March 11, 2015

Good Morning Breakfast Seed Bread

Fueling up for a long day can be a chore for me in the early morning, especially in Winter when I dread stepping out of bed before the sun comes up. Coffee dominates my routine, but my girls treat breakfast with all the pomp of fine dining.

They “breakfast,” regally in their robes, on warm oatmeal with maple syrup. There is a tupperware (if it’s good enough for The Queen…) treasure chest filled with nuts and seeds for toppings. We are on a tight schedule, but their dedication wins the day.

Then follows the inevitable scramble to dress and get out of the door by 7.15 am. I dare say there will come a time when I’m chasing them with “breakfast to-go.”

I’ve been studying the National Geographic Nature’s Best Remedies special edition, and having developed a line of breakfast bread recipes, I zoned in on flax seed – relief in tiny packages – in the chapter on The Digestive System. Flax seeds are a rich plant source of an Omega-3, with the potential to protect against heart disease and arthritis. They are high in soluble fiber, an asset to our digestive health toolkit.

Our Breakfast Seed Bread is a worthy substitute for the nutritionally charged oatmeal. It is packed with whole grains: flour, oats, flax seed, bran, sunflower and pumpkin seeds giving it a dense nutty texture.

Best served hot or toasted, buttered and spread with a spoonful of your favorite fruit preserve or fresh avocado. A breakfast after my own heart.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hr 30 minutes on HIGH Servings: 10

Ingredients

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 cup oat bran

½ cup flax seed

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¼ cup soft brown sugar

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

2 large eggs

¾ cup milk

2 tbsp light olive or grapeseed oil

In a large bowl mix the flour, bran, flax seed, baking powder, salt, sugar, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

In a separate bowl or large jug, whisk the eggs. Add the milk and olive oil.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir well.

Spray the inside of a loaf pan with non stick spray (or a little olive oil) and dust with a tbsp oatbran or flour. Pour the bread mixture into the loaf pan and place into your slow cooker insert on a piece of aluminium foil.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hr 30 minutes.