Tuesday January 29, 2013, 11:54 am
(Photo Credit: Living Green Magazine)


Many experts believe that breakfast is our most important meal — especially for children. Here are some ideas for nutritious meals in the morning.

Ideally, breakfast should contain about a third of your daily protein needs. Burritos on whole grain tortillas, containing eggs or scrambled tofu, beans, and low fat cheese are great hand-held take-along foods. Prep some of the ingredients the night before so all you have to do is warm them up. Whole grains, nuts, seeds, and cereals with low fat or alternative milks are other sources of protein. Add nitrate/nitrite free or soy breakfast sausages for an extra protein boost.

While many people go for the “blenderized” breakfast, this may not be enough stick-to-the-ribs nutrition for children. Adding tahini to the smoothie adds calcium and body to the drinkable breakfast. If going the smoothie route, supplement it with whole grain toast with nut butters, whole grain cereal, or other long-term energy providers. Nut butters are a great source of protein and come in almost as many varieties as nuts themselves. Go for raw, without sugar or hydrogenated oils added. Skip hydrogenated margarines completely.

On cooler mornings, nothing tastes better than hot cereal with a dash of cinnamon, maple syrup or honey. Check out the bulk section of your food market for a wide variety at money-saving prices. Look for whole grain unprocessed cereals and other high-fiber foods (beans, whole grain cereals, fresh fruit and veggies). They help stimulate the digestive tract and improve colon health by providing the necessary bulk to carry away toxins during elimination.

Fruity-Seedy Cereal

2 apples or 2 peaches, diced
1/2 cup cranberries or blueberries
1 cup pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
Pinch of sea salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add organic milk or soy milk. Great with a dash of cinnamon.

Children especially need solid vitamin and mineral content. Provide fruits high in vitamin C, such as oranges, grapefruit, strawberries or melons. For maximum vitamin C content, choose fresh fruit over fruit juice.

Calcium can easily be found beyond the traditional diary foods. Consider dried beans, sesame seeds and butter, tahini, almonds, oats, dried figs, blackstrap molasses, carob, and tofu. Dark green leafy veggies are another source of calcium — a traditional breakfast food in some cultures, although many people here may find them a little weird for breakfast. If you don’t have these vegetables for breakfast, be sure to include them at lunch and dinner.

Try Sue’s Hi Calcium “Mol-nilla.” Mix blackstrap molasses with a dash of vanilla and a good dose of cinnamon. Add sesame butter or tahini and “marble” the blackstrap mixture as you would when marbling a cake. Place the mixture in the refrigerator to set, where it will keep for two weeks or more. This high-calcium spread is delicious for breakfast or lunch on toast, bread, crackers, rice cakes, or dabbed on cereal.

Most people think immediately of animal products for iron, such as meat, poultry, fish and eggs. Other powerfulsources of iron include whole grains (oats, millet and rice), green leafy veggies, avocados, beets, blackstrap molasses, nutritional yeast, dates, almonds, pumpkin, raisins, dried beans, watermelon, prunes, and parsley.

Potassium is important for a healthy nervous system, stable blood pressure, and proper muscle contraction. It also aids in maintaining proper water balance. Potassium is found in dairy products, fish, beans, meat, apricots, avocados, bananas, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, dates, figs, dried fruit, garlic, nuts, potatoes, winter squash, raisins, and yams.

Broaden your breakfast experience by adding some of these nutritious, healthy options to your menu.
** Check out recipes in links - See Visit Site**

By: Robin Seydel | Living Green Magazine |

Tuesday January 29, 2013, 11:56 am

This is an easy way to buy and eat healthy foods and not buy those high sugar cereals at the grocery store.

Brand name cereals cost so much and do so little for your health and wellness.

Tuesday January 29, 2013, 6:20 pm
Good ideas Kit, though some families might cringe at the timing aspects of all ready for a cooked breakfast at same time, etc. Adding things to cooked oatmeal can be an alternative--like a protein powder, which can also go in a smoothie.

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 2:11 am
I'm looking forward to Spring and Summer ~ Breakfast is here at our organic farm provided by mother nature : )

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 2:22 am
Yes.I am one of these people, who think, that breakfast is very necessary . Thanks Kit for good info .

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 2:41 am
No sugar bombs in my family brekkie's ..simple protein, fresh fruits and complex carbs to sustain energy and healthy eating. No one skips breakfast in our family, vital meal!!!

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 3:06 am
I make muesli - porridge oats, hazlenuts, prunes, apricots, dessicated coconut and raisins. I make a large bowlful and take out what I need, soak it for about 30 minutes in milk and it's delicious, slow-release energy and cholesterol lowering.

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 4:08 am

Nice one....

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 4:12 am
Thanks for sharing.

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 8:19 am
Thanks for sharing, breakfast always seems to be the time when I don't know what to eat so always looking for great alternatives (have even tried eating soup in the morning just for something different). The neat thing about this recipe is it could be eaten without milk, sort of like trail mix because it is full of such great goodness.

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 10:28 am
Now to get the kids to try some...

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 1:13 pm
Very healthy..great choices..
Thanks Kit..

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 1:29 pm
I have never been able to choke down breakfast. I eat after I get in to work. Does that mean it is still breakfast? OK, I did eat a great deal of instant oatmeal as a kid.

Thanks for the ideas Kit.

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 6:04 pm
Ideally, a healthy Texas breakfast should contain chorizo and eggs, beans, papas con queso, flour tortillas, and of course a favorite beverage along with some fresh pan dulce! Lol!

Wednesday January 30, 2013, 11:03 pm
That's good. Thanks.

Thursday January 31, 2013, 12:45 am
Thanks Kit.

Thursday January 31, 2013, 2:39 am
I like eggs and whole grain(no flour-Ezekieil's Sprouted bread-sesame seed version)toast with a tad of butter for breakfast most days. Other days a nice hearty bowl of oatmeal with nuts and fruit.

Thursday January 31, 2013, 2:53 am
I too believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I usually have cereal with soy milk, some fruit or fruit juice and rye bread.

Thursday January 31, 2013, 4:54 am
ty

Thursday January 31, 2013, 5:38 am
Yummy it looks very wholesome,thanks!!!

Thursday January 31, 2013, 10:00 am
Good information here.

Thursday January 31, 2013, 12:45 pm
tks

Thursday January 31, 2013, 5:00 pm
Bad tempered in the morning need someone to come and prepare it for me it sounds delicious haha normally just a cup of coffee and a slice of toast

Thursday January 31, 2013, 5:12 pm
By the way, don't forget the salsa,medium hot please.

Thursday January 31, 2013, 7:23 pm
I like quinoa or oatmeal with almonds or coconuts, apples or blueberries or goji or acai, and milk.

Friday February 1, 2013, 12:08 pm
Very useful.