Personal Accounts

In Praise of the Quickie...Breakfast

Our mothers were right, we really do need to eat breakfast to get a good start to the day.   When we "break" our "fast" overnight, we start to rev our metabolism for the rest of the day.  It can be a struggle to get Big D to eat breakfast in the morning, the trick seems to be getting him as soon as we wake in the morning and is off and running. 

A common complaint is that we don't generally have the time for the sit down breakfast we love to linger over on the weekend.  So we skip it all together or grab the ever so convenient over processed foods which are probably worse for you than skipping breakfast all together.

Planning ahead is key

In our household we tend to be planners so we can enjoy a great breakfast during the week, stocking whole wheat bagels, liquid egg whites and whole wheat bagels, eggs, and nutritious cooked cereals.  Red River Cereal which has flax and whole grains to give you the fiber you need.  It takes 10 minutes to prepare.

Instant Steel Cut Oats

Pictured here is the ultimate oatmeal, steel cut oats, or "Irish Oatmeal".  The less processing the healthier the oatmeal is for you, so you really should take a pass on instant oatmeal and  look for a bit of the Irish.  You should be able to find it in your local grocery store.    I bought my first batch in the can and just refill from our local bulk food store. 

It does takes longer to prepare than  most oatmeals, but to make it "instant", boil 4 cups of water, add 1 cup of oats and let sit in the fridge overnight.  Just reheat for a few minutes on the stove in the morning and you have got fuel for the rest of the day.

In Praise of Muffins

I love to make a fresh batch of muffins on the weekend and freeze for the rest of the week.  Even if I am rushed on the way to work, I have a great breakfast on the run which I can eat on the train along with my favorite travel mug.  I am a fan of applesauce, oats, bran  to make whole grain, low fat muffins to give you great fiber and complex carbohydrates.  Healthier and more cost effective than buying the oversized, oily muffins from your favorite barista. 

A few of my favorites:

1. Pamz Guilt Free Pumpkin Bran Muffins
2. Pamz Guilt Free Oat Berry Muffins
3. Pamz Healthy Cranberry Muffins:  these ones actually have Red River cereal in them.

Non Traditional Quick Breakfasts

I love the daily health advice offered by  Everday Health.  This post has some great ideas on quick and healthy breakfast ideas, healthier waffles, breakfast smoothies, and yes, there is even a version of pizza! http://bit.ly/zMETqO

So now there is no excuse not to eat your breakfast.

7 Reasons to Eat More Eggs

Eggs are a mainstay in my fridge.  They are multi-taskers, like myself which can be used in every meal and best of all yummy baked desserts.  It is the first thing I ensure I have enough of and one of the first things I pack for the cottage, both raw and soft boiled.  Sometimes I am surprised that I love them so much since I didn't have a great barnyard experience at my cousin's farm when I was a child.  I was too timid to collect the eggs and was chased around the barnyard by a rooster once.  Maybe I love eggs as partial revenge...by I digress.

Eggs pack a lot of nutrition, are low in calories, and don't have as much cholesterol as previously thought. Let's take a fresh look at the egg.

By Kristen Stewart

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

Who doesn’t love eggs? Whether scrambled, hard-boiled, poached, or folded into an omelet, eggs are versatile and tasty. Even better, eggs are a powerhouse of nutrition in a healthy diet and a great low-calorie addition to a weight-loss diet. With only 15 calories each, hard-boiled egg whites, for instance, can help you stick to your diet — the protein in them helps you feel full and being low in calories make them a great snack.

The Egg: Diet Facts

It’s time to get reacquainted with the egg, a great food whether you’re on a diet or just looking to manage your weight.

