Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I can usually make a pretty good prediction of how the day is going to go based on how good or bad breakfast is. In fact, I love breakfast so much that I have been known to eat two, following what some of my friends have dubbed "the hobbit diet;" Breakfast followed by Second Breakfast (followed by elevensies, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper...)
And yet, many of my peers skip breakfast. The most common explanation I hear is that people don't have time in the morning. This is interesting - implied in the excuse is that there is something important they have to get to, like a job, that presumably they want to do well. How well can anyone function without fuel? Is it really so hard to wake up 30 minutes earlier?
And when we do eat breakfast, we tend to do it wrong. I'm sorry to tell you this, but a Special K breakfast bar eaten in your car is not breakfast. It's a highly processed cookie with some clever marketing. Remember rule #1 - eat real food. Try not to eat anything processed. I would argue that even the more mindful eaters among us tend to overbalance their breakfast with carbs. What we want is a balance of proteins, fats, and carbs - too many carbs will spike your insulin levels and lead to the infamous 10:30 AM crash. If you HAVE to have your breakfast cereal, here's a handy rule, courtesy of Michael Pollan: do not eat any cereal that changes the color of the milk.
My standard choice for breakfast involves some combination of eggs, fruit, and nuts. This provides a nice balance of protein, carbs, and fat, is fast and easy to prepare, and is extremely tasty. There are many different variations on this theme, but here is one of my favorites:
Ingredients: half a red onion, diced; 1 cup, spinach; approx. quarter cup, blueberries; a handful of brazil nuts; 3 eggs; olive oil; ground black pepper.
1) Place a medium/large frying pan over medium heat, add the oil then add the onions and sauté for a few minutes.
2) Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk until a smooth consistency. Bonus points if you can crack the eggs one-handed without getting any shell into the bowl.
3) Add the spinach into the pan and mix around with the onion until the spinach just starts to wilt. (won't take very long) Then pour the eggs in.
4) Reduce the heat a little and mix the eggs and veggies around so they cook evenly. It will take longer over low heat, but the eggs will come out more flavorful. Add some fresh ground pepper.
5) While you are waiting, wash the blueberries, put them in a small bowl, and get the brazil nuts onto your plate. This is also a good time to brew tea, if you are so inclined.
6) When the eggs are no longer runny, but still nice and soft, remove them from the heat, plate them, and eat them!
7) Enjoy your dramatically increased energy and productivity.
Pretty easy - please enjoy the recipe and let me know what you think!
Delicious