Healthy Breakfast--Healthy You

According to our natural circadian rhythm, morning is a time when we should feel most energized...but that is not the case for a lot of people. If you are feeling sluggish in the AM and are relying a bit too heavily on your morning coffee, try these recipes to give you a little "get up and go." Rather than relying on stimulants like coffee and sugar, aim for protein-rich breakfasts, which will stabilize blood sugar and keep you feeling full longer. Eating enough protein is crucial for maintaing a healthy body weight, optimizing energy levels, and maximizing cognition (ie. focus and memory).

All options are gluten-free and cow's dairy-free.

GOOD Options- If you just can't seem to fathom breakfast without cereal, here are some ideas to increase the nutritional value of your morning bowl of cereal:

• Top your cereal with ground nuts and seeds. See post on "Give You Child the Seed of Health" for more info. Ground flax is my favorite.
• Forgo cow's milk and substitute it with UNSWEETENED almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or hemp milk.
  
• Eat a hard-boiled egg on the side to increase the amount of protein you consume in the AM.

BETTER Options than your traiditonal bowl of sugary (ie. carbohydrate-laden) cereal:
Ground whole grain porridge is a simple, inexpensive, and healthy breakfast staple that can be cooked in 3-4 minutes just like cream-of-wheat or “farina”. It will keep in the fridge so consider making a few days worth ahead of time and just heat it up in the morning.

Ingredients:
-2 cups water OR coconut or almond milk (for a creamier cereal)
-½ cup unrefined whole grain such as buckwheat, brown rice, oat groats (whole or steel cut oats), quinoa, millet, or corn (polenta).
-Seasonings or protein additions (see below)

Directions
1. Grind the grain of your choice in a clean coffee grinder or strong blender until it’s the consistency of course flour (30-60 seconds). You can grind the grains fresh each day or grind a batch ahead of time and store in a jar in the fridge for 1 month. (For fun, experiment with combining different grains for different flavors!)
2. Boil water or milk substitute in small pot. Turn down heat to low until the water is just simmering.
3. Sprinkle the grain into the liquid while stirring briskly with a whisk.
Cover and let simmer for 3-5 minutes until thickened and well cooked. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking.

Note: Cooking time varies slightly with different grains. Some may need to simply be stirred into the boiling water and covered to let sit for a few minutes with the heat off, while others need a few minutes of simmering. Also, you may need a little less water for larger grains, like rice or barley, than smaller grains like quinoa. This is simply because the smaller grains pack more tightly into the measuring cup than the larger grains. You can adjust to your desired consistency by simply adding more water or ground grain at any point. A generally safe ratio is 1 part grain to 4-5 parts water.
Toppings for Whole Grain Porridge:

• Nuts- almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts
• Ground seeds- flax, pumpkin, sunflower
• Molasses, honey, maple syrup, butter, unsweetened coconut flakes
• Berries- raspberries, strawberries, blueberries (I keep frozen berries in my freezer year round for a quick and easy antioxidant boost)
• 2 tbsps hemp or whey protein powder
• Almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter
• For a savory twist- try adding tofu, chicken sausage, tamari, Braags, nutritional yeast , or herbs

Eggs- Eggs are an EXCELLENT source of protein and a great option for breakfast. Here are some ideas for the incredible edible-

• Easy Goat Cheese and Pesto Frittata
• 2 hard-boiled
• A one or two free-range egg omelet with chopped scallions, spinach, spices, salt and pepper. Top with salsa.
• Spinach and Egg burrito- Scramble an egg with a cup of fresh spinach and a dash of almond milk. Add salt and pepper. Fill a brown rice tortilla or a corn torilla (both gluten free) with egg scambler. Top with salsa and avocado.

Smoothies- An easy and practical method of adding more protein to your diet.
Ingredients:
-8-12 oz unsweetened soy, hemp, coconut or almond milk

-2-4 tbsps of hemp or whey protein powder

-1/4 cup fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries)-2 tbsps. ground seeds- flax, pumpkin or sunflower seeds

-3-4 tbsps of frozen spinach OR a handful of fresh greens, such as kale or spinach

-1 tbsp almond butter

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Add more milk if needed to reach desired consistency.

Fruit and Nut Butter- this is a great option for people on the go and for those who do not have a big appetite in the morning. Try an apple, banana topped with a couple tbsps of cashew, almond or peanut butter. Even better, top celery sticks with some nut butter.