Tag Archives: breakfast

Winds of Change

Posted on May 19, 2012 | 4 Comments

ImageA conversation at work yesterday reminded me that this time last year, I was a devoted tea drinker. It wasn’t until this fall, when I got my first coffee maker in years, that I got back into the morning coffee habit. Unfortunately, my body reacts a little differently to it now than it did when I was in my early twenties.

Yesterday I had one of those “click” moments when being made aware of how much tension I really do store in my upper back.  How did that get there?

With tomorrow’s solar eclipse already working its magic, it feels like the right time to make a change, however small. So starting with today, I’m going back to drinking green tea in the morning. I think I’ll like it. I certainly didn’t miss the black-coffee jitters before, and I don’t think I’ll miss them now.

So yeah. When I spoke a few weeks ago about 2012 being the beginning of that “whole other ball game,” I didn’t even realize how true that was going to turn out to be. Long story short, it’s all good. For right now, I’m just relaxed and paying attention.

How does caffeine affect you? Do you prefer tea or coffee? 

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Another Monday Breakfast Post

Posted on May 14, 2012 | 2 Comments

Yesterday was lovely—I didn’t even know my aunt had a pool, but she does, and it was open, and it was so nice to sit in the sun (wearing sunscreen, of course) and dip my feet in the water. There was plenty of good food, lots to talk about, and most importantly, my mom seemed to have a good time.

me & my beautiful madre

And now it’s back to the Monday grind. I have to say, though, I actually look forward to going in every day for this rotation. That’s not to say my body doesn’t need a little fuel to get going. Making breakfast ahead of time has been a sanity-saver the past few months. This morning I got to enjoy steel cut oats with chia seeds, flax, chopped apple and lots of cinnamon, ginger and cloves, topped with apple sauce and peanut butter. Great way to start the week.

What did you have for breakfast this morning? 

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Sunday Best

Posted on April 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

I think my favorite weekends are the ones that involve friends, family, good food, and plenty of time outside. Cute dogs are a plus.

Sunday brunch with a few of my favorite peeps

The view from Astoria Park

A visitor

What are some of your favorite weekend activities? 

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Ruts and Routines

Posted on April 23, 2012 | 2 Comments

Happy Monday! Did you have a good weekend? I’m up bright and early to head to week two of my current rotation. I’m not gonna lie, the 3-hour roundtrip commute is not really doing it for me, but at least I got a lot of sleep over the weekend-and least this is the only rotation like this.

As someone who thrives off routine, it’s challenging to have to rethink and rearrange every three weeks. Though this internship is meant to be a clinical learning experience, learning flexibility (for me, anyway) is turning out to be just as important. Frustrating as it can be, I think it’s good for me to have to step outside my comfort zone on a regular basis and find ways to make it work.

For example, since I have to leave my apartment in time to make a 7:30 shuttle on the other side of town, I had to turn my morning routine on its head. I’m used to getting up, working out, showering, getting dressed and then eating breakfast right before running out the door. Instead, I’ve been showering and doing my hair at night and packing breakfast to eat when we finally get to the campus around 8:15 or so. Exercise last week consisted of a lot of walking and living room yoga. Whatever works. I might try a few different things this week, just to see what happens.

The yogurt-based overnight oats have been helpful, but I won’t lie, I was happy to have hot oats over the weekend. I even tried something new—leftover steamed kabocha cooked in. Try it, it’s delicious! Just chop it up and cook it in with whatever else you’re throwing in. It was a great way to get out of a rut. 

Wow-all kinds of details you probably don’t really care about. Thanks for letting me ramble a little!

What’s your commute like? Do you get attached to your routine or do you mix things up a lot? Any tips? 

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After a Sunday that involved this… …and some of this…  I’m  up early and off to start my next rotation at a site outside the city. I may or may not be a sleepy zombie for the next 3 weeks. … Continue reading →

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Posted on April 16, 2012

Breakfast to the rescue

Posted on April 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

Wow, I could use more coffee, but okay Monday, let’s do this thing. Here’s to hoping a good breakfast helps this week get off to a good start. 

