as complied by the lovely christine and carolyn. pics and more ideas to come! steel-cut oats (you can make a big pot of this on sunday and reheat/eat throughout the week!) stove top prep: combine 3 cups water with 1 cup dry oats in a saucepan (if you feel fancy, you can add 2 cinnamon sticks, chopped fresh ginger and/or, fresh vanilla bean). bring to a rolling boil and reduce to a simmer. cook for 30 minutes. if you want your oats more wet and porridge-y use 4 cups of water. once the oats are cooked add all the fixings: stir in a splash of unsweetened almond or hemp milk and about ½ tsp of ground cinnamon (if you didn’t add the sticks earlier), 2 tbsp of chia seed, a sprinkling of flax seed to add fiber to move your digestion along. you can also add some unsweetened coconut flakes or top with fruit if you want something sweeter.. and you can also cook the steel cut oats plain in water, and use as a savory base (like grits!) for last night's leftover roast, or stir fried greens and an over easy egg on top.. bacon, sausage, japanese style with fish and pickles, the combinations are pretty much endless! amaranth porridge: with almond milk and cinnamon. be sure to cover the cooking amaranth, cuz it’ll pop right out of the pot! to cook amaranth: combine seeds with two and a half cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. reduce heat, cover and simmer for up to 20 minutes, until grains are fluffy and water is absorbed. for a porridge-like consistency, use slightly more water (three cups for one cup of grain) and cook a little longer. you can also "pop" amaranth like popcorn; simply preheat a pot or skillet over high heat (must be very hot), and add amaranth seeds one or two tablespoons at a time (adding too many seeds at once can cause them to burn). continuously stir the seeds with a spoon as they pop, and once mostly popped, quickly remove from pan. repeat with more seeds if desired. popped amaranth can be enjoyed on its own as a crunchy snack or topping, or served with acne safe milk (almond, cashew, oat, rice) and fruit for a healthy breakfast cereal. quinoa porridge with the same fixings as oatmeal (cranberry, apples, cinnamon, a bit of brown sugar, nuts, fruit) scrambled eggs and greens + amaranth or quinoa or brown rice soft-boiled eggs so easy! just cover your eggs with cold water in a small pot, put the pot on the stove, when the water starts to boil, set a timer for 4 minutes. when the time goes off, cool down the eggs in cold water). serve with soup or quinoa or over rice with kimchee. smoothies 1 cup almond milk, 2 tbsp chia seed, tablespoon almond butter, 2 hand fulls of spinach and/or 1 handful of kale, 1 inch of peeled ginger, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 banana or 1 sliced green apple. place ingredients in blender (in the order we listed above), and blend until smooooth! if your mixture is too thick, a splash of water and blend on high for 10 more seconds. breakfast sandwiches scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, on whole grain bread (look for local, artisinal bread as mass-produced bread has soy lecithin and other additives). these you can also assemble a few days ahead and grab as you go - you can plop the whole thing in a toaster oven or heat on a frying pan if you want it warmed up! egg frittata spinach, mushrooms, chives. turn on the broiler on your oven. beat 2-3 eggs (for 1 person) like you would to scramble them. heat a teaspoon of olive oil in oven-safe skillet on medium heat. slowly pour the eggs into the skillet. sprinkle chopped veggies onto the cooking eggs. cook the eggs until the bottom of the eggs is set, then transfer the skillet to the broiler. cook until the top of the frittata bubbles and has set. if you really only have time to grab and go: kate, our new office manager, just introduced us to NuGo Free gluten, soy and dairy-free bars http://store.nugonutrition.com/products/45102.html which is fine for a once in a while quickie! let us know what favorites you discover, we'd love to hear (and taste) your ideas!