I always wanted to have a good reason to name a post like that!
Early Rising Challenge Day 3:
- I was asleep by 11:15pm (in bed at 10:30pm) and naturally rose at 6:15am this morning! I found it very difficult to get into bed at a good time last night because I had work to do. My mind was swirling with thoughts for a long time when my head hit the pillow! Hate that. Any tips for quieting the mind??
- A space heater at my desk is crucial to tolerating the first 30 mins. until the house warms up.
This certainly helped me wake up…
Pumpkin Pie Baked Breakfast Cake
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 t pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 banana
- 1-1.5 Tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup (to taste)
- 2 t pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger)
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1-2 T scoop Manitoba Harvest Hemp Vanilla Protein Powder (optional)
- 1 and 1/4 cups unsweetened almond, soy, rice, or hemp milk
- Dark Chocolate or cacao nibs (to garnish)
- Graham crackers (to garnish)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 4-6 cup (1-1.5 L) casserole dish or three small oven safe dishes. Throw all ingredients except the toppings into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, stopping to scrape sides if necessary. Evenly distribute the batter into the dishes and then garnish with chocolate chips, cacao nibs, and/or crushed graham crackers. Pop in the oven for about 35 minutes at 350F or until golden brown and firm. You can refrigerate for 4 days and they apparently freeze well too!
Makes 3 servings. [Breakfast cake is adapted from Ricki’s Breakfast Pudding.]
Tip: These cakes are great right out of the fridge for a quick snack or dessert!
The Manitoba Harvest Vanilla Hemp Protein Powder I used:
This was just a naked pumpkin pie! I think I will put a dollop of soy yogurt on top!
This was garnished with cacao nibs and delicious homemade vegan graham crackers that I whipped up (a new ingredient in my V-day Glo Bar!).
This one was made into a double layer pumpkin pie and I garnished with dark chocolate chips.
The nutritional information for one cake is below:
This nutritional information is for the basic cake (oats, almonds, unsweetened almond milk, spices, vanillas, banana, unsweetened applesauce, pumpkin, sea salt, agave nectar). without any toppings or protein powder.
As you can probably tell, I subbed out half of the nuts for oats in this recipe, as compared to the Baked Cherry Pie recipe. This is a ‘lighter’ version of the baked breakfast cake. Taste wise, I do prefer the original version (with more nuts), but this one was still nice too and it gives you a bit more wiggle room to play around with fun toppings!
The great thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it to how you want it. If you want it sweeter, add more sweetener. If you want it more filling, add some protein powder like I do. More healthy fats? Experiment with different nuts and chia seeds. The sky is the limit!
Earthquake in Haiti
The recent earth quake in Haiti has left approx. 3 million people – a third of Haiti’s population- in desperate need of emergency relief. After watching this video (note: some graphic scenes), I knew I had to contribute in any way possible.
Canadians:
CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada and Oxfam Quebec as well as Save the Children have banded together to form a central hub for donations called The Humanitarian Coalition, which is accepting donations online and by phone.
In the US or the UK? See here for a list of reputable charities that you can donate to.
Updates:
- All of my recipes are updated on my Recipes page, including reader’s favourite breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert recipes!
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I’m baking today for a donation I did for the Alberta Association of Services for Children and Families Conference. If you will be there, keep your eyes peeled for my Glo Bars at the registration table! :)
Make today GREAT!
Awake before the sun is risen, I call for my pen and papers and desk.
– Christopher Smart
Love love the first photo. I definitely see these breakfast cakes in my near future!!! =)
I count back from 100 to help stop my mind racing (it seems a few others do too). If that doesn’t work a really boring book can do the trick. Also, when I have work stuff on my mind, I put a pen and notebook on the bedside table so that I can jot anything I need to down… it’s a comfort to know it’s there, and can put my mind at rest.
I always get in my bed with a book. It’s the best way to quiet my mind down and get myself sleepy.
I too struggle with quieting my mind. I do use some meditation techniques. I’ll imagine waves going in and out or I’ll say the chant “Ham-Sa” “Ham” on the inhale, “Sa” on the exhale. It helps but I do have to remind myself from time to time and go back to it. To be 100% honest though, sometimes I just CAN’T quiet my mind but I sure do try.
Thank you for posting about Haiti and the options for donating.
That’s great that you mentioned Haiti. Another really good organisation that is already based in the country is Partners In Health, founded by Dr Paul Farmer. It is a well run group focused on providing adequate healthcare and preventative resources in countries that have next to nothing to begin with. For North Americans you can go to www.pih.org and they have a specific area set up for earthquake relief donations.
