My alarm goes off, I hit snooze, and I sleep. Alarm, snooze, sleep! Crap! Now I’m late. I quickly shower, dry my hair, and straighten my hair (I live in Florida! The humidity!!!) I throw on my clothes, put on makeup, and grab my lunch and work bags, where are my keys? What can I grab for breakfast? Nothing! No time, super late! Ugh! No breakfast for me today! Does this sound familiar?
According to WebMD:
“Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, helping you burn calories throughout the day. It also gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school. Those are just a few reasons why it’s the most important meal of the day.”
There are so many truths in these sentences. I try to eat breakfast every day. However, if I am running late or don’t preplan my meals, I don’t eat breakfast. That whole day I feel incomplete. My energy is low, and I am often moody (hangry). My co-workers can tell, my students can tell, and on the weekends, my husband definitely feels the wrath. We are essentially “breaking the fast” from the night before. No wonder I feel depleted. I find myself counting the hours and minutes until lunch. Then I run into the temptation of eating something unhealthy, usually whatever sugar-filled or salty food is closest to me. This neither helps my mood nor my energy level, it just fills me with unnecessary calories and superficial, temporary energy boosts.
When I do plan right, I make sure my breakfast is filled with protein, and essential fats, and has plenty of vitamins. Some weeks I make the same thing for breakfast, other weeks I mix it up. Some of my favorite and easiest breakfasts to make are overnight oats. I was a little hesitant when I first was introduced to the concept of overnight oats. I like my oatmeal hot and fresh, so leaving them in the fridge overnight and eating them cold seemed a bit unappealing. To my surprise they were delicious. I always try to use the same base and filler but change the fruit. If you go to my Pinterest page you will see a variety of different ways to make them. I prefer to do 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 cup of almond milk, 1/2 cup of yogurt, (there is even dairy-free yogurt called SoDelicious!) 1 tablespoon of chia seeds or any healthy seed mix, 1 teaspoon of honey and whatever fresh fruit I’m in the mood for, usually in the berry family. I mix it all together in mason jars, throw them in the fridge, and the next morning they are ready to be eaten. They are super filling and keep me full until lunch!
Another quick and easy breakfast is smoothies and juices. Smoothies are easy because they are made in a blender. You retain the pulp which is insoluble fiber. Pick what fruits and veggies you want, put them in a ziplock bag, and freeze as many as you’d like. If you don’t use them all in one week, they will be ready for the next week. I like to make smoothies with my Arbonne chocolate protein shake mix, put some frozen fruits in, a handful of spinach, banana, and an avocado to make it fluffy and to keep me full.
My husband and I also like to drink juice in the mornings. Juice is prepared in a juicer. A juicer separates the pulp for soluble fiber that remains in your juice even when you take out the pulp. We make them for the week Sunday night and we have them each morning. I know they are not as great as when you make juice fresh each day, but since we don’t have time each morning to make fresh juice, for now, this is as good as it gets. I think drinking juice this way is better than not drinking any at all. To help make juices more filling I will occasionally blend them with a banana and or an avocado. This is known as a “thickie”. Juicing for health is my passion. I love how juicing delivers nutrients quickly into the bloodstream. There will be a lot more about this in other blogs and I will explain soluble and insoluble fiber in more depth.
So to summarize the most important idea is DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST! Your family, friends, co-workers and your body will thank you!
Awaken your inner self!
Carol
Check out more easy breakfast ideas on my Pinterest board- breakfast.
https://www.pinterest.com/concscienceliving/
To read more on this article on WebMD:
Recent Comments