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April 19, 2009

Breakfast.

It’s supposed to be the most important meal of the day; something to be savored, something that will perk you up, something that will leave your palate and your stomach satisfied until lunch time. Maybe, though, you’re like me. You hate making breakfast. You don’t want to wake up in the morning and spend time cooking and then eating your morning meal before you have to run (maybe you’re like me and you don’t want to wake up in the morning, period). That makes breakfast something that’s best enjoyed when someone else makes it for you! Unfortunately for most people, that is an all too infrequent occurrence. However, with a little forethought, you can turn into one of those “healthy breakfast eaters” and save your sanity, and your sleep time, in the morning!

Smoothies

Smoothies are a quick way to pack in lots of nutrition in the morning, particularly if you like to eat fruits or leafy greens (and you should). It’s nice to be able to throw everything into a blender and even nicer to be able to take a smoothie on the road. I’ve got a few different smoothies that I use in the morning. One is for sustained energy, one is a workout smoothie, and one is a green smoothie. I usually focus on the first two since I prefer to eat my greens in a salad and, to be honest, green smoothies always scared me. However, I have found a few that I can bring myself to call good and I’m going to share one of them with you.

Granola Mixes

Another fast way to get a good breakfast is from granola, but I’m not talking about the kind you just pick up in the store and pop in your mouth. That’s cheating! What I’m going to show you is how to make your own granola mixes in just a few minutes. Once you’ve made your mix, put it in a bowl and eat it then or take it with you on the road for later. To make your own granola mix and keep it interesting, you will need the following, all stored in separate containers:

The Base

Baked and sweetened oats – this is a basic granola that can be purchased from the bulk bins in many health food markets, Whole Foods, and Sprouts (see recipe below if you want to make your own)
Fruits
Dried raisins
Dried cherries
Dried apricots, chopped
Chopped dates
Dried blueberries
Dried mango slices, chopped
Dried banana slices, chopped
Dried coconut
Nuts and Seeds
Raw pepitas
Raw sunflower seeds
Chopped raw almonds
Chopped smoked almonds
Chopped Brazil nuts
Chopped walnuts
Toasted sesame seeds
Spices
Ground cardamom
Ground cinnamon
Cracked pepper
Chipotle flakes
Ground cloves
Ground allspice

That’s a lot of containers, but if you fall in love with granola for breakfast, it will be worth the space and time it takes to place each ingredient in a container and label it. Purchase small quantities so you can store them in small containers and not overwhelm your kitchen with granola ingredients.

To make the granola, take one cup of The Base. Choose two dried fruits and add a tbsp. of each. Add 1 tbsp. of seeds or 2 tbsp. of chopped nuts. If you use any of the spices, choose one until you become familiar with their flavors and feel comfortable mixing them. Add in ¼ tsp. of any of the spices except the cloves and allspice, which should only be added in 1/8 tsp. quantities. If you mix the spices, try to keep the spice mix at no more than ¼ tsp. per cup of the base so the granola does not get overwhelmed or taste powdery. Mix your choices together and eat it right away or store it and take it with you!

Keeping all these ingredients around and separated will allow you to make a different granola combination for at least a month, keeping your breakfast healthy and interesting.

Fruit and Nuts

This seems like an obvious breakfast solution, but so many people with whom I speak look at me like I’m a bit crazy when I tell them my typical breakfast is a banana, an orange, and a small handful of Brazil nuts. When mangoes come in season, it’s usually a banana and mango instead of a banana and orange. Don’t pass up eating fresh fruits and nuts in the morning just because it’s a simple idea!

Prepping the Night Before

Many people don’t mind cooking at night, they just don’t want to wake up early to cook in the morning if it’s going to take more than a few minutes. One way around this is to do most of the preparation at night and leave the last remaining bit of a recipe for the morning. For example, if you want pancakes in the morning, you can make the batter at night and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. Once you’re ready for breakfast, you only need to griddle the batter into cakes and you’ve got a five minute breakfast. The same goes with waffles and even crepes. Just prepare the filling at night and again, store it covered in the refrigerator.

Jason’s Super Workout Smoothie

4-5 dates
3 tbsp. of raw peanut butter
1 tbsp. of cacao nibs
Option: 1 tbsp. of hemp protein
1 banana, peeled
2 cups of raw almond milk or hemp milk

Place the dates, then the peanut butter, then the cacao nibs, then the hemp protein, then the banana, and then the almond milk in the blender and blend on a medium speed until everything is smooth.

Jason’s Favorite Granola Mix

1 cup of The Base
Chopped dates
Dried raisins
Raw pepitas
Chopped smoked almonds
Chipotle flakes

Homemade Granola Recipe

4 cups of rolled oats (do not use quick oats)
½ tsp. of salt
¼ cup of agave nectar or maple syrup
2 tbsp. of water

Lightly coat a baking pan with oil. Warm the salt, agave nectar, and water until it just starts to simmer. Pour this over the oats and stir them quickly so the sauce is evenly distributed. Allow this to sit for about five minutes. Gently press the oats into small clumps and place those on the baking sheet. Bake the oats at 275 degrees F for 45 minutes, stirring them every 15 minutes.

The Green One

1 cup of kale leaves
1 cup of watercress
2 green apples, cored
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of raspberries
Option: 1 tbsp. of matcha green tea powder
2 cups of almond milk

Jason’s Favorite Smoothie

for sustained energy
2 bananas, peeled
2 cups of unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp. of sweet agave nectar
Either ¼ cup of crushed ice or ¼ cup of frozen black raspberries (usually purchased from Trader Joe’s)

Put the ice or raspberries on the bottom of the blender, followed by the bananas, then the sweet agave nectar, and then the almond milk. Blend these on a medium speed for about 30 seconds (until pureed). I generally put the ingredients in this order because the ice/raspberries get blended best this way.

Place the kale, then the watercress, then the apples, and then the berries in the blender. If you are using the green tea powder, place this in next. Finish the smoothie off with the almond milk and blend everything until it is smooth.

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