Breakfast

So the biggest question when people pick up our Transitions Lifestyle Journal is when they see breakfast and see that VEGETABLES are a part of it.  "What?"  But it is a challenge for many people because few of us great up with that as a part of our normal routine.  Bread, toast, granola bars, cereal, eggs, sausage, bacon, fruit, yogurt, juice and coffee.  Did I leave anything out?  Oh ya, milk!  These are the staples of our English/European morning diet.  This is what we have always eaten.  So to change breakfast now feels like a big change. 

First though lets admit that though that this is a cultural thing.  When Queen Elizabeth was sitting down with muffin, or crumpet, or whatever, the people in Africa, Latin America, China, and Japan were definitely NOT.  They traditional diet has always been more that breakfast was much the same as their other meals.  Rice, vegetables, beans, and some meat are traditional staples.  Perhaps that is why their body fat percentages are lower.  Unfortunately western culture is starting to creep in, and our bread, cereal and pastries are too; is it a coincidence that the obesity issue is also on the rise in these countries?

From what I know now regarding the glycemic index and fat gain, I don't think so.  Which bring me to the second point.  How many have heard breakfast is the most important meal of the day?  We all have.  For weight management the Transitions Lifestyle way it absolutely is!  For an over fat person their normal metabolic function is no longer working; following the Transitions system has helped many restart their metabolism.  But breakfast is a very big part of that.  Getting at least 20 grams of protein and good healthy clean carbs (vegetables are the best source) is the way to start everyday.  For people who are serious about getting their metabolism to burn faster and cleaner they will make the changes to rev up their metabolism immediately in the morning, instead of putting themselves in fat burning mode for the day with a high glycemic breakfast. 

Now the only thing worse than high glycemic breakfast is no breakfast at all.  Don't even get me started on that!  The question is do you want to have an active metabolism from 12-9 (nine hours a day) or from 7-9 (14 hours a day).  Simple right?  Eat breakfast then. 

Now lets get to some good recipes and suggestions.  Lets to a this, not that to start
EAT THIS                                             NOT THAT
Ezekiel Sprout Grain Bread              Wheat Bread
Any bread that you eat must have PER SLICE 4 or more grains of fiber or more and 2 or more grams of protein.  That means if it is a bagel you are looking at 8 fiber and 4 protein.  Now don't go covering it with sugary jam or jelly.  Sugar free natural peanut butter or almond butter is ok.  But try this: use a bit of fat free cream cheese and cucumber slices for an open face cucumber sandwich for breakfast.  Pair that with a cup of plain yogurt with fruit (sweeten with agave, stevia, or splenda if you choose) and you will have enough protein.  Or poach 2 eggs and have open face egg sandwiches (with my favorite wasabi sauce you can buy in the store by the mustard)

Plain Greek Yogurt                          Yoplait
Have you really read a yoplait yogurt label.  I have one client who recently did.  "27 grams of sugar!" she said.  And only 5 grams of protein.  Plain yogurt still has sugar on the label, but it is milk sugars (6oz 14 grams in plain).  A yoplait or any other sweetened yogurt has 3 additional teaspoons of sugar.  Sweeten the plain yogurt with stevia, agave, or splenda (if you choose artificial sweeteners). 

Let's talk a bit about cereal also.  How do you pick out a good low glycemic breakfast cereal.  What are you looking for on the label.  Here are the minimums. 
Fiber 8 grams or more
Protein 10 or more (remember you are looking for 20 grams per meal)
Sugars in the low single digits
As long as you have the above you don't have to factor in the carb count.  The carbohydrates will include sugars, fiber, and all other carbs.  Remember carbs are not BAD; we just need to make sure they are not the carbohydrates that spike blood sugar quickly.  Fiber and protein blunt the impact of carbohydrates on the blood. 

Oatmeal is a good start to the day if you have enough (1 cup cooked at least) and if you make the homemade (not instant).  There are some who say that the old fashion rolled oat digest slower and so are lower glycemic, but for some the extra time is not practical.  Add nuts, berries to sweeten, and a bit of milk or some yogurt is good also.  Also please try some buckwheat groats (not toasted Kashi) or quinoa as a substitute for oatmeal if you have problems digesting oatmeal as I do.

Also try 1 cup of cottage cheese with 1 cup of cubed cucumbers.  Spoon onto Ezekiel bread or other whole grain bread. 


