My MM: Michele’s Meatless Monday Menu (Are You In The Breakfast Club?)
Meet Michele, a grad student and blogger from Long Island (cute blog name!). I’ve been inspired by everyone’s breakfast choices in this series, especially all the old school (overnight!) oats recipes like Michele’s. Confession: I’ve been something of a breakfast skipper for a lot of my life, but like many unhealthy things that just don’t feel right to me any more, eating a healthy breakfast has become critical to feeling good. But I often run out of ideas! What do you eat for breakfast? Or are you a skipper? (Tsk. Tsk.)
Hometown: Long Island, New York
My dietary leanings: As clean + organic as possible. Carnivore, but I try to eat meat sparingly. Eggs (all-natural, cage-free) + vegetables = my BFFs.
My favorite vegetable: It’s a tie between artichokes + Brussels sprouts.
Breakfast:
An iced soy latte + a hearty bowl of overnight oats [(prepared the night before): combine 1/2 cup oats, 1/2 banana, 1 cup water, 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp chia seeds, freshly ground cinnamon, a pinch of sea salt + one drop of liquid stevia. Stir well. Cover + let it hang out in the fridge for the next 8 hours.]. Sometimes it’s so filling I can only finish half, then finish it the following morning.
Lunch:
Food for Life brown rice tortilla with hummus, lettuce, cucumber, and tomato slices. After lunch, I had an array of L’il Critters gummy vitamins. They taste like candy, and don’t bother my stomach like most vitamin pills do. I always take the multivitamin, calcium, omega-3, vitamin d, + vitamin c with echinacea.
Snack:
A spoonful of raw cashew butter + the other half of my banana – its a perfect snack to nosh on while blogging!
Dinner:
Brown rice + peas, topped with herbamare seasoning + fresh cracked pepper. I kept it simple because I knew I would be getting a sweet treat later on.
Dessert:
Ralph’s Italian ice is a Long Island staple. I always order watermelon, pineapple + iced tea. Sounds like an odd combo, but it’s insanely delicious!
Thanks Michele!
yum!!
I’ve been in a total breakfast rut too. I’ve at least been eating breakfast, but I’m getting bored with my go-to’s. My staples are: coconut milk yogurt with fruit and granola – I’ve been putting frozen berries in it before I leave for work, and by the time I get to work and start eating they’ve thawed enough to eat, but also transferred some of their frozen deliciousness to the yogurt so it’s kind of like dessert; whole wheat toast with homemade peanut butter and a banana; green smoothies – I usually make a green juice in my juicer and then blend with a frozen banana.
Good question, I’m having a low point in terms of breakfast inspiration myself, so I would love suggestions.
I always have a latte with almond or soy milk. And I typically eat either two slices of sprouted grain bread with nut butter and a fruit, or a bowl of oat cereals with a fruit.
I’m thinking of making my own cereal when the heat subsides, since the ones I eat are quite bland, and a lot store-bought options are too sweet. I found this recipe of home-made muesli, and I’m thinking it would be nice to switch the grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits around for diversity. (I haven’t tried it yet.)
4 cups of rolled oats mixed with 2 finely diced apples, 1 cup of unsweetened dried coconut shreds, 1 cup of chopped nuts, 2 cups of mixed seeds (they recommend grinding them with a food processor), and liquids (half a cup of olive oil and half a cup of honey or maple syrup). Bake on cookie sheets with parchment paper for 1 to 1.5 hours at 250F, until golden. Add 1 cup of dried fruits when cooked. Suggested spices: ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, pinch of salt. Store in air-tight containers.
every morning i have rolled spelt flakes with warm rice milk, tons of dessicated coconut (no other ingredient besides the coconut in the kind i use), a few sultanas or other dried fruit like goji berries, mulberries, chopped up figs etc and a bit of himalayan salt sprinkled in. the coconut soaks up the milk and it gets a bit like porridge. it keeps me full for around four hours which is a record for me and (healthy) breakfast food :)
I have to eat breakfast or I couldn’t function. It’s usually a smoothie with my homemade almond milk, banana and whatever other fruit, some fresh ginger and spices like cinnamon, and lately maca. I make a big pitcher and use it over several days, each day adding a scoop of ground flax and acai powder on top. It’s more an eat with a spoon thing than a drink. And I always have a cup of tea.
I love the oatmeal recipe and will definitely try it soon. I’ve been meaning to explore chia seeds.
I have another oatmeal variation: I prepare 1/4c of steel cut oats with 1/2c of water. Once it’s cooked, I put it in a bowl and mix in 1 tbsp of raw unsalted crunchy almond butter, 2tsp of grade B maple syrup, some chopped walnuts, and fresh berries.
If you’re pressed for time in the morning, then you can prepare most of it ahead of time, and just add the berries when your ready to eat it.
I’m going to try @Emma’s muesli, but since I can’t eat nuts or seeds, I’m going to use quinoa flakes and brown rice krispies. Sounds so good!
I’m a breakfast FIEND. I never skip, and I have a few go-tos. These days, it’s a hearty smoothie made with whatever is fresh in my CSA and sometimes almond milk, or just plain almonds crushed up by the Vitamix we have at my office now. Or I have some gluten-free granola with organic plain yogurt or almond milk. Or (this is my favorite): An organic corn tortilla with 2 eggs, sometimes done in the microwave at work (weird, but it works and it’s delicious) or at home if I have time, and then a side of some tomato salad or some other veggie or fruit. All of them keep me really, really satisfied for hours.
I ALWAYS eat breakfast, usually at around 5:30 AM. For the longest time it consisted of a hard boiled egg and a piece of multi-grain toast with butter. Now I am trying the whole Paleo thing so I have been skipping the toast and adding bacon or deli turkey meat with a slice of Paleo banana bread.
Because I eat breakfast so early I am usually on to breakfast #2 by 9:30, a banana with almond butter and tea or coffee.
Love breakfast! Here’s an oatmeal recipe I use to break my breakfast rut. I was also inspired to break it out this morning, since it was smidge cooler in Brooklyn than it has been.
This is adapted from Yoga Journal Jan/Feb 2003 issue. I bumped up all the spices. Chai Oatmeal! 1.5 cups milk (I use almond or walnut, homemade), 1/4 tsp salt (Him. Pink Sea), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cardamom or a few cardamom pods crushed, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1 tbsp tumeric (can’t get enough of this stuff!, but you can also adjust this down), vanilla & honey to taste, gluten free oats. Milk, then spices, then oats.
I’m also into this lentil mash up. 1/2 cup red lentils, 1/2 cup brown lentils, 1/2 cup split peas Soak (or not), cover with enough water, boil for 30 mins, skimming stuff off top. Stir lots. When it gets soft, add garlic and onion chopped to taste, s&p, a bit more water and cook until totally mashed up. Add oilve oil and lemon juice to taste. Great over greek yogurt and with cucumbers! Serve cool or hot.
And a green juice or green juice smoothie (green juice + banana + avocado + whatever else is around). Every day. I feel incomplete without my green juice!
I came across this article about cereal that I thought was interesting awhile ago; \The Dirty Secrets of Processed Cereal\. She also gives a recipe for ready & soaked oats to make your own cereal in your oven on the lowest setting or with a dehydrator. I made it a couple of times, and it’s a good base for many cereal creations among other things. Not a fan of the Nourishing Traditions book that she mentions though.
http://just-making-noise.blogspot.com/2009/10/dirty-secrets-of-processed-cereal-make.html