I love breakfasts! It is my favourite meal of the day. A lot of people tend to skip breakfasts, but I believe that healthy meal at the beginning of your day not only helps to start your day productively, but it also prevents you from over-eating during the day. In Russia we have a proverb that shows how the amount of food we eat should be divided within a day. It says: "Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with friend, and give dinner to your enemy".

I am trying to follow this wisdom, therefore I often have dessert for breakfast:)

Today I will share one of my favourite dessert breakfasts with you. It is very tasty and healthy at the same time. Kids who don't like classic oat meal version, will fall in love with this one (results are proven).

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, sliced
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 1/2 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 cup rolled oats ( I prefer large flake oats)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 egg
• 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Lay the bananas in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle a half of the berries over the bananas.

In a bowl, combine the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle oat mixture over fruit.

Whisk together milk, egg, butter, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour over oats, coating evenly. Sprinkle remaining berries and nuts over the top.

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden and bubbly and set in the center.

Serve with plain yogurt, vanilla ice cream or milk.

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PREP TIME: 15 - 20 MIN. ACTIVE, 20 BAKING
SERVING SIZE: 4 PORTIONS

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Full of protein and calcium, cottage cheese balls are a great treat for breakfast or low calorie snack. They can also be served as dessert when garnished with fresh berries or jam, which makes them a perfect meal for kids as well.

Traditional cottage cheese balls are fried in oil. The healthier alternative is to bake them in the oven.

The aesthetic and taste depends on the quality of the main ingredient - cottage cheese. I like when cottage cheese balls are soft and "fluffy". To get a fluffy ball, look for cottage cheese that is not too moist --preferably a little on the dry side. Blending the ingredients in a mixer makes them super tender. They literally melt in your mouth.

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Cottage Cheese Balls

Ingredients

• cottage cheese (4-5% fat) - 250 gr
• oat bran - 2 Tbsp
• cream of wheat - 3 Tbsp
• egg - 1 pcs
• greek yogurt - 5 Tbsp
• golden raisins - 7 Tbsp (soaked in a hot water over night)
• baking powder - 1 tsp (or 4 if you prefer sweeter taste)
• vanilla extract - 2 tsp
• orange zest (to taste)
• ground ginger and cinnamon to taste

Preparation

1. Mix cottage cheese, egg, orange zest and spices in a blender. Process for about 40 seconds, so that spices and orange zest are distributed evenly.
2. Move cottage cheese mix to a big bowl.
3. Add raisins, oat bran and cream of wheat. Mix well and put aside for 30 minutes. It will allow the ingredients to blend together better. The dough should become a smooth paste and be "sticky"
4. Start making balls. To make a ball you need about a scoop (1 Tbsp) of dough. Roll the dough in your hands till you make a ball.
5. Put baking paper on the baking tray and place the ball on it. Allow some distance between the balls, preventing them from sticking to one another.
6. Bake for 20 min at 180-200 C. You will understand that cottage cheese balls are ready when you smell the warm cottage cheese fragrance.

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Berry Yogurt

Ingredients

• raspberries - 100 gr
• blueberries - 100 gr
• whole milk - 4 cups
• plain yogurt - 3 Tbsp
• honey to taste (optional)

Preparation

I prefer to blend fresh berries into plain yogurts rather than purchasing flavoured yogurts.

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Serving Suggestions and Alternatives

You can also serve cottage cheese balls with hot chocolate sauce, fresh berries sprinkled with confectioners sugar, honey or sour cream.

El Zopilote in Nicaragua dished up this kickin' rice and beans (gallo pinto). Four special sauces: yoghurt, hummus, and two kinds of chutney. Garden salad.