My move date to San Francisco is coming up hard and fast (yep, in case you missed it — I’m moving to San Francisco). The last few weeks have been a whirlwind and I’ve been overstretched between training folks at my current job, trying to find a place in San Francisco, interviewing property managers for the house, and packing a 3-bedroom house to fit into a studio. On top of that, my social calendar has been out of control, first with friends from out of town coming to visit and my bouncing around from one set of goodbye lunches and drinks to another. But thankfully, my last day at work was last Friday, and it’s only now that I can finally breathe.
With so much going on, I’ve made it a priority to eat well. In contrast with my usual sedentary job in front of a computer, I’m on my feet all day. I spend the majority of the day racing from one room of the house to the other, shuffling heavy boxes between the car and the house, and general pacing nervously as I try to bring everything together. Meals have become bare-bone, utilitarian affairs: give me as much protein and complex carbohydrates to keep me going as long as I can between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
There was one morning, however, that was the exception to my frantic planning and packing. Last Saturday, I let myself sleep in and woke up to fix myself my “dream” breakfast in bed meal — chia seed yogurt pudding with pistachios and fresh seasonal fruit like rhubarb and kumquats:
Oddly enough, despite my massive sweet tooth, I like my breakfasts on the lighter side. No thank you to waffles, pancakes, bacon, and eggs — yes please to yogurt and fruit. The breakfast bowl above has all the fixings of my dream breakfast: protein from the chia seeds, yogurt, and raw pistachios, refreshing tartness and sweetness from the kumquats, and finally, subtle sourness from the seasonal rhubarb. Not to mention the fact that, because I really wanted to treat myself, I roasted the rhubarb in champagne to give the fruit a little extra indulgent something, something. Because nothing says TREAT. YO. SELF. more than champagne at breakfast, right?
Well. Except maybe this breakfast… in bed:
Which I totally did. Yup, after waking up early to roast some rhubarb, I actually crawled back into bed in my pajamas with this tray of fresh flowers from the garden and this bowl of chia seed pudding.
And it was AWESOME. Really and truly…
Sigh.
I’m pretty sure that breakfast is going to be my last moment of calm until I finally get to San Francisco.
In any case, as a special goodbye to my Oregon-based readers, I’ve teamed up with New Seasons Market, my favorite local supermarket in town that features a ton of local produce and small batch sellers. In addition to graciously providing the ingredients for this post, New Seasons is providing me with a $50 giftcard for one of my Oregon, Washington, or California based readers to help create their dream breakfast-in-bed meal, just in time for Mother’s Day. Check out New Seasons’ Facebook page to see more recipe ideas for brunch and breakfast-in-bed!
Before entering the giveaway, however, note that New Seasons only has locations in Oregon (although there’s one in Washington state and another in Northern California); you can find the store closest to you by checking out their website. So if you don’t have access to a New Seasons, I’m not sure how relevant this giveaway is to you — unless you’re heading to Portland sometime soon and want to drop $50 on groceries while you’re here… if that’s the case, by all means, feel free to enter!
To win the $50 New Seasons giftcard, use the raffle widget below to either:
-
- Follow me (@hummingbirdhigh) on Twitter and tweet about your dream breakfast-in-bed meal. Be sure to tag New Seasons (@newseasons) too so that they can hear about your favorite recipes and ingredients!
- Leave a comment on the blogpost below and tell me about your dream breakfast-in-bed dish or recipe. After you’ve left a comment, be sure to use the widget below to confirm your entry.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The giveaway lasts for one week and will end next on May 13, 2015. I’ll announce the winner on this post and reach out via email shortly afterwards. Good luck!
Thank you for entering! The giveaway is now closed. The winner is Nell P, whose dream breakfast in bed is apparently a banana split! Congratulations!
Some baker’s notes:
-
- Chia seeds are available online, or in the bulk sections of most organic/local supermarkets. Chia seeds can absorb up to 12 times their weight when soaked in liquid, and soaking chia seeds in a batch of yogurt overnight is what gives the pudding its thick, gel-like texture. Be sure to plan ahead and let the seeds soak overnight to get the thickest, creamiest pudding possible!
