Fuel With Food - 4 easy breakfasts to start your working day off right!

Hi Everyone!

I can't believe it’s already day 5 of my #15MinuteResetWalk Challenge! If you’ve been sticking to our routine, you’ve probably noticed a boost in your energy and concentration. Today’s photo theme is: Fuel With Food, so I’m going to take some time to discuss breakfast. I’ll wager breakfast is most people’s favorite meal and also the most skipped, due to lack of time.

It’s no secret that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When you eat breakfast, you activate the thermogenesis process during which your body burns calories to produce heat. You also stimulate your metabolism. In fact, studies show that eating in the morning boosts your metabolism more than eating the same thing in the evening!

Breakfast also gives you energy and helps you to focus, improving your memory and concentration. It has also been shown to lower bad cholesterol levels, lower your chances of getting diabetes and heart disease, and keep you from becoming overweight. All reasons enough to start the day with something in your tummy!

These are the 3 factors to consider if you want something that will keep you functioning at peak condition all morning and feeling satisfied until lunch time:

• Protein: great sources are eggs, yogurt, chia, and amaranth
• Fiber: great sources are raspberries, peanut butter, almond butter, and chia
• Slow release carbohydrates: great sources are oatmeal and whole grain bread

Here are some of my favorite breakfast options that fit the bill. I’m listing them in order of how fast they are to prepare:

1. Bowl of Yogurt

Plain full fat yogurt with 1 sliced banana and some muesli. I am partial to amaranth muesli, which is gluten-free and packed with protein, but use your favorite. Takes a second to prepare, tastes good, and should keep you feeling satisfied until lunch time.

2. Smoothie

If you normally skip breakfast because you’re pressed for time, try having a smoothie. You could even make it the night before and keep it in a bottle in the fridge. I know a lot of people put protein powder in their smoothies, but that stuff is crazy expensive, tastes funny, and it can give you the runs. So unless you’re a body builder or a vegan, my advice to you is to just use plain full fat yogurt. Then add a banana and half a cup of raspberries, or any other fruit you have on hand, some juice, 1-2 tablespoons of chia seeds, and whiz it up. Note: if you make it the night before, make sure you use orange juice or add some lemon juice to prevent the banana from oxidizing. Chia seeds will absorb liquid and swell up if left overnight so you might have to give it a good shake, or add them at the last minute.

3. Oatmeal:

If you want a really creamy oatmeal (without the cream), ditch the box instructions and use 1/4 cup oatmeal to 3/4 cup water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, and turn the heat all the way down to low. Cover and cook over lowest heat for 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times to make sure it doesn’t stick or burn. Sometimes I also add chia and/or ground flax seeds. Once it’s cooked you can add some chopped nuts and dried fruit. For some reason, when you make it this way, you really don’t need to add sugar, or milk, or cream.

Some other favorite variations are:

• Add one mashed banana and some raspberries or blueberries
• Add 2 tablespoons almond or peanut butter
• Add 1 grated apple or pear, some chopped prunes, raisins, or cranberries, and some cinnamon
• TIP: If you don’t have time to cook your oatmeal in the morning, try soaking it overnight. Replace the water with milk or almond milk. Add grated apple, dried fruit, some chia and/or ground flax seeds. Stir it, cover it, and put it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add some sliced banana, nuts and berries, and even a bit of yogurt and honey if you like.

4. Poached egg with avocado on whole grain toast

My mom taught me the secret to poaching eggs last summer: add a good splash of cider vinegar to the water, crack the eggs into the water when it’s gently boiling - never let the water boil hard. Keep an eye on them - it takes about 3 minutes, depending how runny you like them. You can poke them with a spoon to feel how set they are. I like to remove all trace of vinegar, so I boil a kettle of water while the eggs are cooking and when they’re done, I remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and pour some of the boiling water over them to rinse. Then blot the eggs with a folded paper towel and place on top of your avocado toast.

So now you have no excuse to skip breakfast. Together with the warm lemon water and your morning walk, you should be a lean mean calorie burning machine. You should feel extra energized, focused, and ready to face whatever the day throws at you!

This challenge is running until Friday, December 21, 2019, so remember to post you pictures on Instagram and hashtag #15MinuteResetWalk for a chance to win my New Year Body Reset!

Don't burn out, Burn Bright in 2019! I can help! Check out my new website, Your Holistic Life Reset, for ways to reset your body, mind, heart, and spirit so you can have the fabulous life you deserve!