Let's get to some recipes

Savory Egg Muffins with Mushroom and Feta
2 tsp olive oil
2 C of mushrooms chopped into 1/4 pieces
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
2/3 C ground almonds
1 tsp Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp Spike seasoning (brand name found in most stores)
3 TB water
4 large eggs
1/4 C whole grain flour
2 TB sliced green onions
1/3 C crumble feta cheese
Oven at 400 degrees.  Wash and dry mushrooms.  Heat oil in large fry pan, saute mushrooms for about 5 minutes; until water is evaporated.  Then let them cool on a plate.  Mix in all items in blue (parm cheese to flour) in a large bowl.  After mushrooms cool add them, onions, and feta to bowl mixture.  Bake for 25 minutes in either a scone plate, or muffin cups sprayed will with oil.  Place muffin pan on a cookie sheet in oven.  Do not use muffin paper. 
Although this is a bit higher in fat, and does not contain a full serving of vegetables, they do reheat great in the microwave (1 minute at a time).  If you pair 2 of these muffins with an apple or pear, and then have a snack of veggies mid morning, they are a great fast breakfast.

Carrot Pineapple Bread
1/2 cup of olive oil
2/3 cup of sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 C grated carrots
1 C canned chopped pineapple (get the pineapple in juice not syrup; drain/press the pineapple of juice)
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp of salt
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp of cinnamon (or I just use 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinn and nutmeg)
2 3/4 C Whole grain flour (spelt, buckwheat, amaranth, oat flour or a mixture of those)
Mix dry ingredient together.  Mix liquid ingredient well with mixer or in food processor.  Add carrot and pineapple to the wet mixture.  Add dry in.  Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or when you insert knife it comes out clean.  It may take longer or shorter based on what type of flour you use. 
Great with a bit of peanut butter on it.  Eat with yogurt and fruit in the morning, or scrambled eggs.

Spinach Eggs
2 eggs or 1 egg & 2 egg whites
2 cups of spinach torn into small pieces
1 green onion chopped thinly (optional)
1/2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp of cheese (feta, Parmesan, Romano, laughing cow)
Mix eggs, spinach, and onions.  In medium size fry pan heat oil;  add mixture.  On medium heat cook one side, flip to cook other and spread cheese on cooked side.  10 minutes from fridge to plate.  You can do the same thing with shredded or sliced thin Zucchini or yellow squash

Vegetable Frittata 4 servings
2 TB olive oil
2 shallots or 1/2 small onion chopped
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise, then sliced
1 portobello mushroom sliced
5 eggs or 2 eggs & 5 egg whites
1/4 C grated Romano cheese
salt
In a skillet heat 1 TB of oil, and gently cook shallots.  Add zucchini and slice mushroom and cook until soft.  meanwhile beat eggs with TB of water.  Add cheese and vegetables to the egg mixture.  Mix well.  Add remaining 1 TB of oil to skillet.  When oil is hot, add egg mixture.  Cook on low heat until half done, do not stir; then finish cooking in the oven.  The frittata will puff up nicely.  Salt to taste
This is also great with 1 cup Broc flowerets, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1/2 C onions, with 1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce (Tabasco) and 1/2 C cheddar cheese.
Or 1 bag of spinach, 1/2 C onion, 1/4 C of feta cheese crumbles. 
It does reheat well in the microwave and will keep all week in the fridge.

Well that does it for now.  Give these ideas a try.  Most of it is just having the food on hand, and deciding you are going to do it.  Remember you are changing to a new lifestyle.  The sooner you can switch over your breakfast habits the quicker your metabolism will respond, but if you need to start slow, just switch out 3 of your traditional breakfasts a week.  Then 4 next week and so on.

Recipe for today

I know I promised breakfast recipes and I will gather those up soon, but today I made a great quick soup and thought I would share. 

Vegetable Bean Soup
1 small leek (wash well) and sliced thinly (I used the food processor)
2 tsp of olive oil
2 stalks celery sliced thinly (again I used the food processor)
4 carrots chopped
3 cloves of garlic
2 cup pre cooked (soft) pinto beans (if canned are used rinse and don't salt soup)
Water
1/2 tsp dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Leek are very dirty so wash them very well (you don't want to crunch into dirt), then saute them in the oil for 5-7 minute until color changes and they wilt.  Add a bit of water to the leek as needed 1 TB at a time so they don't dry out.
Add veggies, garlic, beans, basil, and water enough to cover it all (depends on how much broth you like).  Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10-15 minutes until carrots are cook through.  4 servings. 

1 serving of this would contain your low glycemic carb for a meal (Transitions Lifestyle System) but you would need to have more veggies.  You could also add 2 cups some cooked frozen shrimp (no tails), precooked chicken, or pre cook talapia about 5 minutes before the soup is done.  Couple this soup with meat and a great salad, voila! your meal for the night is done.

Side dish recipes

So many have been changing their lifestyle but are having different challenges with new ways of cooking.  One issue has been how do I make "tasty" low glycemic carbs.  Many people when they see squash, sweet potatoes and legume/beans think only of holidays and Mexican food.  There are so many cultures that eat these foods all the time, but ours has not traditionally been one of them.