- You can make this recipe with a variety of yogurts, but I like to use unsweetened ‘plain’ yogurt. Keep in mind that you’re going to be adding syrup from the champagne roasted rhubarb, which will add to the sweetness of the dish. If you need a little bit more sweetness, you can also drizzle in some honey over the pudding. I’ve also made this recipe with Greek yogurt, but found the result to be too thick — but some people are into that, so feel free to experiment!
Get the Recipe: Chia Seed Yogurt Pudding with Champagne Roasted Rhubarb, Kumquats and Pistachios
Ingredients
For the Chia Seed Yogurt Pudding Starter
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 3/4 cup whole milk
For the Champagne Roasted Rhubarb
(makes around 1 cup of compote)
- 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch thick pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup champagne
- 1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla bean powder, or 1 vanilla bean
To Serve
(makes around 4 servings)
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 recipe champagne roasted rhubarb (from recipe above)
- 1/3 generous cup kumquats, sliced in halves
- 1/4 cup raw shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
Instructions
For the Chia Seed Yogurt Pudding Starter
- In a medium glass bowl, combine 1/4 cup plain yogurt and 2 tablespoons chia seeds, stirring with a spoon to combine. Continue to stir while slowly adding 3/4 cup whole milk. When the milk is fully incorporated, cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to refrigerate overnight.
- For the Champagne Roasted Rhubarb
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 (F).
- Place 1 pound chopped rhubarb in a glass 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup champagne, and 1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla bean powder — don't worry if the sugar doesn't dissolve, you should end up with a thick, grainy syrup. Drizzle over the rhubarb and use a rubber spatula, tossing the fruit until all the rhubarb pieces are covered in syrup.
- Roast in the preheated oven until the rhubarb is very tender and the juices are syrupy, around 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack for around 10 to 15 minutes before using in a yogurt bowl.
To Serve
- While the rhubarb is cooling, prepare the yogurt pudding. Remove the pudding starter from the fridge, stirring a couple of times, before folding in 1 cup plain yogurt once or twice. Drizzle a spoonful or two of champagne syrup from the rhubarb over the pudding, then fold once more.
- Divide the pudding between 4 bowls, before dividing the roasted rhubarb and its syrup, 1/3 cup kumquat halves, and 1/4 cup chopped pistachios over the pudding. Serve immediately.
I'm so excited for you and your move!! Just wish I was still there to hang. Guess that's what hour long flights are for!! This chia seed yogurt pudding is totally up my alley. I usually make mine with almond milk but am all about upping the puddingness and adding yogurt!! The champagne rhubarb sounds amazing and I'd like to put it on all the things. Best of luck with packing and moving and SEE YOU SOON clear across the country!!
P.s. That bowl and those kumquats are like WOAH.
This breakfast looks delicious, Michelle! LOVE it! <3
Haha, it is just the cheapo Aunt Jemima-type syrup! I dislike maple syrup but love me some butter syrup!
Lol, I eat almost all my breakfasts in my bed nook. I've got two go-tos:
+ 2-egg scramble with garlic, spinach, canadian bacon, onions, and tillamook vintage white cheddar
+ yogurt (I'm a sucker for fruit yogurts, so it's usually key lime/lemon/raspberry/strawberry/blackberry) + almonds
Holler! I'm in SoMa, what district will you be in?
French Toast in bed please!
My dream breakfast in bed is eggs over easy with bacon, sausage, a fluffy pancake, blueberries, and grapefruit juice.
Oooh, using almond milk sounds like a great idea. Also, coconut milk O_O. Oh yeah, I went there.
Nice. What a life of luxury you lead 😉
Moving is so friggin stressful. I'm glad you treated yo' self to such a beautiful morning 🙂
Good luck with the rest of packing!
An omelet with peppers with bananas and blackberries.
Yes!!! Something almost EXACTLY like this would be my dream B-in-B. The past year or so I've been eating all natural and raw foods on most days for breakfast, like a huge bowl of fruit with some pb and dollop of yogurt+sprinkle of coconut flakes, etc. But I wouldn't mind something like smoked salmon and cream cheese on the side…..hubba hubba.
