The Most Important Meal

You all have heard it before and it still holds truth. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! A coffee and a slice of toast just doesn’t cut it. It will not hold you over, and you are likely to be hungry within the hour and that is when you will grab something else sweet and fulfilling…sound familiar? So start your day off right. I know this may sound like a Kellogg’s commercial, but it is true – and Kellogg’s and cheerios are not even part of my advice.

If you get “the goods” in early and your body will be very happy. Even if you are the type of person that really  just isn’t that hungry in the morning, at the very least have a green juice or a glass of water with some lemon and a piece of fruit, and maybe even a handful of nuts. Other balanced breakfast for ones with more of an appetite may be a smoothie, bowl of oatmeal, granola with almond milk, slice of Ezekiel toast with almond butter, sheep’s yogurt and fruit or maybe some hearty oatmeal pancakes!

Whatever you choose to eat, make sure it it balanced and provides you with sufficient protein, complex carbohydrate, healthy fats and fiber. These nutrients will give you energy and keep you satisfied and make sure your metabolism is off to a healthy start. Just remember the more balanced the breakfast, the less likely you are to have cravings throughout the day (and more importantly at night!).

There are many ways to get these nutrients in your breakfast and not even focus strictly on one isolated nutrient. If you chose whole food ingredients and combine them wisely you will definitely be getting all the nutrients your body needs to get you going! Here are some tips.

Protein: organic egg omelet with avocado or goat cheese, almond butter + toast, quinoa porridge, hemp or sun-warrior protein powder in smoothie

Healthy fat: almond butter or avocado on your toast, coconut oil in your smoothie, nuts and seeds on sheep yogurt or oatmeal

Carbohydrate: high fiber-whole grain bread, whole grain cereal – cooked from the whole grain (quinoa, barley, oats, kamut, amaranth, millet), homemade granola or a breakfast muffin.

Use this as a guideline and don’t skip breakfast. You are not doing your body any good by starving your body of calories when it needs it the most! Make sure you have a enough time in the morning to eat something decent and not always have to grab breakfast on the go.

And for the mornings or weekends when you have more time, you may even want to indulge and make a little feast of breakfast goodness. Oatmeal pancakes are hearty and delicious, full of fiber, complex carbohydrate and great for the kids too!

If you are a breakfast eater and have some others fabulous breakfast ideas, please post a comment and share your morning goodness!

Oaty Banana Blueberry Pancakes

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1-2 tablespoon maple or coconut sugar

2 tablespoon ground sprouted flax, chia seeds

1 tablespoon applesauce

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1. Mix the oats, spelt flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in one bowl. Set aside.

2. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and allow to sit for a moment while you heat a skillet.

3. When the pan is hot, add your coconut oil.

4. Stir your pancake batter (add more water if necessary).

5. Pour a small amount of batter (about 3 inch in diameter) in the pan – you may be able to fit 2-3 circles in one pan.

6. Cook until bottom is brown and all sides are completely dry.

7. Serve with coconut flakes, fresh fruit, almond butter, apple butter or all natural fruit preserve. ENJOY!

Simply Smooth

Making up a blended batch of smooth and creamy goodness is just the absolute simplest and best way to get whole food nutrition in, extremely fast!
Creating a daily smoothie is an amazing first step in taking charge of your health. It is an easy way to digest a whole slew of vitamins and minerals – along with complex carbohydrates, protein and essential fats all in one shot! Especially if you are pressed for time in the morning, a smoothie to take with you on the go is the best thing you can do for your body and your energy. Just make sure you don’t add too many ingredients or you will be left with a stomach ache and a really high calorie drink!
Smoothies are also a great way to sneak in some green veggies or powders that you may not be inclined to take with water alone – at least with a smoothie you can mask the earthy or bitter flavour (which I happen to like!). This means you can even add a bunch of spinach, collards or kale into your blueberry banana morning smoothie. Go figure! It really is that easy. That way you can at least say that you got your dose of greens in for the day!

So let me help you out and get your started with a few ideas and recipes to get some liquid nutrition running through your body.
It is important to make a smoothie that compliments what you are looking for or what your body needs – if it is a breakfast smoothie you may want just fruits, or maybe add some sheep’s yogurt, soy yogurt or coconut oil, rice milk and honey/agave or if it’s a post workout smoothie – you want a higher protein content from a plant based protein powder such as Vega, Hemp or Sun Warrior (my newly discovered RAW and VEGAN brown rice based powder that is incredibly high in protein – easy to absorb and delicious!).

Or maybe your smoothie is just for a snack in the middle of the afternoon in which case you can use some cacao or carob powder, banana, almond butter, coconut oil and cinnamon to hit that sweet craving and replenish your energy for the rest of the day!

Other than that here are some more ideas to get you started…

All you need is a good blender or if you want to take it to the next level…a Vita Mix – which is the goddess of all blenders. It is a high powered machine that will emulsify all of your ingredients into the perfect blend of whatever you put into it!

