Supercharge Breakfast

Breakfast…it is the last thing on my mind when I hit the snooze button in the morning. Needless to say, I find myself short on time and often resort to purchasing breakfast at the nearest drive-thru or coffee shop near my office. The choices available are not great and such habit continue to drive up my food cost.

I know that having regular breakfast helps with weight management and provides energy needed for the rest of the day. As a result, I started to supercharge my breakfast with lots of nutrients. Here are some ideas that you may want to try:

-Keep a box of regular instant oatmeal packets and a resalable bag of natural dried raisins and raw almonds/walnut mixtures in your office

-Keep a box of Fiber one bars, or bars that have 30% of calories from fat in your office

-Protein shakes (See recipe below)

-Homemade Wheat muffins (See recipe below)

-For those of you who can have eggs and cheese: try light Laughing Cow cheese and boiled eggs.

-I usually bring an extra piece of fruit with my lunch for a breakfast/mid morning snack.

We would love to hear some of your ideas. Share them with us in the blog or on twitter (@popwellness). Have a wonderful morning!

Recipes:

Good Morning Shake

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp 100% Hemp protein (or any protein powder you enjoy)

11/2 cups black coffee (or water if you do not drink coffee)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup oat milk (or your favorite milk)

1/4 cup frozen fruits

1 medium banana

1 tbsp field of green powder (or any vegetable powder you have)

2 ice cubes

Directions:

1. Portion out hemp protein, cinnamon, and green powder the night before into a re-sealable bag for a quick mix in the morning

2. Pour in coffee (or water) first, then add oat milk into a blender

3. Add remaining ingredients

4. Blend for 10 minutes or until smooth

5. Pour blended mixture into a to-go cup

6. Enjoy the shake on the run!

Supercharged Muffins (vegan friendly)

Ingredients:

½ cup all purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 packet original flavor instant oatmeal

2 tbsp baking powder

6 tbsp 100% fruit spread (I used blueberry)

½ cup oat milk (or other low fat dairy/non-dairy products)

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp Light Smart Balance

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Sift whole wheat, all purpose flour and baking soda into a large mixing bowl
3. Melt Smart Balance in microwave for about 20 seconds
4. Add oatmeal, oat milk, fruit spread, melted Smart Balance, applesauce, chopped nuts, and vanilla extract into flour and baking powder mixture
5. Mix ingredients until smooth
6. Line a mini muffin pan with muffin cups. You can skip this step if you have a non-stick muffin pan
8. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of mixture into mini muffin cups
9. Bake for 18 minutes or until done. Let cool.
10. Store in refrigerator for a supercharged breakfast

Makes 18-24 mini muffins

Update on my taste test--Shirataki Noodles

I was excited when I received the packet of shirataki noodles in the mail. The shirataki fettuccini I tried tonight was AWESOME! The texture was very close to actual pasta. In fact, I didn't even notice the lack of pasta or carbs! The following is a recipe I threw together tonight. Try it out and let me know your thoughts. Enjoy!

Veggie Wonderland

Ingredients:

2-7oz bags shirataki fettuccini (low carb choice)
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup sunflower sprouts or any bean sprouts
1/8 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp no salt added tahini
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp no salt added Italian seasoning
1 tbsp Bragg
2 tbsp water

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil, add the shirataki noodles when the pot is boiling
2. Bring the noodles to boil for about 5 minutes and drain the water from the noodles
3. Rinse carrots and sprouts, drain, and set it aside
4. In a mixing bowl mix together the soy sauce, tahini, basil, Italian seasoning, Bragg, and water
5. When the mixture is smooth, add in both carrots and sprouts and the shirataki noodles

Optional: I used what I found in my fridge, so you can use different vegetables. In addition, you can choose to use regular whole wheat pasta instead of shirataki noodles.

Cubicle Exercises

This morning I read an article that a small amount of exercise throughout the day will help keep the heart healthy (http://preview.tinyurl.com/446fr7m). It certainly inspired and motivated me to continue my routine which consists of planning 5 minute blocks throughout the day, taking the stairs whenever possible, walking the furthest route to the restroom, and lastly, trying cubicle exercises. The following is a video clip, courtesy of Discovery Health, (http://t.co/wF2Zpcf)) that provides some exercise demonstrations. Before you start, be sure to check with your office and your doctor to see if it would be appropriate for you to exercise in the office. Be safe and have fun.
Maria