1. The egg is a low-calorie powerhouse. “The egg is a great source of nutrition and especially brain food,” says Susan B. Roberts, PhD, author of The Instinct Diet and professor of nutrition at the USDA Nutrition Center at Tufts University in Boston. “With only 80 calories per large egg and a useful 6 grams of protein, it can be scrambled or even fried with just a dab of butter and still come in at under 100 calories.”
2. Eggs have vitamins and other nutrients. Besides providing protein (making you feel full longer), an egg supplies many essential nutrients including vitamin A, the B vitamins B-12, riboflavin, and folacin, and the minerals iron, phosphorus, and zinc, along with choline and DHA, essential nutrients for brain health.
3. The egg has less cholesterol than we thought. It turns out early tests measured falsely high for the amount of cholesterol in an egg, unfairly giving it a bad rap. According to recent research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one large egg has 213 milligrams of cholesterol. Testing is also under way in the egg industry to see if that amount can be further reduced.
4. Egg whites can be part of your daily menu. It’s best to eat no more than three or four whole eggs per week, but egg whites have only 15 calories per egg, no cholesterol, and no saturated fat, so dieters can eat as many as they want. Not only that, egg whites taste better than store-bought egg substitutes.
5. Eggs make a great weekend breakfast. “One great role eggs can play is in making weekend food seem special without overdosing on calories,” says Dr. Roberts. “For example, scrambled eggs and whole-wheat toast or a fried egg and Canadian bacon on Sunday morning can become a special weekend breakfast without adding anything to calories beyond a regular weekday cereal meal.”
6. Eggs are an inexpensive protein source. Eggs are economical, especially when compared to steak or even a hamburger.
7. Eggs aren’t only for breakfast. “Think like the French and don’t dismiss eggs as a great dinner food,” says Roberts. “It takes a mere couple of minutes to whip up an omelet, so you can keep eggs in the fridge for quick dinners when you get home and are too tired to cook or go out. A two-egg omelet with a slice of whole-wheat toast and an apple or orange is a great weight control meal.”

Now that the egg has been cleared of any wrongdoing, think of it next time for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a quick healthy snack.

Pamz Avocanana Bread (Avocado and Banana)

I often find inspiration in the discounted produce section of the grocery store.  This past week I came home with 2 packages of 4 avacados at $.99 Canadian which is a real deal up north.  My foodie friend Eva who blogs at Kitchinspirations turned me on to a wonderful chocolate avocado pudding, but I think my husband has had his fill since it is pretty rich.  Me, I am still loving the healthy chocolate fix in small doses.

In search of new recipes I found the California Avocado Commission website.  If anyone is going to have great recipes, it will be an marketing organization dedicated to encourage consumers to buy their product beyond salads and guacamole. 

Since I like to keep healthy snacking foods around and already make a lower fat banana bread and oatmeal cookies (also pictured here)  I tried those 2 recipes. 

Here is my slightly adapted version of the bread.  I used whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil and a sucralose blend of brown sugar.

       
This  makes a very moist bread.

Recipe adapted from the California Avocado Commission

Ingredients

• ½ cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup whole wheat  flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 ripe Avocado, seeded*
• 0.250 ¼ cup applesauce
• 1 cup brown sugar (I use sucralose blend)
• 2 eggs
• 2 very ripe bananas
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup skim buttermilk (add 1tsp lemon juice to milk to make buttermilk)

  

  Instructions

1. Line a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with non stick foil and lightly grease the bottom only.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Combine dry ingredients: oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Scoop the avocado into a large bowl and mash lightly.
5. Add apple sauce and brown sugar to the avocado. Cream together using an electric mixer, until light and creamy.
6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Stir in bananas, then walnuts and dry ingredients.
8. Stir in buttermilk and beat just until buttermilk is incorporated.
9. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Avocanana bread is quite moist and may not pass the "toothpick" test at this point. If you prefer a drier bread, bake a little longer.

Yields: 1 loaf

Serving Suggestions:

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

Pamz Guilt Free Pumpkin Bran Muffins

 I am always shopping around for good deals, maximizing value for my money.  I take that approach with cooking as well, looking for bargains in the calorie department and health.  I fondly remember my university days (college if you are American) and time away from home learning to cook for myself and friends.  For some reason we got stuck on bran muffins..."nature's internal scrub brushes"  my friend would say.  I came upon a recipe which used coffee as a liquid and being students, I always had a pot of coffee on to help us stay awake.  So this was a great way to use up left over coffee...another bargain.  So for months on end we would live on bran muffins and coffee, a cheap diet.

I think I may have had my fill since I went for a good 10 years before I could look at a bran muffin again.  When I started to be more concerned about the effect of processed ingredients, even in baking, I looked for and started adapting recipes which give me good fibre, low calories, and great taste.  A winner in the bran category which disguises the bran somewhat and makes for a moist product are these muffins with pumpkin in them.  I started to make them for holiday brunches and often fulfill my need for the taste of pumpkin pie.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 cups bran
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/3 cup sucralose (white or you can mix brown/white)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 cup skim milk
• 4 tbsp. apple sauce
•  4 egg whites, beaten
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Method

1. Combine bran, sugar, flour, baking powder, spices and salt in large bowl.
2. Mix pumpkin, milk, beaten egg whites and apple sauce together.
3. Add wet ingredients into dry, stirring only until blended.
4. Using an 1/3 cup icecream scoop, scoop into muffin tins sprayed with cooking spray (using Pam, what else?).

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.

Makes 1 dozen