3 Steps to Craving Fruit for Breakfast

1) Step One: define your parameters

I am up, with 2 hours to go before my workout today. My old routine; make a pot of tea, have a bowl of cereal...write or read while I eat, have another bowl because the box is there, drink my tea, maybe eat a banana or apple too. I used to follow the regime in Fit for Life; nothing but fruit until noon, no mixing of carbs and protein. It shaves off pounds like mad, but I am hungry in the morning!

Even though I am working to lose weight, I had gone back to my breakfast cereal routine, since it was just so simple; bowl of granola and almond milk, saving the morning smoothie for later, when it had defrosted. This morning I came downstairs determined not to have grains today. What options were there? I was out of smoothies and the trainer told me to have protein after working out.

2) Step Two: examine your options

Non-protein (no eggs, protein powder or sardines), non-grain (that left out the granola and the rice cakes), so I was left with fruits or vegetables. 

3) Step Three: enjoy and love what you CAN have; decide to do it and it will be so

The peaches in the bowl suddenly looked absolutely fabulous. While the water boiled for the tea, I rinsed and carefully peeled the peach, putting it on a pretty plate with a fork, to be savored while my tea cooled.

It was a beautiful, juicy, ripe peach with all the best flavors of the summer bursting out of it. I am happy I could call it breakfast.

Cleansing Recipies: New and Improved

 Last week, I gave some ideas for cleanses, based on what I've used over the years. Here are a few more details on how to prepare each one and hints for success, by which I mean creating something that tastes good so that you will be happy to come back to it over and over.

French-style: bouillon de legumes

This is as it sounds, as least in French: boil vegetables and drink the broth, or eat the vegetables as well for a little additional fiber.

Basic bouillon: 3-4 boiled leeks. What is a leek? Look for it in the cold section of the produce aisle; near the radishes, collard greens and spinach. It looks and smells like a giant green onion.

Optional: carrots, broccoli and any other veggies you may have in the fridge; no potatoes this time.

Optional: bouillon packet (most cubes have msg). In France, we put bouillon in everything. My favorite way to go is Better than Bouillon, a jar you can find in the same spot as the cubes or packets, it really is good stuff.

-Wash and slice leeks in half. Keep the white part and some of the green: soak and scrub to remove the sand from under the layers.

-Rinse, soak, rinse again, there is a lot of sand in normally grown leeks.

-Wash and peel or scrub additional vegetables.

-Slice, chop or otherwise make into smallish pieces.

-Add them to a boiling pot of salted water and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve hot or cold, with or without pieces. You can drain the broth, mix it all in a blender/food processor, or eat it as is. Some kids will eat it blended but not "with pieces." Once they get used to the taste, they may want to try it unmixed.

Cold smoothies:

Basic detox cleanse: (makes 10 7oz servings)

Spinach, kale, other greens: Note about greens and your typical mixer: even my great Ninja Kitchen System 1100, which makes any soup into a velvety smooth beverage, cannot handle lettuce or kale. The only thing that can make those into something palatable for me is a juicer. However, spinach is soft. Spinach has saved my green smoothies. You can put in as much as you like, with a little water and a little stuffing down of the leaves with a spatula as you go along, and it will mix up like a dream. I now look forward to my healthy morning and noon drinks.
I used 2 big bunches of spinach
1c frozen blueberries
2 cucumbers
Water (add little by little as the ingredients blend)
Cinnamon

Wash and blend all but the cinnamon in a blender until completely smooth. Tip: I start with the spinach, as described above, add the berries, and finally the cucumbers and water.  Divide into 10 portions and freeze 9, drink the other. I use plastic cups and plastic wrap to freeze a batch for the week. I do not microwave them, but set a cup out 30 minutes before a meal in warm water and eat it with a spoon. Cinnamon is optional for flavor; it is also known to kick-start your metabolism and help with weight loss.


Week 2: more substance: (makes 10, 7oz servings)

Spinach
Frozen strawberries
Frozen orange juice
Greek yogurt
Water/almond milk

Wash spinach and/or other greens, place in blender with a little water, blend. Add other ingredients and blend, adding water and or almond milk as needed. See above for divvying up into portions and freezing.

Bon appetit!

How to Irritate Your Wife

"Yellow number five, red number forty, blue one, corn syrup, fractionated coconut oil (what???)," let's have oatmeal guys instead, har, har."

A litany like this is a surefire way to inspire one's spouse to rage...or to leave the dinner table in the middle of a meal to vent on her blog. They're having gummy bears for dessert, I am having more salad, thanks.

It is not easy being an involved, caring mother, looking out for the health of her little cubs. Thank goodness for the health of Papa Bear that he cooks a whole lot of healthy food.