Do you crave savory or sweet foods in the morning?

I recently completed a 3-day food diary myself to evaluate my own eating patterns. Yes, you might think I am a "nutrition nerd", but I found the tool to be very helpful when I want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. By looking at my food diary, a very interesting pattern emerged!

I found that if I eat something sweet in the morning (e.g. oatmeal with fruits and nuts or cereals) I recorded eating salty snacks couple hours later. With my 2012 goal of maintaining a healthy weight, I decided that I would switch to eating savory items in the morning. To my surprise, my mid-morning cravings stopped! I no longer need anything between breakfast and lunch. The following is a savory oatmeal recipe I love. Hopefully you will enjoy the recipe as well. May you continue to celebrate your big and small successes in 2012!

Oatmeal for Savory Lovers

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup of Steel cut oats/ 1-Instant oatmeal packet (original flavor)
1 cup of mixed vegetables (whatever you like)
1/4 cup of nuts (raw walnut, almond, or cashews)
1/2 tbsp of olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cook the oats according to directions on the package.
2. Saute mixed vegetables and nuts together with olive oil
3. Combine oatmeal, mixed vegetables, and nuts

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Other additions:
1. For vegetarians, you can add cheese and egg (hard boiled or sunny side up).
2. For non-vegetarians, you can add ground turkey/chicken or chicken sausage/turkey bacon to the mixed vegetables.