What are you having for breakfast today? 

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I will never understand…

Posted on April 2, 2012 | 8 Comments

…how some people manage to leave the house without breakfast. Or at least how they leave without any intention of putting something in their stomach before lunch. Let’s forget for a second all that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” stuff and just talk  about habits/wiring. As someone who was not born with the ability to be polite on an empty stomach, sometimes I feel like I’m in the minority. All you non-breakfast eaters, how are you not ready to gnaw off someone’s arm?

steel-cut oats with pear, dried apricot, flax & chia seeds and cottage cheese, topped w/ PB2 sauce

If I’m running late in the morning, it’s usually because I was eating. To save time, I make breakfast the night before or make larger batches and separate leftovers into single servings so I can just reheat, eat and go.

 

Do you need to eat breakfast or do you feel okay without it? 

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What’s your favorite healthy breakfast?

Posted on March 31, 2012 | 2 Comments

Last night, I dreamed mostly in Spanish. No big deal for some folks, but I don’t speak a lick of Spanish. I can follow a little, but that’s about it. However, in the past few weeks, I’ve had to get comfortable working with an interpreter or using a telephone interpreter service to communicate with patients who don’t speak English.

I’m starting to remember little things, but let’s not kid ourselves—I couldn’t go to Madrid and expect to get by asking people on the street if they can tell me what a carbohydrate is or whether protein raises their blood sugar or what time to take which insulin. “Show me how to get the air out of the needle” would only get me into trouble.

Educating patients on carbohydrate counting and giving examples of healthy meals has also put me in touch with the fact that what a healthy meal looks like varies across cultures. A recent article in Today’s Dietitian looked at the best breakfast options from around the globe, sizing up typical morning meals from countries such as Turkey, Israel, Costa Rica, China, Vietnam, and Venezuela. The article also includes recipes for arepas and queso blanco.

Those of you who’ve been following me a while know I’m a big fan of oatmeal for breakfast, though the summer months find me craving smoothies and yogurt bowls in the morning. It may be cold as balls in NYC today, but the warmer temps are coming…

 

What’s your favorite healthy breakfast? 

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A new week, a new rotation

Posted on March 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Good morning! Happy Monday! I’m really excited to be starting a new dietetic internship rotation this week. Cheers to preparing for the unexpected but hoping for the best!

After a satisfying morning workout, I enjoyed a filling bowl of oatmeal to refuel and set me up well for the day ahead. Yesterday, I made a big batch of steel cut oats with chia seeds, ground flax, chopped apple, and pumpkin, so all I had to do today was reheat the leftovers. Topped with some granola bar crumbles, applesauce and a peanut flour & pumpkin “mousse” of sorts, it totally hit the spot.

What are you looking forward to this week? What did you have for breakfast this morning? 

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Do-Ahead Breakfasts

Posted on March 1, 2012 | 11 Comments

Thanks for being patient while I get the hang of fitting blogging into my schedule. I’m working on finding ways to all those everyday human things.

One thing I can already tell is going to be a big thing for me is do-ahead breakfasts. My two recent favorites are overnight oats that get reheated. While I posted a post on cold overnight oats a while ago, I’ve been making a version with skim milk that’s just as good warm as it is cold. 

Raechel at the Rebel Grrl Kitchen gave me the idea to make overnight steel-cut oats. Dude, why had I never done this before? I actually made mine with water instead of almond milk, and it was so freaking good. 

In a microwave-safe dish, I mixed:

  • 1/4 steel-cut oats
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger to taste
  • vanilla extract
  • 1 small chopped pear (optional)
  • ~3/4 c water
I mixed all the ingredients and let them sit covered in the fridge overnight. In the a.m., I uncovered the bowl and microwaved it for about 2minutes and 45 seconds. Topped with PB, it was delicious and lasted me until a late lunch!  

What breakfast are you loving lately? 

 

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