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ByJacquelynGrandy DigitalFirstMedia You've probablyheard the saying that breakfast is one of the most impor- tant meals of the day, but let's face it — we're all busy, and sometimes we don't have the time or en- ergy to make a healthy breakfast in the morning. So many of us pour a bowl of packaged ce- real or eat a slice of toast and call it breakfast. In- stead, here's a recipe for one of my favorite "grab- and-go" breakfasts, over- night refrigerator steel- cut oats. These oats are perfect for those busy mornings — they tak five minutes to make. All you have to do in the morning is open your refrigerator, grab the jar of oats, twist off the lid, give the oats a stir and dig in. How easy is that? These refrigerator oats are chock-full of healthy ingredients, fats, protein and fiber. They're the per- fect and easy way to start your day, and will help keep your blood sugar regulated. They'll also sustain you, keep you full lon- ger, which will keep those mid-morning cravings to a minimum! The steel-cut oats soften up overnight and have a nice chewy texture, which I happen to love. These oats are also a great "grab-and-go- travel" breakfast. I make a jar or two of these oats and take them when I travel; f I recently took a jar with me on a red-eye flight so I didn't have to eat the airport food for breakfast. These oats have good stuff going on: • Almond milk — Al- mond milk is high in pro- tein and healthy fats. You can really use any sort of milk, nut milk, seed or coconut milk in this rec- ipe. • Steel-cut oats — Steel-cut oats restore and calm the nervous system, have beneficial effects on blood sugar, lower choles- terol and regulate weight. • Chia seeds — Chia seeds are full of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and pro- tein. • Unsweetened coconut — Unsweetened coconut is full of healthy fat. • Strawberries — Strawberries are full of antioxidants, vitamin C and are one of the best fruit sources of manga- nese. Best of all, this rec- ipe is a base. You can add in any type of milk, fruit or sweetener of choice. I love this particular com- bination of fresh straw- berries, coconut and ma- ple syrup, as it tastes to me a bit like strawberry shortcake. I also think ripe cher- ries would be amazing as well. Jacquelyn Grandy develops recipes and blogs at marinmamacooks.com, which features healthy, seasonal and tasty recipes for families. MARIN MAMA COOKS Nomuss,nofussbreakfast Overnightrefrigerator steel-cut oats with chia and strawberries Serves1 1/2 cup almond milk, regular milk, coconut or nut milk of choice 1/4 cup regular or gluten- free steel-cut oats 2tablespoons chia seed Pinch of sea salt 1tablespoon unsweetened shredded coconut 1teaspoon vanilla extract 1tablespoon pure maple syrup 1/2 cup sliced fresh straw- berries (cherries would be amazing as well) Get out a small glass jar with a lid, or glass container with a lid. Pour in the almond milk, oats, chia seed, sea salt, coconut, vanilla, maple syrup, and give the mixture a good stir. Stir in the strawberries and give it another good stir. Pu t t he l i d o n a nd s to re i t i n the refrigerator till morning. That's all there is to it! The mixture will thicken up overnight, so if you want it thinner, add more milk. Make sure to give the oatmeal a good stir before consuming. You can also heat up the oats in a pan with a bit or milk, or water if you're crav- ing a warm breakfast. Feel free to add in what you wish to these oats, because this is a base recipe. If you want something sweeter, add maple syrup or sweet- ener of your choice. RECIPE Overnight steel-cut oats are tasty, healthy and take no time at all PHOTO BY JACQUELYN GRANDY A bowl of overnight refrigerator steel-cut oats with chia and strawberries requires no cooking and makes the perfect "grab-and-go" breakfast. By Brigitte Moran and Shannon Lovelace-White Digital First Media It's safe to say that as a society, we are obsessed with food. Need proof? Just turn on the television; there are entire networks dedi- cated to food. We love to watch culi- nary wizards at work and yet most of us aren't even cooking the majority of our own meals. What's with the disconnect? Is it possi- ble that this intense focus on food has actually under- mined our own kitchen con- fidence? Have we become so intimidated by what we see other people doing with food that we just prefer to leave the cooking to some- one else for fear of not mea- suring up? If this resonates with you, consider this your wake up call. Food does not need to be fancy or compli- cated to be delicious. Need help breaking free from your food paralysis? Follow the lead of some of the most celebrated chefs in the Bay Area and start with a trip to the farmers market. "When you start with fresh ingredients," says Re- becca Boice, chef at Zuni Café in San Francisco, "you don't need a lot of fancy in- gredients." In fact, Boice says she's happiest when something is simply oiled and salted. Pro tip No. 2? Shop with an open mind. "I don't like to have too firm of an idea when I ar- rive at the market," says Boice, who personally shops three farmers mar- kets a week. "If you show up to find that your star fruit or veggie isn't looking so hot it's easy to get tripped up. Just let the market se- lection guide you." FARMERS MARKET BEET Fo rg et f an cy , go f or s im pl e an d fr es h in gr ed ie nt s Grilled young broccoli 1bunch young broccoli Salt Extra-virgin olive oil Hot pepper flakes Lemon juice Prepare the grill. Wash the broccoli. Slice in half if stems are larger than the circumference of a dime. Place broccoli in a bowl large enough to all of it to fit. Toss broccoli evenly with salt and olive oil, making sure it is nice and coated. Sprinkle 2tablespoons wa- ter in bowl. Let marinate for at least 20minutes (or up to 1hour). Toss a few times. When grill is ready, arrange broccoli in a loose, single layer. Move the broccoli around as needed. Cook until tender. Remove from the grill and set on a serving platter. Fin- ish with the pepper flakes and lemon juice. Note: This is a versatile recipe. You can change up the spices — fennel seed, cumin, garlic, even sun- dried tomatoes or capers are all great options. COURTESY OF ZUNI CAFE This simple but versatile grilled young broccoli recipe can be changed up by trying different spices. 734MainStreet 530-690-2477 11am-9pm Mon.-Thur. 11am - 10pm Fri. & Sat. 11am-8pm Sun. 9 CRAFT BEERS ON TAP Pizza Restaurant 365-7194 or 365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING FOOD » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, May 18, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B4