Your breakfast cakes look amazing – have you considered publishing a recipe book at all?
Every morning and night while I’m in bed lying down I do deep breathing exercises. Put your hands on your belly to ensure it’s rising and falling softly, and not your chest. It helps sooo much!
Thank you, Angela for posting the link for Haiti, and bringing awareness and support. My mother is from Haiti, we live in the US, but her aunt and other relatives still live there, my great uncle is not been heard from since the quake. It is great to see the help and support from others, really worldwide.
How yummy does that look! You never cease to amaze me with your great recipes!
hmmm…vegan graham crackers, vegan marshmallows…s’mores bar?
I MUST try this! You have the best ideas!
If I can’t fall asleep b/c of too much stuff on my mine I’ll do a “brain dump”…I just take a piece of paper and write down everything I’m thinking about. That always helps me relax…I think I feel better if it’s written down so I know I won’t forget it when I fall asleep!
My comment is similar to what Jenny says….write before you go to bed.
I actually tried doing that for the first time before going to bed a couple of nights ago, and I fell asleep much faster. Just emptying my thoughts out onto paper before I turned off the lights really helped!
The last two mornings I’ve gotten up at 5:30 (in bed around 10:00)…it’s neat to be able to see your experiences as you try to make your sleeping changes too.
Canadians should make sure they pick reputable charities so that the government will match their donation.
http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/ACDI-CIDA.nsf/eng/ANN-114115719-MVV
I’m usually dead-tired when I get into bed, and am asleep immediately. That said, when I’m anxious about something, I find it hard to sleep. You yourself posted a good blog entry on this once (in late spring 2009).
What I have slowly been understanding about myself, lately, is that much of what “keeps me up at night” is driven by worry/fear. In the process of meeting countless deadlines, expectations, new endeavors, I get caught up in fear that I will fail (not get something done by deadline, not meet others/my own expectations, look completely incompetent in a new field. . .). I forget that these same things give me tremendous satisfaction and happiness! I’ve lately been trying to take up the issue that I have the worry about and try to bring up the positive emotion instead. (Obviously, this won’t work for all things. . .)
As a simple example, I work in the aviation field and absolutely love it. I also started taking flying lessons. I often worry that I’m not where I should be in learning, that my regular work schedule is sometimes so intense that I don’t have time to study. . . etc., etc. One night, as I lay there worrying about this and other things (e.g., work), I decided to remember the thrill and happy feeling I get from flying. I also started to write about it(www.westwithflight.wordpress.com). I “captured” and “felt” that thrill of take-off. By filling my mind with the happy associations, I got my body to relax, and then my mind followed.
I’m not sure that is a particular “trick”, but I thought I would share it.
I keep a pen and paper near my bed for lists, recipe ideas, phone numbers, etc. When I can’t sleep it’s usually some random anxiety like call the garbage company, confirm an appointment, follow-up with someone from work, etc. I write down these things I “need to do” and usually feel better and call right to sleep.
Sometimes I sleep where I normally put my feet as a way to calm myself.
I also deprive myself of sleep for a day or twoc(get 5 or 6 hours instead of 8) and I’m usually so tired the next night I easily fall asleep!
Lastly, if my husband is willing, he does this simple relaxation technique. Basically, he walks me through quieting my body. It’s something like “relax your toes, feel each toe melting in the bed, starting with the pinky over to your big toe…feel your ankles going to sleep…..” and so on. I’m usually done before he talks about my knees.
Nothing like cake for breakfast! Sounds delicious, as always :)
Let’s see…is it wrong that praying makes me fall asleep? If I can’t fall asleep, I start praying, and I’m asleep before I can say amen!
love love love. that looks so delicious. i checked out your other breakfast cakes but i have pumpkin ready in my cabinet. you can change this recipe up in so many ways. i love all the ones you have created!
My husband and I have the bedtime routine down. I used to suffer from the swirling mind syndrome, but no more. We have an iPod dock on the nightstand and play a Guided Meditation for Sleep by Glen Harold (sp?). I’m asleep in minutes every night. I don’t even make it through the breathing exercise anymore. Sometimes when I have to get up in the middle of the night (emergency squad call, cat meowing, whatever) I put it on again to go back to sleep faster. I got it off of www.audible.com.
Write down whatever you are thinking about! Whenever I can’t sleep, it’s usually because I’m thinking about everything I need to do the next day. I find that if I make a list, I stop thinking about it as much and it definitely helps me fall asleep. Good luck!
Wow – girl look at all those hyperlinks :) Pumpkin Pie for breakfast? Yes Please!