Breakfast Time - Beet Acai Overnight Oatmeal

Overnight mason jar breakfasts - hopefully you are as into them as I am because I am sure you will be seeing them appear over and over here. They are so ridiculously convenient and diverse not to mention that I am a complete sucker for the aesthetic appeal of having my breakfast in a mason jar. Last time I shared a version with matcha and blueberries (check it out HERE). The bright green was fun and I loved the earthy flavor. This time I am sharing something that is completely different but equally delicious. A bright purple Beet Acai Overnight Oatmeal. Isn't it a stunning color?

Here's the recipe as I made it. I split it between two jars to share with my husband. You can see it makes a pretty wimpy serving when split so feel free to put the whole thing in one jar and eat it all up yourself if you are hungry. I'm pretty sure I had a hard boiled egg or two later to tide me over until lunch. Do what works for you!

1 c Old Fashioned Oats

2/3 c Greek Yogurt (I use plain)

2/3 c cashew milk (any milk would do)

1/3 c roasted beet puree*

1 Tbsp Acai powder

1 Tbsp Chia seeds

Mix the above in a bowl and put in a mason jar (or two depending on how much you want in 1 serving). Store in the fridge overnight. In the morning it will be thickened up and ready to eat. I topped mine with 1 Tbsp goji berries and 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts. You may also want honey if you prefer something sweet. My husband was taken aback at it's bright purple color and was expecting something extremely sweet which this is definitely not. You could also use a vanilla flavored yogurt to sweeten it up a bit if you want.

*Want to know how to make beet puree? I don't buy beets all that often but I did receive some in my Bountiful Basket and when they start popping up at the farmer's markets I will buy them from time to time. This is pretty much the only way I use beets because I have found way more uses for it in puree form than whole. Here's what I do:

1) Trim the top and bottom off the beet (save those greens, they are great for throwing into green smoothies!) and give it a rinse. 

2) Wrap the beets in foil and place on a roasting tray.

3) Roast at 425 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, or when you can pierce through the biggest beet easily with a fork.

4) Let cool and then puree in a food processor until smooth. You may have to add a little water to help it along, just do it in small amounts so it doesn't get to runny.

5) Portion it out and store in freezer. Great in smoothies, oatmeal, brownies, pancakes, etc.

Here's what it looks like all blended up:

Do you like beets? How do you use them?

Breakfast Time - Metabolism Booster Juice

Last week I was starting my day with The Green Terminator Shake. It was a filling, healthy way to kick my morning off but I wanted to switch it up this week to keep things interesting. I don't mind eating (or drinking!) things repetitively for a short while but I really love variety in my meals so it is important for me to mix it up here and there, especially when I am trying to stick to a healthier eating plan. I mentioned that I had won an awesome juicer a year or two back, so I wanted to put that to use this week and start my day with a juice. I picked something called the Metabolism Booster Juice. I wanted to go opposite of the green and this definitely took me there - bright purple, tart and sweet at the same time! Here is what is in it:

2 green apples
1 stalk of celery
1 small cucumber
1 small beetroot
1/4 lemon
1/2 inch of ginger

I just ran all that through my juicer and drank it up in all of it's purple goodness. Now in most of my drink posts I have shown you how I prepped for the whole week to make life easier. I can't exactly do that when juicing so I am chopping it all up the morning of. Want to see what it looks like?

Can you believe ALL of that goes into one juice?

That beautiful purple color!

I might mention that it made a bit more than a standard glass so I ended up sharing with my 4 year old. He loves to have whatever I'm having and I love that he is getting all that nutritional goodness. My kids will eat anything if it is supposed to be only mine...if I tried to serve it to them right out they are more likely to snub their nose at it. Kids!

You don't get to be 300+ lbs by being willing to live on liquid alone so this isn't the only thing I am consuming in the morning. Usually an hour or two later I will have something with some protein to keep me satisfied until lunch. I have been really loving an egg fried in a little bit of coconut oil topped with salsa and some avocado. All that good fat makes me happy, especially since I have been so restrictive. I love being in a place where the right stuff makes me excited!

Do you have a juicer at home? If so, how often do you use it and what are your favorite concoctions?

**Update** - I have started logging my food on an app (HERE is a post about how I am logging my food) to get a better picture of what I am consuming. I wanted to come back and share the nutrition info for anyone interested. Using the recipe analyzer at fitwatch.com this is the nutrition info if you consume this as one serving. I was definitely most surprised by the carbs...this is EXACTLY why I need to track for awhile so that I have a better awareness of the complete nutrition profile of what I am eating. Here's the break down for you: