Gluten-Free Seven Grain Breakfast Cereal

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I know, it’s cliché at best, but I’ve found it to be true.

So many women tell me they skip breakfast to stay lean and trim because if they don’t eat in the morning then they don’t get hungry until lunch. It’s never been true for me. I’m hungry in the morning and, honestly, I want to eat.

Eating a healthy, balanced meal in the morning does several things:

• It ‘breaks the fast’ from the night before. You’ve already gone 8 hours or more without eating. Your brain and body need some fuel.
• Breakfast jumpstarts your digestive system and gets everything moving again. 
• Eating a healthy breakfast can actually help you maintain a healthy weight. 

Often those on a gluten-free diet don’t get enough fiber because once they cut out the wheat they’re not sure what to replace it with. I make an effort to get whole grains and fiber into my diet at every meal, but I always start with a solid breakfast. It sets the tone for the day and it helps balance out the days when my diet isn’t as clean as I’d like it to be.

That’s why this creamy, porridge-like, simple-to-make whole grain breakfast dish is at the top of  my list when it comes to healthy breakfast recipes. I’ve included a variety of gluten-free grains that are nutrition packed so you get important vitamins, minerals and fiber all in one.  If you’re not familiar with all of the ingredients or you can’t find them at your local health food store, don’t worry.  Swap out the items you can’t find and replace them with an equal amount of something else.

I like to top this with fresh fruit, warm almond milk, and toasted nuts and have some form of protein on the side. Sometimes I mix Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with it too.

Seven Grain Breakfast Cereal

Serves 6 to 8

Vegan, slow cooker recipe.

• 1/2 cup short-grain brown rice
• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1/2 cup millet
• 1/2 cup buckwheat groats
• 1/4 cup stone-ground cornmeal
• 1/4 cup teff
• 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 cups water
• warm milk, yogurt, and toasted nuts or cinnamon and fresh berries

1. Stir the brown rice, quinoa, wild rice, millet, buckwheat groats, cornmeal, teff, flaxseed meal, and salt together in a large (5 – 6-quart) slow cooker.
2. Pour the water over the grains and cook on low for 5 – 6  hours, until the water is absorbed and the grains are very tender
3. Serve topped with warm milk, yogurt, and toasted nuts, or sprinkled with cinnamon and fresh berries.

Reprinted from Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free: 180 Easy & Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less by Amy Green M.Ed.  

Amy has been living free from white sugar and wheat since 2004 and, as a result, is maintaining a 60+ pound weight loss.  Over the years she’s learned that eating healthier doesn’t equal deprivation.  She was recently interviewed on Martha Stewart Living Radio, Talk 980 USA, appeared on Channels KTEN and Channel 33 News, was featured in The Plano Profile, and will be in the April Edition of D Magazine.  She is a field editor for Healthy Cooking Taste of Home, freelance writer, does recipe development, and teaches local sugar-free, gluten-free baking classes.  Amy lives with her husband and four dogs in Dallas, TX.