Monday, November 3, 2008

What about breakfast?

I post a lot of dinner ideas, and they almost always make enough for leftover lunches the next day, but what about breakfast? The goal is nutrition. I pack as much in as possible so that when nutrient needs are met first thing in the morning, we end up snacking less on junk throughout the day and I send my family off knowing that they have what they need so that I don't have to worry about what they consume when they are away. Here are some of our easy favorites.

Ultimate Nutrition Smoothies
Sometimes these are more nutrient packed than others. It depends on how badly I need to go shopping! Fruit is a seasonal thing as well, so we have to take that into account. Sometimes I send half the apple or pear in my son's lunch and only put half in the shake, it just depends.
Here are some ideas.
1/2 c water (mostly to help the blender work better!)
1 cup 100% grape juice
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup ground pumpkin seeds
2-3 tbsp ground sunflower seed kernels
1 banana
1 apple
1 mango
1 pear
2 cups fresh spinach (makes the color interesting, but doesn't change the flavor much)
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 peach (or enough frozen slices to equal 1/2-1 peach) white and yellow peaches have different flavor so sometimes I add both
1/2 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
1/4 cantaloupe
1/2- 1 cup frozen honeydew melon
1-2 cups frozen or fresh strawberries

You get the point- throw in whatever you can and believe it or not, it tastes fruity and delicious. You have to blend it really well and it helps (at least with anything but a vitamix which could very possibly puree a baseball) to add things a few at a time and blend well.
My kids love this, but sometimes will only drink it with a straw. They have it almost every morning with a whole wheat toast with agave and cinnamon.
Since I am not keen on the idea of getting up at 6 am before my husband leaves for work and turning on the blender, I make a big blender full the night before and store it in the fridge in airtight water/blender bottles (a thermos would work well too) and Aaron drinks it on his way to work. It doesn't separate and stores really well. We try to have these 5 mornings a week.


But for cold mornings when we are low on the fresh stuff:

Sweet Whole Grains

(From my sweet friend Nae)
You can mix this up however you care to. I cook up a big batch in my rice cooker and keep it in a tupperware in the fridge, then warm up however much we need in the morning.
2.5 cups of whole grain
(Spelt, brown rice, pearl barley, wheat... or a combination of any or all)
7.5 cups water
Cook until water is absorbed.

It the morning:
warm 1-2 cups of cooked grains. Add 1-2 tbsp coconut oil and 1-2 tbsp agave nectar per cup of grains. Mix it up and enjoy!

We like to have at least one fruit with our breakfast, which you can eat separately or chopped up and mixed in.

4 comments:

Nate and Heidi said...

Hi Kristyan! I love your blog! I'm definitely going to try some new recipes. Congrats on losing 30 pounds...holy moly! We need to see your before and after pics now. It sounds like you are quite the chef! =) Luv, cuz Heidi

Nate and Heidi said...

Hi Kristyan! I love your blog! Those recipes look yummy. I'll definitely be trying some of your recipes. =) Congrats on losing 30 pounds! I bet you look amazing. Are you going to include before and after pics? Have you been exercising too, or has it been a diet change? Luv, Heidi

Kakes said...

Thanks Heidi!
It's been mostly diet change, but breastfeeding and running after 3 kids helps- along with not having a car and walking Talon to school for a while. I also got Wii Fit for my birthday in August. It's a combination of things really. I just feel like when my body realized it was getting all the nutrients it needed, it stopped holding on to it's 'famine protection'.

Kris said...

I LOVE smoothies. I make them as often as I can. Thanks for additional ideas on what to throw in the blender.