I love breakfast! I love everything about it. Cooking breakfast in the morning with pajamas and bare feet on the cool kitchen floor. Smells of biscuits and gravy, eggs, coffee and waffles filling the house. Warm oatmeal with blackberries and honey. Eating breakfast on the back porch, listening to the birds singing the sun out of bed and hearing the rustle of squirrels burring treasures for the coming winter and spring. The crunch of granola in icy-cold milk followed by warm coffee. Everything about that time of day is warming to the soul and such a wonderful way to start the day. Breakfast is truly my favorite time of my day.Unfortunately, back in reality-land, I have a little less than an hour to share with The Goat before he heads off to work in the morning and he is really not as big on breakfast as I am. On the weekends we have sleepy mornings together - padding back and forth from the bedroom to the kitchen checking on the stove and getting refills on coffee. I love those weekend mornings.
During the week, I'm not up for making breakfast for one (it's not the same) or I'm rushing around trying to write or do something or going to work. Before being diagnosed at the beginning of this year I would happily munch on cereal or stick something in the toaster for a quick breakfast, but now I find myself extremely limited on breakfast choices.
There are plenty of standard breakfast foods available like eggs, pancakes, waffles, muffins, cornbread and cereals, but I find them either inconvenient or unpalatable after a while. I have desperately tried to keep my love affair with granola alive and well despite our differences, but I cannot find a good gluten-free alternative. I tried Enjoy Life's Very Berry Crunch Granola to teeth breaking disappointment. It is nut and gluten free so I could understand if you are allergic to both and really really really wanted a granola, but stay away otherwise. It had a funky chalky after taste to it that went along well with the gritty, sand-paper like texture.
On the other hand, I have found EnviroKidz Organic Peanut Butter Panda Puffs to be wonderful. They don't get soggy in milk and taste like regular peanut butter cereal. Also, The Silly Yak Bakery has gluten-free toaster pastries if you need that fix. They also ship directly to your door step or offer a pick up if you live close to them. The Silly Yak has all kinds of gluten-free goodies to stock up on. I cannot go to their site very often or I find myself filling the shopping cart...
So what is an average breakfast for me? This morning I had Central Market's Blueberry Buckwheat waffles - very tasty - gluten AND casein free. Buckwheat is a favorite of mine from childhood. My step-dad would get food gifts quite often from his kids and buckwheat pancake mix was one of the regulars. It was so good that I fell in love for life. The waffles are great in the toaster, but I've put some frozen berries on them and popped them in the oven for a while, too. I eat a lot of bars when I have the money to spend on them. I realize they are generally between $1 and $2 each, but they pack so much into a bar that it truly is a great way to start the day with a bottle of juice to accompany. Toast with hot tea is popular for me in the mornings, as well.
With a new day and another sun rise, I feel the urge to fill my day with life and what better way to do so than with a great (quick!) meal to start your day? Plenty of energy, better metabolism, spring in your step and no grumpy attitude over being hungry and dissatisfied. Breakfast really helps get you going in the morning - what is your typical breakfast during the week or weekend?
I also wanted to quickly share with you a little tid-bit about the picture at the top of this post. The picture is of Lake Whitney, Texas where I was raised. The first professional bass fishing tournament ever was held here in the 1950's. I learned to fish on this lake, we had camp outs here ( I lived less than 1/2 mile from the lake ), I went cliff jumping for my sister's high school graduation and learned how to swim here. It will forever hold a piece of my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment