It Really IS the Most Important Meal

I’ve always been the type of person who stares in alarm when people tell me, “Oh, I NEVER eat breakfast.”

I’m the exact opposite! I wake up starving, with a growly stomach and the desire for a farmhand breakfast ... biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, pancakes, coffee.

Over the past several months, I’ve been reflecting on how I fuel myself during my first meal of the day. My traditional breakfast has almost always consisted of two scrambled eggs on toast. But I recently starting playing around with egg whites. Add two of them to one whole egg. Maybe scramble in a little spinach. Pretty tasty.

 But my absolute favorite new breakfast experience is oatmeal. Now, there’s nothing new about oatmeal. According to my mom, oatmeal was the only thing I’d eat for breakfast during the first few years of my life, and if that oatmeal wasn’t ready RIGHT NOW when I woke up, she sure heard about it (unless it was spring and I could stare outside at all the “robin birds!”).

But oatmeal has not traditionally been my healthiest breakfast, since I prefer to top it with real maple syrup, dried fruit and nuts, and a healthy slosh of heavy cream.

Lately, I’ve instead been trying something a little less heavy. I take 1 cup of old fashioned oats, and boil them in 1 cup of water and 1 cup of coconut milk (available in the dairy section, near the soy milk). While it cooks, I simmer in half a chopped bananas, two chopped dates, a few chopped walnuts, and ground flax. No additional sweetener needed thanks to the banana and dates. And it keeps me full for at least a few hours.

Contributed by Katie Howard, Ideal Weight Guest Blogger

Comments

[Teresa Kato]

An alternatively great breakfast with a protein punch is 1 cup quinoa cooked in 1 c. water and 1 cup halzelnut milk (or other nut milk of choice). Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff, stir in a tsp or more of cinnamon (depending on your taste). Place in bowls and top with a drizzle of agave syrup and toasted pecans (or hazelnuts or walnuts) for even more protein. Yummy!

[Teresa Kato]

Oops. Completely left out the fruit! Add 2 cups blueberries or blackberries with the cinnamon. I use frozen berries in the off season. If you use red quinoa the combination with the berries makes your breakfast a beautiful color. I adapted this recipe from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking... one of my favorite cookbooks.

[Deanna]

LOVE this, Teresa...We're absolutely going to try this. Thanks for sharing!