Starting the Day Right

Hello Friends. If  you're not interested in reading about my breakfast habits, trust me, I understand, but you'll probably want to go ahead and move on to the next blog in your reader. However, I'd love to share with you two breakfast habits that have recently entered my routine and make me feel about a gazillion times healthier. So, if you're keen, keep reading.

Mean Green Smoothies

The first recipe hands down my favorite way to incorporate more dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach into my diet. It also helps me meet a goal of eating a vegetable with every meal and snack. Plus, they seriously taste GREAT. I recently made them for my 6th grade girls homeroom and 100% of them liked it. That is a SERIOUS endorsement.

1 banana
a cup or more of frozen fruit of your choice
juice of half a lemon
fill the rest of blender with torn kale (stems removed) or spinach
2 cups water (adjust to make it more or less thick.) (I add chia seeds to my water and let them soak for about 10 minutes before adding it to the smoothie)

Blend ingredients and enjoy!

Not Your Mama's Breakfast Cereal

This recipe is quickly giving my green smoothies a run for their money as my preferred breakfast, especially now that it is so cold! The base of this cereal is a chia seed pudding. If you haven't heard about these little miracle seeds, check them out! They have more omega-3 than salmon, more antioxidants than berries, and they are LOADED with soluble fiber (which is why they turn into a gel-like substance in liquid). The soluble fiber in them fills you up for a good long while and slows down insulin absorption. According to Aztec legend, Aztec men would carry chia seeds on long journeys and only needed a tablespoon to give them enough energy and sustenance for a whole day! Now if that's not a breakfast worthy food, I don't know what is! (You can find them at any natural foods store or in the bin section at whole foods. They are also available on amazon.com)

The night before you want to eat it, make the base:

2 tsp chia seeds
2 large spoon fulls each of: rolled oats, bran flakes, shredded coconut
1-2 cups vanilla almond or soy milk (I'm sure you could use regular milk too)

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a Tupperware or jar with a lid. Cover with at least a cup of milk. Refrigerate over night.

In the morning I like to add granola (My favorite is Nature's Path Hemp Plus) and about a 4th cup of chopped, raw walnuts. SO GOOD!



Let me know if you try either of these recipes!