Breakfast Basics, aka the most confusing meal of the day!

Breakfast is too controversial. Experts say EAT IT! Your day will suck if you don't, and be worse if you eat the wrong thing. You will end up eating more throughout the day, you fatty, you!

Some people are hungry when they wake up. Many, many people aren't. Is breakfast still breakfast if you eat it two hours after you wake up? 3? 4? When does it become lunch? Or is it simply in the content that makes it breakfast? Quiche is lunch, but what if I skipped breakfast and want easy-over eggs for lunch? Is it still lunch?

Personally, I've eaten huge breakfasts and skipped breakfasts, eaten junk or eaten healthy food. I've felt great and terrible and tired and energetic. I've been hungry by 10 am, or not hungry until 3 pm (if at all!). The thing is, none of these factors have been in the least little bit related to each other.

Now, Skipping my morning B12... THAT has left me tired, but that's a different story altogether.

I do try to eat at least a healthy breakfast most days. I find it a good way to get some nutrition in me, as the rest of the day may end up being chaotic, and who knows what I will get into or be in the mood for. I guess you can say that I'm more suggestible upon waking.

Therein lies the problem, though. What to eat. You wake up, you're tired. You have to get ready for work, feed the kids, take care of the pets, do some chores, exercise, or whatever your morning holds, and still get your shining face out into the world. Convenience is key, and so is giving it the least amount of thought possible.

This is where planning ahead comes in. I'm not talking meal plans here. I've tried those, and while they are fantastic in theory, personally, I find them a setup for failure. How in the world can I know now what I will want for lunch on Saturday? Much less will I even be HOME at lunch on Saturday (unlikely). I don't even know what I'll be doing tonight half the time! Bet your life is kinda like that, too.

No, what I'm talking about is a little more simple. Select a variety of easily prepared (or easily pre-prepared and stored) foods. Just a few off the top of my head:

~ Cereals are OK, but READ THE BOXES! There is so much salt, sugar, colours, preservatives and CRAP in most cereals that you may as well do yourself a favour and grab that donut instead. Think you're smart and choose granola or Muesli? FAT FAT FAT, and SUGAR! And not just good, healthy nutfats... most of these cereals are coated with oils and sulfates. I am a sucker for Special K, but I use it as dessert (yes, I am strange).

~ While I'm on the subject of cereal, I may as well mention Milk. I'm not a fan. In fact, I only eat it in cereal. But, going vegan removes even this from me. I've tried almond milks (too thick, and watering it down does not help), and soy milks, (although not oat milk yet) and they just don't work for me in cereals. However, thanks to a friend's advice, I have found ONE tolerable soy milk... it's called SILK. Don't bother with the flavoured ones. Just plain 'ol Silk. All the others are crap.

~ Toast, bagels, and other bread products. These work well, but not every day. Not only are they slow to digest (make you sluggish), but they are carb-loaded and calorie intense, not to mention what we slather on them. Cream cheese, butter, margarine, jam, peanut butter... But the convenience and satisfaction is hard to deny. Plus, daily toast just gets boring. You can spruce it up and make it healthier by using different nut butters (use the all nut kind... it takes a while to get used to the lack of salt, oil, and sugar, but once you do, you'll find you prefer it), or all-fruit preserve (actually tastier than regular jams or jellies, there's nothing but real fruit, so you get more taste and less sweet).

~ Eggs. Not an option if you're vegan. But if you're not, an egg or two a couple of times a week is wonderful. I love eggs. Giving them up sucks. But they take a while to prepare, make dishes and aren't the most convenient weekmorning food. Of course, you can hard boil them ahead of time and keep a few ready.

~ Fruit. I don't need to say much more. There's a TON of variety, most are conveniently pre-packaged by nature, they are delicious, healthy, and convenient. Grab a nanner and be off to work!

~ Veggies. SALAD? FOR BREAKFAST? Well, yes! Make a nice, sweet fruity dressing and toss it up with some lettuce. No? OK, fine, try some veggie sticks with hummus. Satisfying and a great energy-burst.

~ Muffins. I say this with trepidation. Most muffins are just min-cakes, with little nutrition and lots of sugar. Not a great way to start your day. If you can swing it, make a batch of your own muffins and freeze them. A quick thaw and you are all set. You can pop a frozen one in your lunch and by the time you get to work, you can enjoy it with your coffee. Or a few seconds in the micro. I love corn muffins in the morning. Or naturally sweetened bran. Or grain-loaded birdseed muffins. Of which I will post a recipe in a later post.

~ Oatmeal, and hot breakfast cereals. Many of the little pre-prepared packets are kinda junky, but still better than cold cereals. Better yet, try some instant oats (plain), and throw your own toppings on... fruit (dried or regular), maple syrup, honey, flax seeds, nuts, almond butter (try chunky), fruit spreads, coconut, teeny tiny bits of chocolate (dark is actually healthy!!)... it's all pretty wonderful. Toss in some bran, some millet, spelt, or any other grain. If you can swing the time for it, make a batch of steel-cut oats (MUCH more nutritious) on Sunday night and stick them in the fridge or freezer. There is a ton you can do with these. Some people claim they don't like them, but I chalk this up to two things: they don't cook them long enough, and they don't add the right stuff.

Here's a little something I whipped up and it's fantastic. It looks a little like bird barf, but everyone who's tasted it loves it.

Quinoats with Flax

1/2 c Steel-Cut Oats
1/2 c Red Quinoa (can use any kind)
1/5 c Flax Seeds (approx)

Rinse the quinoa well. Place oats and quinoa in 2.5 c water and set to boil (nope, no salt, quinoa has a slightly salty flavour to begin with and is easily over salted, plus, this is healthier). Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Test to make sure it's soft enough, and add more water if required. Remove from heat and stir in flax seeds. Cool and stick in fridge.

It's all ready for your mornings. Warm about 1/4 to 1/2 cup in the morning and stir in fun stuff.

My current favourite: Amber's home made chokecherry jelly (it's all sugar, so I only put in a little) and a drop of soy milk. DELISH!

Try maple syrup, fruits, or honey. Cinnamon and grated apples works well. Kind of tastes like Charoses (for the guyim).

Be prepared. The texture of steel-cut oats is a little crunchy. This is not your mama's oatmeal. Open your mind a bit, and I think you'll find it very satisfying. There's some chew in there, a bit of saltiness, some creaminess and sweetness. Slightly warm, it's true comfort food and probably one of the most nutritious things you can eat (all it needs is kale and blueberries and you may very well make a nutritionist orgasm) (by the way, it DOES taste good with Kale and blueberries, but make sure you chop the kale fine and blanch it or add to the mix while still very hot... you don't want raw kale strands in there).

By the way, if you have a bird, share with them. Joey loves eating this from my fingers. 'Specially Elvis-style (mashed banana and organic peanut butter mixed in).