The other challenge for some has been breakfast food.  The old saying in the fitness world for meals is, "Eat breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper", meaning eat your bigger/better meals in the morning, at lunch and eat lighter for dinner.  The reason being it jump starts your metabolism right away in the morning.  Cereal, a granola bar, or toast just doesn't do that.  I will be addressing this breakfast issue with more information and recipe ideas in another post.

So let talk side dishes.  In my culture and others English American cultures our side dishes have been white potatoes, pastas, and white rice (and don't for get the dinner rolls); these were the 3rd part of every meal.  In fact my husband informed me when we were newly weds that he did like it when I made meat and veggies only; "I have to have 3 things!  I have always had 3 things." 

Well it is time to look around and realize that is not working with our bodies.  Americans in general are very over fat.  Let's keep our 3 meal items but have healthy alternatives.  I will now give some great recipes, but to understand why these item are better, talk with me (Laura Hulleman 608-477-2686) or the weight coach that sent you over to this site. 

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
4 medium size potatoes cubed into 1/2 pieces
4 green onions sliced
2 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
2 tsp olive oil

Mix all ingredients together until potatoes are well covered.  Spread thinly on a jelly roll pan, or cookie sheet, and roast at 350 for 30 - 40 mins in the oven, turning them twice, until they start to brown nicely.
To speed up oven time microwave the potatoes for 5-7 minutes before you cube them up; this pre cooks them a bit.  Also, these keep in the fridge or freezer so you can make them up ahead and eat them for several meals.  Just remember 1/2 a sweet potato for woman and 1 whole for men are the correct portion sizes; don't get carried away cuz they are so good.

Southwestern Black Beans (any bean can be used)
2 medium onions chopped
1 tsp of olive oil
3 cup pre cooked beans (canned can be used but are high in sodium; if using canned rinse well before using)
1/4-1/2 cup water if using NON canned beans
1/3 - 1/2 cup of cilantro chopped (adjust to taste, take out large stems)
1 1/2 TB of cumin
1 lemon juiced
2 tsp of salt if NOT using canned beans; for canned add no additional salt
Optional 1 sm can of green chilies or 1/2 a pepper chopped small

Saute onions (& raw pepper if you choose) in oil until onions become translucent.  Add cilantro and cook for 1 minute stirring occasionally; then add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook about 5-7 minute until heated through and flavor have come together.  Do not over cook as the beans tend to dry out. 
These will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days.  Use as just a side dish, on salads, in a wrap with chicken and veggies, or mash and eat with slices of cucumbers (like chips) as a snack.


Herbed Lentils
1 tbsp olive oil
2 carrots diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 medium yellow onion diced
4 cloves garlic diced
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked through (pull out any discolored, etc)
2 sprigs fresh thyme bruised (roll and rub herbs in your hands)
1 stalk fresh rosemary bruised
Water (about 2 cups)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lemon juiced
2 tsp red wine vinegar

Saute veggies, garlic and 1 TB oil in medium pot until veggies soften.  Add lentils, herbs, and water; bring to a boil, cover and cook until lentils are soft; about 25 minutes.  Remove thyme and rosemary sprigs and transfer lentils to a bowl.  Mix with oil, lemon juice and vinegar.  4 servings  AND you are getting some extra veggies in here too.  This is not an entire serving of veggies (According to the Transitions system)


Black Soybean and Quinoa Salad
1/2 cup dried quinoa
1 cup unsalted black soybeans (canned), rinsed. 
Note you can sub black beans or green soybeans (usually frozen so cook first) in this recipe
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup diced red pepper
3 TB lemon juice
3 TB olive oil
1 TB honey or 1 1/2 tsp agave syrup (agave is much sweeter)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Cook quinoa in a pot with a cup of boiling water for 12 to 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed; then spread on a baking sheet to cool. Combine cooled quinoa with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste.  This is a great dish to serve with anything; OR to make it a meal.
4 4-oz rainbow trout fillets (or use talapia)
1 TB ground cumin
1 TB olive oil
While quinoa is cooling heat oven to 350; sprinkle fish with cumin, salt and pepper and rub with oil.  In a glass casserole dish bake for 15 minutes (less for talapia) until cook through.  Pull apart, removing bones from trout, and serve over prepared quinoa salad.  Garnish with a lemon wedge. 


Okay okay!  You get the idea, and I am getting hungry.  Try and google bean, squash, or sweet potato recipes, just remember savory not the sweet holiday like squash and potato recipes.  I will add some more recipes (gonna try weekly) so check back often or BECOME A FAN and get notified about new posts so you don't miss any.