The Real
Breakfast of Champions/Breakfast For Breakfast
I am, deep
down, a creature of habit.
I like
routine. Once in a while, I let my hair down and tell tin to “surprise me” when
she asks if I’d rather have this or that -- but honestly, I only like those
surprises because the outcome won’t actually
take me by surprise. And so, true to the ritualized creature I am, I like
to start every morning the same way: with a bowl of cereal.
If cereal
for you means merely opening up a box, dumping its content into a bowl and
pouring some milk over it, I pity you. If you think that cereal is soggy and
tastes either too sugary or too bland, I’m also about to rock your world.
First off,
breakfast for me is about starting my day with the energy I need to get through
it (well, at least until lunch time). If you have found a way to derive all of
your morning energy needs from one box, I applaud you. I haven’t.
When I make
my morning cereal, I start by getting out three different types of grains.
While I like to swap out two of them, depending upon my mood and what’s on sale
at the grocery store that week – but no matter what, I pick up a bag of good
quality oats. For the record, there was a time when I believed that raw oats
were inedible. Fortunately, a fellow (vegan) cereal-lover was wiser than I, and
I’ve been eating them raw ever since. Oats have been a staple in my diet since
I became aware of their heart-healthy benefits: a good source of mono- and
polyunsaturated fats and TONS of fiber, oats help to reduce cholesterol and
lower blood pressure, and they keep your digestive system in good working
order. Oats are high in minerals (calcium, iron, manganese, phosphorus,
potassium, and magnesium); they can also help to regulate blood sugar, and even
protect against cancer.
To
accompany my oats, I like to choose a flake and a granola. Both of those should
be a different grain. Currently, I have a spelt granola, and something
resembling a bran flake – bran flakes have a bad reputation for being
tasteless, or worse, for tasting like cardboard, and for finding their way only
into the bowls and bellies of the elderly. The fact that my box of bran flakes
proudly proclaims them to be “Wellness Flakes” probably isn’t exactly helping
to reverse the stereotype. But those old people are on to something: I like
(wheat -- as opposed to oat)bran because it provides me with B vitamins, plenty
of minerals, and even more fiber.
On a normal
breakfast day, say, before going to work, I get out a 1.5 cup bowl. I add about
two tablespoons of bran flakes, two tablespoons of granola, and three
tablespoons of oats.
To fill the
rest of the bowl, I turn to fresh fruit. At the moment, I’m topping off my bowl
with a small apple from nearby Brandenburg. Other likely suspects include
bananas, berries (strawberries & blueberries in summer), mango, grapes… Use
your imagination. I like to leave my fruit unpeeled, but cut into small pieces
so that I get a little bit of fruit in every bite. Don't forget dried fruit -- adding dried cranberries or raisins can round out a less-than-thrilling winter fruit selection (but watch out for added sugar!).
To top off
my cereal, I add a couple tablespoons of natural soy yoghurt, two teaspoons of
ground flaxseed, and rice milk.
I find that
breakfast is best enjoyed with the radio, the newspaper, coffee, and my
favorite person.
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