Ladies and gentlemen, we have officially entered autumn. With fall comes football season, chunky sweaters and changing leaves, if you live in the right part of the country, of course.
Yet this year, while we were still in the heart of summer, I started seeing pumpkin and other fall-related items everywhere. It took me a while to come around, but I just bought my first can of pumpkin of the season and have been putting it to good use.
Adding veggies and variety to breakfast
In an effort to switch up my breakfast from my usual bowl of overnight oats, I decided to try a new recipe this week. And because summer squashes and pumpkin are all the rage, I’m featuring both zucchini and pumpkin in one dish.
I’d like to introduce you to “zoats.” Oats mixed with zucchini. I heard of this combination more than a year ago and have wanted to try it. But of course, the ease of sticking to a breakfast that I know and love has kept me away until now.
Now it took me a couple of tries to get this right. And it definitely takes more work than throwing together some overnight oats and pulling them out in the morning. I had some later starts at work this week, which gave me time to move around in the kitchen.
Don’t be too scared by the zucchini. The taste is not overwhelming, and really it’s just part of the mixture. Not to mention, zucchini is really good for you. It has magnesium, potassium and valuable vitamin C, so adding a little bit to your breakfast is always a good idea. And pumpkin, I don’t even need to tell you how yummy pumpkin is.
The products I used were purchased at both Safeway and Trader Joe’s.
It took about five minutes to get everything ready and another five minutes to cook the dish. Here’s what it looks like when finished …
And after topping with a sliced banana and cinnamon, this is how I ate it …
My very sweet husband told me that what I was eating looked like gross baby food. Well, if you take that observation out of it, you’ve got a good breakfast. I had zoats a couple days this week and plan to play around with it some more with different flavor combinations. Obviously, this is one of those “healthy-type” breakfasts, which won’t appeal to everyone. But for all of you pumpkin and veggie-crazed eaters out there, give it a go!
Healthy pumpkin breakfast zoats recipe
- 1/3 cup of oats
- 1/3 cup of egg whites
- 1/3 cup of milk (any kind, I used organic nonfat)
- 1/2 shredded or finely grated zucchini
- 1/3 cup of pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon of chia seeds
- 1 sprinkling of ground cinnamon
- 1 packet of stevia (optional)
- Using a cheese grater or food processor, finely chop up and mince the zucchini.
- Mix the zucchini, egg whites, milk and oats into a pot on medium heat, stirring immediately.
- Once the mixture starts to become creamy, add in the chia seeds, cinnamon, stevia and pumpkin.
- Cook for a total of five minutes or until you reach the desired consistency.
- Put in a bowl, add on your topping of choice, serve and enjoy.
- I used the mincer in my Nutribullet to chop up the zucchini, and I would have preferred larger chunks, so I'd suggest using a cheese grater. Also, if you're scared of the veggie taste, go heavier on the other ingredients.
By the way, there’s just two more days for you to enter for your chance to win Shakeology. Check out this Q&A I featured earlier in the week with a Beachbody Coach to put your name in the hat for the giveaway.
And for those of you who are wondering, my BODYATTACK 86 launch class went great last night, and now I’m busy preparing to launch BODYPUMP 91 tomorrow night.
Questions of the day
Do you eat veggies at breakfast? Have you ever had zoats? What’s the weirdest breakfast combination you’ve ever enjoyed?
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment says
I sometimes will have veggies at breakfast, but I usually it is lunch and dinner. I eat a lot of them, but I could probably still use more to get to the amount that it is recommended (even though that changes frequently). Thanks for the recipe! Have a good day.
Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment recently posted…WIAW #11: The Great Avocado Shortage
Ashley says
Thank you, you’re welcome! And happy Thursday to you. I hope your day is full of fun, a little sweat and some good veggies.
Ashley recently posted…Fall breakfast idea: Healthy pumpkin zoats
Fiona says
Ohh this looks like a GREAT way to add veggies into breakfast! If I know I’m not going to be getting a ton of veggies in my day, I usually do a veggies scramble (read: omelet fail) and throw in as many veggies as I can. I’m always looking for new ways to up my veggie count so this might be a new addition to add to my recipe collection!
Have a great day!
Ashley says
Hi Fiona! Good, let me know if you try it and what you think. Have an awesome day as well:)
Katie @ Daily Cup of Kate says
I’ve seen this around the web lately but have yet to try it out! I have all of the ingredients so I should really give it a shot! And usually the foods that look like “gross baby food” are the most delicious 😉
Ashley says
Hahah agreed. Let me know if you try it out. 🙂
Carrie (This Fit Chick) says
Sounds brave to use zucchini!!! I’m definitely intrigued now. I hardly ever use zucchini in my recipes!
Carrie (This Fit Chick) recently posted…Leg Day and a Refreshing Salad!
Ashley says
Give it a try! Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Annette@FitnessPerks says
This looks awesome! Such a great way to incorporate so many different foods (and veggies) into one bowl! yumm 🙂
Annette@FitnessPerks recently posted…Fall Recipes I Must Try!
Ashley says
Let me know if you try it!
Catherine Cormier says
My husband gets grossed out when I eat oatmeal or overnight oats since he says it looks like baby food. But, it’s no problem because then it just means that I don’t need to share 😛
I’ve never added veggies to my oatmeal but I love zucchini bread so I think that I should try making zucchini bread oatmeal! Now I know what I’m going to attempt for breakfast this weekend.
Ashley says
I like zucchini bread too and haven’t had that in a long time. And yes, gross food to them means more for us!! 🙂
Emily says
You made “baby food” look very appetizing 🙂
I love the idea of adding zucchini to everything, since the flavor is so mild you hardly notice it’s in there. I just never think of it!
Emily recently posted…A Couple of Goodbyes
Ashley says
Give it a try!
Emily @ Sweets and Beets says
Yay for zoats! It doesnt get much easier than that! 🙂 Egg white zoats, even!
Emily @ Sweets and Beets recently posted…WIAW – Fish, Food Trucks & Fall
Ashley says
I know! So many good and healthy things in one dish.
Ashley recently posted…Fall breakfast idea: Healthy pumpkin zoats