0 BREAKFAST FAVORITES BY MARLA FROM "FAMILY FRESH COOKING"

A few weeks ago, I put together a recipe roundup focusing on my favorite Valentine's Day Desserts for my dear friend Marla. It was a real honor for me to be featured on Family Fresh Cooking as I have been reading her lovely blog since 2010 and was lucky to witness how this dazzling woman has developped her cooking, baking, writing and photography skills over the years.

As I had so much fun and pleasure composing my article for Marla, I thought that it would be a great idea to ask her if she wished to return the favor. Thankfully, she didn't refuse my offer and graciously accepted my proposition with much enthusiasm. Her positive response to my request made me extremely happy.

You see, Marla is a talented, optimistic and kind person who is very influential. I respect and admire what she does. Every time I visit her refreshing and unique blog, I take a virtual vacation and feel highly inspired. Her healthy, yet indulgent, original and tempting recipes never fail to make me hungry and her brilliantly radiant pictures (dishes, landscapes as well as sweet family portraits) always make me dream, bring a smile to my face and delight me to the highest point.

For those of you who still don't know who this perky lady is, well let me introduce her shortly.

Marla is a sporty (she skis, surfs & is active at all times and all seasons), energetic, bubbly and proud mother of two (a cute girl and an adorable boy) who lives in Southern California  (Orange County) and feeds an undying love for Telluride in Colarado, travelling, work, anything artistic as well as for quality food. Being fit and on the move is very important for her, so everything she cooks has to have a positive impact on her well-being. Mindful living is her mantra in everything she does and her mission is to inspire a lifestyle through her site.

Even if we don't live on the same continent and have very differents lives, we both have a lot in common. Not only does our mutual enthusiasm for everything related to food, photography and blogging unite us, but also other subjects make us connect. As a matter of fact, we both share an undying love for the nature and especially alpine regions. She happens to be enamoured by a mountainous state I dream of visiting and I reside in a country she is passionate about!

So, today, I am extremely thrilled and grateful to host her fantastic work on Rosa's Yummy Yums. I hope you'll enjoy Marla's marvelous shots and breakfast treats as much as I do...

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Hi there! My name is Marla Meridith and I am the content creator, recipe developer and photographer behind the blog Family Fresh Cooking. I launched my blog back in June 2009. One of the first wonderful people to welcome me to the ever-growing food blogger community was Miss Rosa. I am honored and thrilled to be guest posting here today. Rosa has been an inspiration to me as soon as I stumbled on her stunning site. I am a creative person who loves great food and amazing photography. Rosa offers all of that and more. I try to emulate the same practices on my blog. Sharing a thoughtful, open and honest voice is also very important ~ yet another reason why we hit it off so well.

Another interest we share is a love for travel and the mountain lifestyle. She lives in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Switzerland is first on my bucket list for travel. Although I live at sea level in Orange County (the OC) California, my heart is in the San Juan Mountains ~ in Telluride, Colorado. We spend a good part of the winter and summer there and I jet back as often as possible. My favorite film festival MountainFilm is held every May. Although I just got back from skiing T-Ride a few days ago I am all ready obsessed with the idea of my next visit. I embrace places with awesome people, a sense of history, breathtaking landscapes and of course great food!

Currently I am working on a press trip to Rosa's beautiful country for late June-early July. I will be in the St. Moritz region. Any advice and tips you have for me would be so appreciated, feel free to Email or Facebook me your thoughts on the area. I will take a train from Zurich to St. Moritz and stay at a lovely resort. I will rely on public transportation to bring me and my camera gear around to photograph all the beauty. My goal is to keep it simple, stay near St. Moritz and take day trips to photograph the countryside and small surrounding towns. Currently I know nothing about the region ~ other than the fact that it is beautiful!

Let's talk about food, shall we?

The focus of my recipes is on energetic, whole foods that taste great and keep you going throughout the day. I believe in homemade lunch box meals no matter what your age if you spend lots of time away from the home. Real food tastes great and makes us feel our best. Treats and desserts are super fun too ~ for those I rely on Rosa. She is the queen of gorgeous, internationally inspired decadence. As a matter of fact, she shared some of her beautiful desserts on my blog to honor Valentine's Day earlier this month.

Since breakfast thrills me more than any other meal of the day, I have decided to share with you some of our favorites. The thought of an awesome home made breakfast has me dashing out of bed each day by 4am. A large pot of coffee helps to....

Let's start with my Blueberry Coconut Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal. Not only do we love this because of it's vibrant purple color, but the flavor of sweet blueberries with creamy coconut is heavenly!

If you like to sip your meals in the form of a gourmet frozen shake then you will enjoy my latest Creamy Roasted Carrot Coconut Shake. This is kind of like carrot cake in a frosty glass. Do be sure to roast your carrots first as this is what will add all of that great flavor to your creamy, dreamy shake.

You might notice a theme in my breakfasts...most include form of coconut and lots of nuts. I am nuts for nuts, and they always need to be toasted to bring out their fullest flavor.

Have a heart & cut your toast into heart shapes with a big cookie cutter. This is my sweet twist on scrambled eggs: Sweet Coconut Scrambled Eggs on Toast.

If you are more in the mood for a savory breakfast, frittatas are another great option. Here is my Baby Peas and Cheese Frittata. I use a combination of my favorite cheeses in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorites too no matter what the combination. Cheese rules and that is all there is to it.

Now back to some sweetness....Do you ever have sweet potatoes for breakfast? We sure do in my Quinoa Sweet Potato Breakfast Bake. I love that sweet potatoes are such a healthy food that taste great both sweet or savory. My Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon are a great option for party appetizers or to much with a hearty green salad.

No matter what the season pumpkin is always a favorite. I stock up on cans of pumpkin purée in the winter months so I can enjoy it throughout the year. My Pumpkin Pie Tart has a gluten free & vegan almond meal crust. It takes hardly any time at all to bake up, it's the quickest way I have found to make a pumpkin pie from scratch.

Yes, we do enjoy this tart-pie for breakfast, snacks and desserts. It is super healthy & of course delicious!

If you want a quick handheld breakfast then how about Chai Carrot Pear Muffins? Another gluten free and vegan recipe. For the record in our house we are not gluten free or vegan, but I love experimenting and providing recipes for all different lifestyle choices.

This was based off my recipe for Chai Pear Carrot Sauce. Serve this fruity spiced sauce with yogurt for creamy parfaits....

Last, but certainly not least feel free to indulge in my Gluten Free Harvest Fruit Crumble. Embrace the flavors of the season with fresh fruit topped with almond meal, old fashioned rolled oats and sunflower seeds. Feel free to use the freshest seasonal fruits.

Thanks for having me over for a visit & I hope to connect with you over on my blog too!

Visit me at Family Fresh Cooking and I am all over the web: on Pinterest, Twitter,  Facebook, StumbleUpon & Instagram.

 All of the images in this post are ©Marla Meridith Photography.