The big deal about breakfast: part 3

In part 2, I wrote about how a good breakfast makes me feel.   I love me a good rule, so in this part, I'm going to lay some down and in all probability break them tomorrow.

A 'break fast habits' good breakfast...

... differs from the one I had the day before (variety being the spice of life). 

... satisfies my hunger level at that moment.

Is…

... full of balanced, fresh ingredients.

... enjoyed and digested slowly.

And, last but not least, never takes itself too seriously.

(Now this is a good breakfast.  A 'healthy' take on the old 'Birchermüsli'.  I mean, the original only tastes heavenly because it's full of sugar and cream.

................Mmmm. Sugar and cream.............

Anyway, you'll need:

A small pot of runny plain yoghurt mixed with a dash of milk, if you like things even more runny.

Mixed with

3 tablespoons rolled oats
1/2 a grated (sweet) apple
1/2 a mashed (sweet) banana

Ta ra!



It can be a tad tangy, so go for sweet fruit (or some honey?).  I chopped the rest of the banana on top and sprinkled with linseeds and cinammon.




Quick and fresh!  What do you think?)

For the Morgenmuffels among us

Morgenmuffel is one of my all-time favourite German words; literally meaning 'morning grump', or, a person who really isn't good with mornings as a concept in general.  Recognise yourself?

Welcome.  Today's breakfast is for the Morgenmuffels among us you (I'm an early bird, remember?).

When you're feeling at one with yourself and the world (i.e. the night before), chop up 2-3 of your favourite fruits with a smile on your face.  Mix, 1 fruit at a time, with a dash of lemon juice and a dash of apple juice.  Layer them in a large glass and gaily place them in the fridge overnight.  You'll notice I've gone for apple, banana and blaeberries:



Skip lightly off to bed and await Morgenmuffel's appearance the next day.

Get up as grumpy as hell.  Grumpier if you can manage it.  Take lovingly prepared fruit from the fridge and pour your choice of runny yogurt over it (vanilla is always nice, but I prefer plain in the morning).  Top with a teaspoon of linseeds.





Healthy, speedy (just when you need it) and made with love&happiness.  Mood gone?  Thought so.

The big deal about breakfast: part 2

How can a good breakfast help you?...
 ...hm...

Well, on a good day (which for me would mean getting up on time, choosing the right ingredients and munching leisurely), a good breakfast helps me to feel:

- Hydrated: the world's most underestimated feeling
- Energized: not starving, not stuffed and
- Relaxed

On a brilliant day, I have also been known to feel concentrated right through until my first break at work. All reasons enough for me to try and eat 'well' in the morning (whatever 'well' means).



(Talking about good breakfasts... WOW... did we have something special yesterday: the Edible Perspective's Banana Scramble.  It's...

banana-ey
coconut-ey
cinnamon-ey
vanilla-ey
peanut butter-ey (if you choose that as your topping) 

... in fact, it's just about every -ey a girl could wish for in her breakfast.  All of the smells and tastes really came out, and it was delicious.  Thank you Ashley. 

My only (two) word(s) of warning for those trying it at home would be... make sure you are 1. famished before eating or 2. about to venture into heavy-duty sports activities (iron-man comes to mind) two hours later.  This humble scramble has enough fuel potential to fire a jumbo jet.  No kidding.

Nearly finished... will I manage that last mouthful?



... mmmmm.)

Sorry, I digress.  What about you guys?  Your thoughts on good breakfasts? 

Salt in your porridge puts hairs on your chest

I'm not selling this very well, am I.

I've yet to meet someone outside Scotland who puts salt on their porridge.  OK, perhaps I haven't been around enough.  Perhaps you were sent to read this blog and open my mind?

If I had to choose a life-time favourite breakfast, salty porridge would be it.  Super simple, healthy and very tasty.

You'll need:



1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
1 chopped apple
1 dashing dash of SALT (OK, or honey with chopped hazelnuts for the lily livers)

Boil up the oats and water until the consistency's right for you.  It doesn't take long - a mere matter of minutes - just keep stirring.  I prefer thick and creamy, others light and runny.  Pour over the chopped apple, add your dash of salt (or your honey/nuts) and some:



... milk.



Easy peasy.  Tastes fan...tas...tic.  No kidding.  I have the hairy chest to prove it.

The big deal about breakfast: part 1

A good breakfast, eaten on a daily basis, is not going to change your life forever. No, it’s not going to bring thousands of readers to your blog, slim you down to size 0 proportions, solve your relationship problems or get you a pay rise (shame really).

A good breakfast, though, eaten slowly and on a daily basis will help you. A lot.

Think about how. And we'll talk.

In the meantime, try crumbly pumpernickel with cottage cheese, sticky honey topped with sliced hazelnuts and some fresh fruit on the side.




