Breakfast Bonanza, day one

The sky was extra beautiful last night.

Fierce and burning on one side. 
 

Bright blue and gentle on the other.

This resulted in a gorgeous splash of color.  The leaves were like little mirrors, reflecting the light in all different directions. 

It was stunning.

Breakfast Bonanza…step 1…

Something about the beautiful sky made me feel like baking.  Or maybe I was just looking for any old excuse to turn the oven on.

For my first breakfast bonanza challenge, I had my heart set on breakfasts scones.  With hints of cinnamon.  And orange. 

And a handful of dried cranberries for good measure.

When adding the butter to your dry mix, use a pastry cutter if this utensil is part of your kitchen collection.

If you’re like me, however, and a pastry cutter is still on your amazon wish list, two knives will do just fine. 

Hands work well too.

Cooked to golden perfection.  In fifteen minutes flat.  What’s not to love?

Breakfast Bonanza…step 2…

When it comes to breakfast, I like to focus on eating a good mix of whole grains (with fiber!), healthy fat, and lean protein.  The protein is great for keeping you full all morning long. 

I could have had eggs with my morning scone.  But I kind of, sort of, wanted greek yogurt.  Without the price tag.  😉

You will need: One strainer with very tiny holes, a bowl and a paper towl.

I wasn’t sure how much yogurt I would “lose” with the straining process, so I used two yogurts just to be on the safe side. 

Place paper towl in strainer, pour yogurt on top of paper towel, and let yogurt strain in the fridge overnight. 

(somehow this reminded me of milking a cow )

Breakfast Bonanza…step 3…

Time.  To.  Eat.

This morning, I topped the greek yogurt with walnuts and a drizzle of agave.  I love how thick and creamy this came out.  Very much like chobani.

I ended up using the yogurt as more of a topping for my scone, because that’s the way I roll. 

Delicious.

Greek Yogurt–serves 1 or 2

If you’re looking for a more affordable way to include greek yogurt in your life, it’s time to make your own! 

• 2, 6-oz. containers of plain, nonfat yogurt
• toppings of choice

Place a paper towel in a very small-holed strainer.  Place strainer over a bowl.  (Make sure the strainer does not touch the bottom of the bowl.)  Pour yogurt on top of paper towel and let it sit overnight in refrigerator.  Pop out of paper towel the next morning, and serve with your favorite toppings (fresh fruit, nuts, honey, granola, etc.)  Enjoy! 😀

Breakfast Scones–serves 4

These were subtle in sweetness, perfect for an early morning.  Not to mention the fact that they’re very transportable.  You could easily throw a couple of these into a container with a handful of nuts and a fruit for breakfast-on-the-go. 😀

• 1/2 c. rolled oats
• 2/3 c. whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• about 6 dashes of cinnamon
• zest of one orange
• handful of dried cranberries (about 2-3 T.)
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 c. buttermilk (or 1/2 c. milk + 1 tsp lemon juice)

1. Mix together first 6 ingredients (oats through cranberries.)  Cut in the butter until you have a mixture of fine crumbs.  Mix in the buttermilk, just until moistened.
2. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Portion out 4 round scones and bake at 475 until golden brown, about 12-13 minutes.
3. Eat while still hot or cool on rack.  May be reheated in toaster oven the following morning. 😀
4. ENJOY!

Question: What is your favorite way to eat yogurt?

In case you missed it, there’s a Breakfast Bonanza occuring from today until November 6.  The idea is to mix things up and try new breakfasts for an entire week.  Feel free to let me know if you’ve made an awesome breakfast (via comment,) and I’ll post your breakfast my official breakfast post next week. 😀