Fred is like you in that whenever we have breakfast in bed (which always means room service) he always just wants coffee, Oatmeal, fruit… Simple. Meanwhile bring me lobster egg benedict with crispy hash brown and after the requisite coffee, a Bloody Mary please
A sweet potato and brussel sprout hash and a mimosa!
I would love to have a huge pile of belgian waffles with bananas, berries and maple syrup!
The brioche French toast with lemon curd that caffe pallino used to serve before they closed. And mimosas that keep coming.
Thanks Kaitlin! Sending you hugs across the interwebs.
Wait, the omelet has bananas and blackberries in it??? Or… are they on the side? Just curious.
Mmm, a fruit bowl with some pb on the side??? I know it's super simple, but that sounds amazing. I spent the last year eating a banana with a side of Justin's vanilla almond butter for breakfast almost every morning. No regrets!
Well you know what they say… opposites attract! Though a lobster eggs benny sounds freaking amazing and decadent and delicious!
Yum! That actually sounds pretty healthy! I'm impressed!
Omg, I freaking LOVED Cafe Pallino! There was never any line for their breakfasts either, and they were amazing! I also used to go there all the time in the afternoon to study when I was in undergrad. So sad they closed, they're just a 5 minute walk away from my current place.
Can't go wrong with that!
Where did you get that bowl? Its beautiful!!
The bowl is from West Elm!
Steel cut oatmeal with briwn sugar crumbles! Yummm
Classic! I love it.
This is just beautiful!!
Healthy, whole grain, homemade cinnamon buns!
Pancakes, definitely! This chia pudding looks great 🙂
I made this for a cookout tonight (quadrupled it) and it was such a hit! Super light and refreshing. Everyone loved it!
Recipe notes:
My meringue could have used some more time in the oven, so make sure they are dry on top!
Something is off with the whipped cream part of the recipe–(the recipe list doesn't include confectiuoners sugar, and 1/2 cup would be weird, and it doesn't call for the cream). I know how to make whipped cream so I just went for it, but for others, whip the cream, vanilla, and sugar to taste and whip until stiff peaks form!
My dream breakfast in bed meal is bacon, eggs and fried potatoes!
RAFFLECOPTER: CAROLSUE
OMG this is so perfect!! Love, love it <3
Omg love love LOVE!!! I love chia pudding and all the fruits in it!!! Especially kumquats. I remember when a few friends in China brought it as a midschool day snack and I was the only person standing next to the trash can with juice dripping down my fingers trying to peel the dang thing. And then I realized the peel is one of the sweetest parts of the fruit (aka the best part).
Um, this looks like a dream breakfast in bed! Seriously, I choose this. Right now anything cooling sounds delicious-maybe some fresh berries with homemade granola and milk or yoghurt until I make this recipe.
French toast with fresh fruit!! And grapefruit juice. mmmmm
I'd love sourdough french toast with bacon and fresh strawberries.
omg this looks so good! i could use some eggs and avocado in bed. or filipino breakfast. or waffles. or champorado. or donuts. or…
<3
a bunch of sautéed vegetables with sunny side-up eggs!
this looks SO good!! we could almost eat everything with rhubarb right now, but this chia pudding looks extra good! and good luck with the whole moving <3
This is so beautiful, Michelle! I love the idea of cooking the rhubarb in champagne…interesting twist on champagne and strawberries (:
That's really hard to narrow down. I love oyster hash(any kind of hash really) but on another day I would say cold pizza, Blue Star peanut butter and jelly doughnuts, or a great eggs benny. I also love baked eggs.
Great idea! I would be happy though with lots of bacon, pancakes and maple syrup.
So this is not high altitude?
Nope, sorry.
Dang it! Can you offer some alterations for high altitude? I am unfamiliar with how to make those types of adjustments. Thank you!
wow.. looking so yummy.. thanks for the recipe
Thesis writing service
Practical write up! You are absolutely as great author and inserted the admirable information here!
Cctv
Wide Angle Ir Dome
Wonderful blog! This is very informative site. I am totally pleased by your excellent work. Many thanks for sharing. get redirected here