Cherish and Nourish: Breakfast

 

Note: Over the next week, I’m going to take you with me on a meander through my day. No two days look alike around here, but this will give you a glimpse on my daily rituals of cherishing life. I do this very imperfectly. I would love to hear about your own rituals in the comments. And don’t forget to check out my favorite resources on the bottom of these posts. 

A big part of cherishing is it’s companion word, nourish. We in America, are largely a diet culture, a constant cycle of deprivation and overeating. We see food as the enemy, fuel, a cocktail of macronutrients, a means to an end. Few of us are able to see it for what it was intended: nourishment.

This is something I’m trying to change in my home. Sitting down to savor instead of rushing through meals. Eating foods that will make us feel well instead of foods that give us a headache or make us feel bloated. Not eating on the go on a regular basis: at the kitchen counter or in the car. Serving foods that are rich in nutrition, not just empty calories. Using real, whole foods as much as possible. Realizing that treats are to be special, not consumed so often they are no longer treats.

Yeah, it’s not easy. But very worth it. At least, that’s what I’m hoping while embarking on this journey.

We start with breakfast, breaking the fast of our sleeping hours. We tend to do a few breakfasts often, so I put the breakfast recipes in front of my recipe binder so I can flip to them easily without doing an alphabetical search. Sundays are busy getting ready for church, so I either make granola or buy cereal for everyone to serve themselves. If I’m lucky, there will be some left over for Tuesday, another busy morning in our house.

Mondays, I almost always serve some type of eggs with oatmeal. Two of my kids like scrambled and two like fried. Sometimes I do a frittata or omelets if I have some leftover ham. Wednesdays, we are usually in the mood for something sweet like pancakes, waffles or muffins. Thursdays and Fridays, I will make eggs and oatmeal again or give everyone the choice of leftover pancakes or waffles from the freezer.

I’ve found that eggs and/or oatmeal is the best breakfast for my body. I am most nourished when I stick to that breakfast. On days when I indulge in the kids’ baked oatmeal or pancakes or muffins, I do not eat as well and I don’t feel as well. This is part of the journey of nourishing ourselves and being aware of what we choose to put into our bodies.

Sometimes we serve ourselves. Usually I cook. I am fairly confident that my older two could handle eggs on their own. My oldest can probably make any breakfast I do if she were motivated enough. She has done them all at least once. My younger two are the smoothie makers. They can mix up a protein shake or a strawberry yogurt smoothie. They love to help.

On mornings that are a little less rushed, we sometimes like to do a “brunch” or what we call “French breakfast”. No matter what the meal, I serve it in three courses. We take our time and may end with a cup of tea. The French usually save their courses for lunch and dinner, but we Americanized it a bit. 🙂

Saturday mornings are the best for breakfast because Dad is home. He usually takes charge of the breakfast and we fill in the extra things like making toast or setting the table or chopping. His specialty is Bacon, Eggs, Toast and Hashbrowns. He is also a better waffle maker than I am. I mix up the batter, but he mans the waffle machine. When it comes to Biscuits and Gravy, though, he leaves it up to me. That’s one recipe I learned from my mom that I can do decently well.

My kids love to tell the story about the time I made soaked baked oatmeal on a Sunday morning. It was one of my ventures into crunchy, healthy cooking. It was extremely healthy and nutritious.  I was running around preparing for church and my husband came down, got a bowl and took a taste. He looked around the table at our children picking at their healthy breakfast and asked, “Do you like this?” They did not, but were eating it as the only breakfast choice I had given them, bless their hearts. He took away their bowls and replaced them with a slices of leftover chocolate cake from the night before. He received Bill Cosby fame, and I kept my health nut status. Along with a large pan of oatmeal to eat on my own.

This post is making me hungry. I think today I’ll make some oatmeal on the stove cooked in almond milk instead of water with some chia seeds, blueberries and a little coconut sugar. I’ll probably have to make some eggs for the kids, too. Scrambled for two and fried for the other two. Bon appetit!

Resources for Nourishment and Breakfast:

Favorite Recipes:

Money Saving Mom Breakfast recipes

Heavenly Homemaker Breakfast recipes

Books:

French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano Note: This author does not write from a Christian perspective, so there may be some language or references to non-Christian practices in the book. I like the message of the book as it regards to food.

 

Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist Note: I do not advocate drinking wine. I like this book for the message of savoring life around the table. 

And on why food may be more than just a collection of nutrients, this video I found via Ann Voskamp:

Francine’s Story