and let the pieces soak in cold water with about 2

tablespoons of vinegar. While chicken is soaking, prep vegetables for rice. After about

30 mins of soaking, remove water, rinse off chicken with cold water and add all your

seasons to the meat. Rub in seasoning and jerk marinade, cover the chicken with seran

wrap. Let chicken marinade for at least 2 hours - 24 hrs. If marinating overnight place

seran wrap over prepped vegetables and store them in the fridge till ready. Grill jerk

chicken on a cast iron grill skillet or bake in the oven.

Saltfish: Soak saltfish in cold water for 1-2 hours, discard water. Bring fresh water to a

boil then add saltfish and allow to boil for 15-20 mins. Be sure not to exceed 20 mins

otherwise you will boil out all the salt and that will throw off the flavor. Let saltfish cool.

Shred saltfish with your fingers being sure to remove any lingering bones.

Seasoned Rice: In a medium sized pot add in 2 - 2 1/2 cups of water (rule of thumb is

less water than rice) and let it boil on medium heat. Add butter, thyme, salt, pepper,

onions and tomatoes to water and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in saltfish,

rice and spinach, stir everything together so that things are equally dispersed. Let rice

cook covered for 30 mins on low-medium heat. With a fork fluff rice occasionally while

cooking.

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Song: Pose Off - Red Fox ft. Screechie Dan (Perfect hype song for a saturday night!)

Saltfish Fritters

Fritters are a quick and easy recipe made from fried dough batter with vegetables, meat, seafood and fruits. In jamaica however, our fritters are typically made with saltfish, bell peppers, onions, scallions and tomatoes; they can also be made without saltfish and are instead called barefoot fritters. This recipe is perfect for a midday snack or breakfast and can be paired with scrambled eggs and a breakfast meat of your choosing.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour

Paprika

Cayenne pepper

1 tsp of salt

Water

Onions, diced

Bell peppers, diced

Scallions, cut (optional in batter, can use as a garnish)

2 plum tomatoes, diced and seeded

A piece of saltfish (small or large depending on how much saltfish you want)

Cooking oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Begin by soaking saltfish in cold water for 1-2 hours, discard water. Bring fresh water to a boil then add saltfish and allow to boil for 15-20 mins. Be sure not to exceed 20 mins otherwise you will boil out all the salt and that will throw off the flavor. Let saltfish cool. Shred saltfish with your fingers being sure to remove any lingering bones.

2. In a medium sized bowl, add in flour and seasonings. Stir with a fork to mix the dry ingredients into the flour.

3. Add in water slowly and stir. Continue to add water until batter is a thick liquid with no lumps.

4. Add in vegetables and saltfish, stir so that vegetables are equally mixed into the batter.

5. In a medium frying pan, heat a generous amount of oil. Use a large spoon to scoop out batter, place it in the frying pan & allow it to brown then flip to brown on both sides. Repeat step until all the batter is gone.

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