So let’s start simple.
First off – make sure you are using high quality organic fruits and vegetables. You can pick anything under the sun that makes you feel good.

Fruits: Banana, Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Mango, Pineapple, Coconut, Kiwi, Peaches, Apple, Pear, Grapes, Acai

Vegetables (sometimes it is better to juice your veggies first and use the juice as the base of a smoothie): Carrots, Celery, Kale, Collards, Beets, Spinach – if you want all green you can just use a veggie juice base and add green vegetables, an avocado and spirulina ( I call this the liquid lunch smoothie!)

Green Supplements: Kelp, Spirulina, Barley Grass, Wheat Grass, Smoothie Infusion (Vega), Vitamineral Green, Nu Greens, Progressive Greens

Protein: Vega, Hemp, Rice Protein , Sun Warrior, Hemp Seeds, Almonds or Almond Butter, Sheep’s Milk Yogurt

Liquid: Filtered water, 100% Fruit juice, Rice milk, Almond milk, Hemp milk, Coconut milk

Sweeteners: Agave nectar, Honey, Maple syrup, Stevia, Dates or Figs

Healthy Fats: Flax oil, Flaxseeds, Coconut oil, Coconut shreds, Chia seeds, Avocado

Other: Carob powder, Cocoa powder, Cinnamon, Non GMO soy- lecithin, maca root, Green or red tea powder, Activated barley and the list goes on….

So here is a sample recipe to get you started….

Scrumptious Coco Shake (a perfect midday snack shake!)

2 Cups almond milk
2 scoops sun warrior chocolate protein powder + 1 tsp raw cacao powder (for extra chocolate)
1 tablespoon soy lecithin
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 banana
1 tsp agave nectar (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in blend and blend on high speed for 1 minute. Pour into two glasses and drink immediately!

And this is my typical Breakfast:

Berry Blast Smoothie

1 1/2 cup rice milk
1/2 cup frozen blueberries or 1 packet of Acai Pulp
1/2 frozen banana
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 tablespoon soy lecithin
1 scoop of vega’s smoothie infusion
1 tablespoon sprouted chia/flax
dash of cinnamon

Place all ingredients in blend and blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes. Pour into one or two glasses and drink immediately with a glass straw if preferred!

Balance is Everything!

Balance really is everything when it comes to your blood sugar levels. It is extremely important to make sure you moderate and regulate your sugar intake everyday. As participants learned in tonight’s Sweet and Low Cooking Class, whether you have diabetes, hypoglycemia or just want to stay within a normal range and avoid cravings, it is vital to learn which foods will do the job and keep you in balance!

Here is a quick resource of some daily things you can be doing to keep your levels in check while creating overall, balanced and healthy eating habits!

Tips for Regulating your Blood Sugar Levels on Daily Basis Naturally

Always eat a balanced breakfast, everyday!
Do not go more than 2 hours without food or consume large heavy meals. Eat six to eight small meals throughout the day. Even eating a small snack before bed might help.
Eat a diet high in fiber (whole grains, legumes) and include large amounts of vegetables, especially dark leafy greens, squash, spinach and green beans and whole fresh fruits.
Consume beans, brown rice, oats, oat bran, lentils, sweet potatoes, tofu and fruits such as apples, apricots, avocados, banana, lemons.
For protein eat white fish or wild salmon, turkey, lean chicken breast, eggs and goats and sheep’s milk cheeses or sheep’s milk yogurt.
Use natural low glycemic sweeteners such as: brown rice syrup, barley malt, agave nectar, dates, stevia* and maple syrup (in moderation)
Stay away from high fatty foods and fried foods and choose healthy fats and oils instead: (avocado, coconut oil, olive oil or other cold pressed natural oils, raw nuts and seeds)
Remove alcohol, processed foods, sulphured dried fruits, table salt, white sugar, saturated fats, soft drinks and white flour. Also avoid food with artificial colours and preservatives.

Special foods with special properties for blood sugar:

Avocado: contains a sugar that depresses insulin production, which make them an excellent chose for people with hypoglycemia.
Cinnamon: has a lowering affect on blood sugar levels by reducing the amount of insulin secreted. Consume at least 1 teaspoon everyday!
Brewer’s Yeast: (1 Tbsp. twice daily) provides a rich source of the mineral, chromium, which has a glucose tolerance normalizing effect.
Soybeans and other legumes: (1 cup or more daily) Kidney beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, and lima beans retard the rate of absorption of carbohydrate into the blood stream.
Onions and garlic: (1/2 a clove twice daily) normalize blood sugar regulation by decreasing the rate of insulin elimination by the liver.
Other blood sugar controlling foods include: berries (especially blueberries), celery, cucumber, green leafy vegetables, sprouts, string beans, parsley, garlic, onions, psyllium, flaxseed, lemons, oat bran, radishes, sauerkraut, sunflower seeds, squash, watercress.

Homemade Granola Goodness

Watch Marni make Granola!

Watch Marni make Granola!