What’s for Breakfast?

“There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.” ~ Unknown

I’m sure that you have heard breakfast called the most important meal of the day. Maybe you’ve even called it that yourself. Yet so many of us skip it or eat something that doesn’t meet our body’s needs. Are you starting your day with a good breakfast?

I think a lot of people are overwhelmed in the morning and feel like they don’t have time to make a good breakfast for themselves or their family. Often breakfast can be just empty calories that not only don’t support you but make it even more difficult to get through your morning. I understand that mornings can be chaotic but not having the proper nourishment will actually make it worse. You work hard and you probably take care of other people’s needs all day long; don’t you at least deserve to start your day with a decent breakfast?

A small amount of planning and thought can make it easy for your day to begin with a great breakfast. Ok, you may need an extra 5-10 minutes in your kitchen in the morning to make it happen instead of stopping at the local deli, bagel store or donut shop. When you make the decision to do it, I promise you, it will be worth it. So, let’s skip that bagel or donut and put the dry cereal box back on the shelf. Let’s look at what we can make quickly and easily that will also be healthy and delicious.

1. Breakfast tacos: This should take 5-7 minutes. In a sauté pan, heat a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add some chopped scallion, chopped tomato and chopped cilantro, cook over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add scrambled organic eggs (ideally from pasture raised chickens) and lower the heat. Eggs cooked on a low heat will be creamy and delicious. Serve in warm organic corn tortillas (just hold a tortilla over a gas jet with tongs for a few seconds on each side or wrap in foil and heat in a 350 oven while you cook the eggs) top with chopped avocado and hot sauce. YUM!!
2. Spinach, feta and dill scramble: This should take 5 minutes. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Add some chopped scallion and cook for 2 minutes. Add a big handful of fresh organic spinach or some frozen organic spinach and some chopped dill. Let the spinach wilt or warm through. Add scrambled organic eggs and some crumbles of feta cheese, cook on a low heat as above. Enjoy with or on a toasted Eziekal English muffin which is actually made FROM sprouted whole grains rather than WITH whole grains as many leading English muffins advertise. I like a little high quality butter on my muffin.
3. Oatmeal with Apples, Walnuts and Cinnamon: I use rolled oats for this which cook in 5 minutes. Start cooking your organic oatmeal according to package directions. While it is cooking dice some fresh apple into bite size pieces. While it is still cooking, add the apples, cinnamon and real vanilla extract to taste. Don’t forget to add a pinch of sea salt. Cook covered. When it’s done, sweeten with a bit real maple syrup or raw honey and top with chopped walnuts for protein and texture. (I do the same thing with left over roasted squash in the fall instead of the apples)
4. Organic Nut butter and raw honey on sprouted or sourdough whole grain bread or toast. This is super –fast, couldn’t be easier, really tasty and way better for you than a donut. The only excuse here would be not getting to the market to have the ingredients on hand.
5. Eat something that you wouldn’t ordinary think of as breakfast food. There have been mornings when I’ve known that I would have to be out early and would have a busy day and I’ve actually poached some wild salmon the day before and ate it for breakfast. That may sound unusual but I’ve eaten salmon for breakfast throughout my life. It was typically smoked, not poached, but it was salmon none the less. This tasted great and kept me going with energy and focus for hours during my day.

These are just some simple examples. I can think of several more, find a breakfast that works for you. Use the ideas, change the ingredients, be creative and design a breakfast that you can realistically make, enjoy and supports you throughout the morning. For some of you it will be oatmeal, for others eggs and other may like high quality plain yogurt sweetened with real maple syrup or raw honey and some fresh fruit. It may even change for you with the seasons.

Taking a few minutes for yourself in the morning and starting your day with a great tasting and healthy meal can change the way you feel physically and psychologically. It can also increase your productivity. If you want more ideas or have questions visit www.TheConsciousPlate.com, I am happy to answer any individual questions about food.