Nom-Nom Namaste

I never used to eat breakfast. I never had time, never found the point, and never was interested in the sugary treats of the 90’s that my friends gobbled up, nor any other breakfast staple, nutritional value aside.

In becoming an older, wiser, more informed individual (or so I would like to hope!), I’ve developed my own breakfast routine. And in making my breakfast every morning, there is a sort of solitude and sanctuary, a method that is meditative, and without it, I’m often frazzled (as silly as it sounds) for the first few hours of the day, not having had the time to take everything in and digest. Literally and figuratively.

Mind you, I’m no breakfast aficionado. Sure, I can make a mean French toast or bread pudding for a Sunday brunch for my parents, and have been known to make some weeknight-saving pancakes and frittata meals for a dinner on the fly, but eat these foods on a regular basis in the morning I do not. And true to being an amateur cook, I can’t really do much with an egg that doesn’t turn into something disastrous on the plate. Albeit it tasty, the majority of the time!

I stick with two good ol’ staples that I think I’ve perfected and over-complicated beyond all good reason, but the work for me, and keep me powered until the late-morning munchies hit, or lunchtime lolls around.

In hitting all of the necessary food groups, my breakfasts are combinations of the following formula (WARNING: Serious Math Ahead)

Oatmeal/yogurt (Usually instant (The result of time restraints and my stunning incompetence with overnight oat-making (four times, four gloopy jars of ‘No-way-am-I-getting-near-that”); Always without added sugars and other nonsense that no one really needs.)

+ Fruit (Especially in the summer months, half of my kitchen counter is a veritable mini fruit market with tons of variety, because I’d have it no other way; Sometimes, for the insta, I’ll go all out and chopped, sliced, fanned, and enticingly; Now that the temperatures are dropping, I’ve found myself craving warm, melty fruity toppings as opposed to the crisper (and often frozen) crunchy fruit that was the staple of summer for me. In a small pot, bring the fruit to a slight boil in tea or water with tons of warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, Chinese five-spice) until piping hot and syrupy)

+Dry-roasted nuts & seeds (Bought in bulk (raw) and roasted with all different kinds of spices, some sweet and some savory; Delicious as a breakfast add in, convenient snack or addition to a cheese platter or salad.)

+ Spices (Yes. I’m weird. I season my yogurt, oatmeal, and fruit. It brings out in-depth fruity flavors, makes each day a little different, and why not? You season every other meal, right? )

 + TEA (Essential. Interchangeable with coffee, often is combined as a dirty tea latte, or tea followed by coffee, or coffee followed by a tea latte…..(I’m not an avid fan of either beverage, as you can tell.)

A project? Only to get the essentials prepared.

After that, it’s a guarantee that my morning starts off on the right note , my nutritious nom-nom Namaste, as it were.