Fashion bloggers be warned: outfit shots to be taken before consumption :-)

Monday Morning Breakfast

Hmmmmm, said the milk to the banana, may I remove your coat and whip you up into a frenzy?

Why yes, said the banana.  And Break Fast Habit's Monday morning breakfast was created.




Directions: have 1 glass of milk whip 1 soft, organic banana into a frenzy.

Tastes fan...tas...tic. No kidding.

Spatterings over smatterings

After a wild week of Christmas parties, a simple, organic fruit salad was called for this morning.

1 plum
1 apple
1 banana
1 bunch of grapes 

I was aiming to add a smattering of cinammon.  Looking below, you'll notice it quickly turned into a spattering with half of it landing in my coffee.



But hey, haven't you seen this film (about the invention of currywurst)? Spatterings are messy, but not to be underestimated as creative potential.

Quark with the Larks

OK, enough of this getting dressed lark for today, and back to the other parts of my morning routine.  I just had to share this delicious concoction:

- quark mixed with a dash of fizzy mineral water
- a chopped apple
- a chopped plum
- 3 dessert spoons of oats, toasted (golden brown) in a frying pan.  No oil needed.



Mmmmmmmmmm.

I say flapjacks and you say muesli bars

These are sweet-smelling, nutty-dwelling, vanilla bombs of goodness.  Perfect for a breakfast on the run.  Great with a cup of coffee.



Planning is the key to a perfect routine!
So with these flapjacks and a bit of luck, Mon-Fri will be that little bit easier to swallow. 


Anyone for the recipe?

Added on 10 Nov 2010.  Easy peasy!

Mix together:

200g porridge oats
100g raisins
100g fresh dates
50g linseeds
50g chopped hazelnuts
10 large almonds, chopped
75g brown sugar and
1 pinch salt

Mix:
170ml condensed milk
1tsp vanilla flavouring
3 eggs


To a smooth mass and stir into the dry mixture. Line a baking tin with baking paper and fill with muesli misture. Bake in 160°C oven for 20-25mins until golden brown. Chop into (24?) pieces and leave to cool.

Bananas about cinnamon with apple

You all know that Spice Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of trees with the same name and that it is one of the oldest spices in the world.

But did you know…

... that it is supposed to relieve symptoms of arthritis?

... about the Cinnamon Challenge?  Tried it?



I just can't do it.  Eat apples nowadays without a smattering of cinnamon. They go together. This morning, I even tipped it over the mashed banana on top of my roll.

Rather proud to report that yet another make-it-out-to-the-bakers-within-my-90-mins behind me; this time to pick up the sunflower-seed wholemeal rolls you see in the photos. It’s a simple pleasure, but the fresh air and and quick walk first thing is really very cool.

Do any of you manage it?

The last of the summer breakfasts?

The weather has culminated in torrential downpours and a temperature of 10°C. Yes. 10. Degrees. Celsius. and here’s melancholy me in the kitchen attempting what could be my last sun-inspired breakfast of 2010…

But it brought back a smile, not least because it contains my hot-fave, Magerquark .

Final attempt at summer



200g pureed strawberries (defrosted or fresh)
½ organic lime zest and juice
200g Mager(=lowfat) quark
2 dessert spoons of sparkling mineral water
2 teaspoons of runny honey



Mixing the quark with sparkling mineral water turns it into an even smoother, creamier mixture (hard to believe I know but do try). Fold in enough lime zest and juice until it’s (your taste of) tangy and follow that with as much runny honey as you need to make it the perfect breakfast mixture. I prefer a not-too-sweet-not-too-tangy balance for breakfast.


Taste the pureed strawberries… too sour? OK, a pinch of sugar and pour over the quark.





Lava-inspired...  You could mix in some whole strawberries (or banana??)? I’ve always demolished the mixture straight off, so if you do try the extra fruit I’d love to hear about it.

The change in weather is not all bad, as I’m looking forward to attempting Diana's breakfast (see comments) of warm oatmeal with frozen blueberries.

Galia Melon

The gorgeous Galia is a hybrid-melon developed in Israel around the 1970s. Honey melon had to be in the mix; walking past them at the market I nearly felt the need to lie down and properly appreciate their rich, smokey, honey smell.

Early-bit menu today: sumptuous Galia melon, mixed with German Heidelbeeren (blaeberries) and banana, topped with a smattering of ground pepper.

PS. Thus far, morning routines are seriously under-rated.

Frühstück: an early bit

Wake up with one foodstuff on your mind and simply nothing else will do. It had to be a boiled egg.

I’m sure it was my first in over a year.

And it was fabulous; complete with DDR (1949-1990) egg-cup and a German Doppelkornbröthchen-to-die-for, picked up from the bakers within my 90mins.  Note to self: calm down.