ecoyear

 The next four posts are about rethinking what you eat in light of having fewer unprocessed foods in your kitchen.  Of course, when you eat local foods, eating out becomes more difficult.  Gone is the reliance on breakfast donuts, danishes and coffee cakes, and of course, health-wise, that's all for the better!

So what is there for breakfast?  First question, why is it so difficult to think of anything beyond boxed breakfast cereals? Getting away from those at our house has been so hard I am starting to think of it as an addiction.  Right now, i buy two or three boxes per month.  Around mid-month, when the kids (and husband)  haven't seen a box in a few days, the requests begin, and then the whining, and the statements that "there is nothing to eat!:" - all signs of advanced physiological dependence...

The first consideration is that breakfast is an important meal.  It should have at least 30% of the calories you consume in a day, because that sets up the metabolism in a beneficial way.  Apparently a favorite Sumo wrestler trick is to eat nothing all day, then gorge for dinner, in the hopes of packing on extra pounds. That said, a good breakfast is a challenge to plan for because we rush to get to school or work on time.

My personal favorite breakfast is fruit with cheese.  Apples, melons, pears, peaches, grapes all seem to go well with sharp cheese, maybe an ounce or so.  It has a low glycemic index, which is convenient in that I don't get too hungry later in the day.  It doesn't meet the 30% guideline, however.

For the kids, we have the following favorites:

- yogurt with granola +/- fruit (note granola is processed food - you have to put together the ingredients and cook it - it has lot of sweetener and oil or butter)

- oatmeal - we always make it with milk at our house, because our kids don't drink that much the rest of the day

- stewed fruit (from the stuff you have been dehydraing, for example)

- fruit smoothies with milk or mint tea.  You can use frozen, canned or rehydrated fruit in winter.  Some people can juice.

- baked goods (I put together the ingredients for quick breads the night before (without mixing dry and wet), mix and bake in the morning).  Another possibility is reheating frozen muffins, zucchini bread or waffles.

- bread with jam, or butter

- eggs, either previously hard-boiled, or any way you like them

- why not category: unconventional items like popcorn, salad, any leftovers, salsa and chips - why don't we like savory tastes for breakfast and what is it you would enjoy?

More ideas please comment below!