Thank you for making a donation to Breakfast Club of Canada at your local Circle K or Couche-Tard!
Your contribution will help us ensure that hunger does not prevent any child from learning and succeeding. Together, we are helping children reach their full potential, one breakfast at a time!
With your donation, you have gained access to five simple and healthy recipes that are sure to become household staples. Both delicious and nutritious, these recipes are super easy to make at home and on the go.
RECIPES
Awesome No-Bake Vegan Cookies (Gluten-Free, No Added Sugar)
These mm-mm-good cookies are a great way to satisfy that rumbling tummy between meals. Simply take them out of the fridge or freezer 5 min before you pop them into your mouth. And with a serious nutritional wallop in every bite, there’s no post-indulgence guilt to grapple with later!
Yield: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 15 min
Chilling/Freezing Time: 1 hr
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) natural almonds or cashews
- ½ cup (125 ml) pitted Medjool dates
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla or almond extract
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) ground chia seeds
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) avocado or canola oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) orange zest
- 1 cup (250 ml) super grains blend
- ¼ cup (60 ml) dried cranberries
- ¼ cup (60 ml) pumpkin seeds
Directions
Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Place almonds in a food processor and blend until you obtain a butter-like consistency (this may take a few minutes). Add the dates and extract, and mix until smooth. Incorporate the chia seeds, oil, orange zest, and mix well. Add the super grains blend and pulse a few times to combine.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl and fold in the cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Pinch about 2 tbsp (30 ml) of the mixture together and roll into a ball with your hands. Place the ball on the prepared sheet and flatten to form a cookie shape. Repeat until you have 12 cookies.
Chill in the fridge or freezer for 1 hr. Transfer cookies into a sealed container.
Store in the fridge or freezer.
The super grains blend we used contains flax seed, oats and quinoa, but there are plenty of other kinds available. Try them out and see which one pleases your palate!
Overnight “Energy Booster” Spelt Porridge
Our modern take on morning oatmeal features a flavour-iffic combo of apple, almond and cinnamon — and, yes, spelt. And it’s super easy to make. Recharge your batteries and get your day off to a healthy, yummy start!
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Chilling Time: 6 hrs or longer
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (375 ml) spelt flakes (or oats)
- 3 cups (750 ml) milk or almond milk
- ½ cup (125 ml) maple syrup
- ¼ cup (60 ml) ground white chia seeds
- ¼ cup (60 ml) wheat or almond flour
- ¼ cup (60 ml) almond butter, at room temperature
- Fruit to top, as desired
Directions
Blend all the ingredients together in a container. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 6 hrs. Serve with your favourite fruit.
Oat, Chia, Strawberry and Honey Muffins (Dairy-Free as Desired)
Oats, strawberries, ground chia and pumpkin seeds come together to form these marvellously moist muffins that will start your family’s morning off right or give a little “oomph” to any lunchbox. They’re ready in minutes and great for a leisurely weekend brunch, or as a grab-and-go breakfast on the way out to the bus.
Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 25 to 30 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) quick-cook oats
- 1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) ground white chia seeds
- ½ cup (125 ml) unsalted butter or margarine, melted
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¾ cup (185 ml) honey
- 1 cup (250 ml) hulled, chopped strawberries
- ¼ cup (60 ml) pumpkin seeds
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line muffin pan cups with paper or silicone liners.
Put the oats into a food processor and pulse until fine. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and ground chia seeds.
Add the melted butter, vanilla, egg and honey, and mix until blended.
Remove the blade and fold in the strawberries and pumpkin seeds. Divide into the 12 muffin cups and bake for 25 to 30 min until a toothpick inserted into the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.
Remove from oven, let stand for 10 min and turn out.
Healthy Apple and TVP Bread (No Added Sugar)
Getting kids to eat their protein isn’t always an easy thing to do, especially when they’re young. Textured vegetable protein (TVP), a defatted soy flour product, can be part of the solution. The trick is to work it into foods they love, like this mouth-watering apple bread. You can find TVP in most natural food and bulk stores, as well as the organic aisle of many supermarkets.
Yield: 1 loaf
Prep Time: 25 min
Cooking Time: 55 min to 1 hr
Ingredients
- 1½ cup (375 ml) milk
- ½ cup (125 ml) textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- 1 cup (250 ml) pitted Medjool dates
- ½ cup (125 ml) cold unsalted butter, cut into large cubes
- 1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (125 ml) whole-wheat flour
- 1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
- 2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 2 medium apples
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp (5 ml) grated fresh ginger
- ½ cup (125 ml) raisins
- ½ cup (125 ml) walnuts, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour a loaf pan.
Put the milk, TVP and dates in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and continue cooking while stirring and breaking up the dates, for 5 to 8 min, until the mixture is evenly combined. Add the butter and stir until melted. Cool for 10 min.
Mix the flours, cinnamon, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
Peel and grate the apples and add to the pot with the date mixture. Add the eggs and ginger, and mix well. Incorporate the dry ingredients, in two batches, until well blended. Fold in the raisins and walnuts. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 55 min to 1 hour until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven, wait for 5 min and turn out. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
Three-Grain Salad with Roasted Vegetables
We should all eat more whole grains. And more pulses and vegetables, for that matter. But with all the varieties and flavours out there, it’s hardly a chore. This nutrient-dense salad combines the hearty tastes of barley, spelt and quinoa with the sweetness of roasted veggies and a fresher-than-fresh dressing. Delicious right after it’s made, and completely irresistible the next day.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45 min
Chilling Time: 2 hrs or overnight
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 ml) cherry tomatoes
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 yellow pepper, seeded and sliced
- Drizzle of olive oil
- ½ cup (125 ml) pearl barley
- ½ cup (125 ml) spelt
- 4 cups (1 L) water
- ½ cup (125 ml) quinoa
- ½ cup (125 ml) feta, crumbled
- Salt and pepper
Dressing
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon zest
- ¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped fresh mint
- Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Place a silicone mat on a cooking sheet and spread the tomatoes, onions and peppers out over top. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 45 min. Stir the vegetables halfway through and break up the onion quarters.
Rinse the barley and spelt thoroughly, and transfer to a pot. Add water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 15 min. Rinse the quinoa and add to the pot, and cook for an additional 15 min, covered.
Remove the vegetables from the oven and set aside. Drain the cooked grains and place in a salad bowl. Add the roasted vegetables and their juices.
In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice, along with the zest, basil, mint, salt and pepper. Pour over the grains and toss. Incorporate the crumbled feta, cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
THANK YOU!
A special thank you to Circle K & Couche-Tard for partnering with us on this important initiative!
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Thank you to our collaborator Anick Lamothe for creating these delicious recipes!
Photo credit: Anick Lamothe