In this section I try to get unconventional with the way I view food. I love to eat, so, in order to get the extra pudge off and keep it off, unachieved success required a different way of looking at what and how I ate. Here are some of my new ways to view meals:

I just had my breakfast, but you wouldn’t think it was early morning, judging by what I consumed.

I had three romaine leaves covered with 3.5 oz. cooked chicken pieces and a tablespoon of champagne vinaigrette drizzled over the top. It gave me the protein necessary to start my fat-burning metabolism first thing in the morning, very important, and help keep my satiety level up ‘til lunch time, if I didn’t have a mid-morning snack.

Are you frequently rushed in the morning, either getting kids off to school, or you’re running late for appointments of one sort or another?  Maybe you slept in longer to get a bit more shut-eye and you decided sleeping was more important than eating?  I know, sleep is ultra-important, but not at the risk of skipping breakfast. There’s a reason why they say it’s the most important meal of the day. Getting that metabolism going and feeling full so you don’t gorge yourself at noon are just two reasons. Did you know you can burn more calories during the day if you eat breakfast? It’s that kick start your metabolism needs.

I often have lunch for breakfast. My mind can wrap around the concept quite nicely, thank heaven.  Often it is what is available, often it is what I can get quickly when I don’t have time to cook even an egg in the morning.

It’s important when dieting to get out of old paradigms about what’s appropriate to eat at certain meals. What works best for you?  What will fuel you best throughout your day? If you don’t have time in the morning,  find time in advance to cook some lean anti-biotic hormone-free protein you can pair with some veggies, like spinach or dark green lettuce leaves for healthy and quick wraps. I’ve gotten the crock pot going in the afternoon when coming home so the chicken breasts are ready for refrigeration or freezing for later use by bedtime.  Then I’m set to go when the alarm goes off.

My mom refuses to eat wilted lettuce. I take salad home from a restaurant to eat the next day. Sure, it’s soggy, but I don’t mind. It’s a matter of not wanting to waste your greens. But I understand if you can’t quite go there with me.

If you want to make a big salad you know you’ll have leftovers for the following day, consider Bok Choy. It has an extra-crunchy stalk, and sort of leathery leaves, which hold up well for a next-day nosh.  This Bok Choy salad has often been breakfast or lunch fare for me next day:

Bok Choy Salad

1 head bok choy chopped

6 green onions sliced thin, including tips

½ cup slivered almonds, or whole if preferred, toasted

½ cup sesame seeds, combine normal and black if you can find, slightly toasted

1 T healthy oil such as flax or sesame oil.  Both have strong flavors, so if they are too much for you, consider a lighter, but healthy oil such as an expeller-pressed oil.

1 to 1 ½  tsp stevia, or to taste for sweetness, granular or liquid

2 ½ T fresh lemon juice

1 T Bragg Liquid Aminos

Combine the oil, stevia, lemon juice and Bragg for dressing, toast the almonds and sesame seeds lightly in 400-degree oven until lightly browned, watch carefully. Toss all ingredients together.

This is a great light breakfast if you’re not into a heavy morning meal.  The almonds provide you with a protein source and more;  the deep greens of the bok choy give you vitamin C, vitamin A and many phytonutrients.

I’m not crazy (well, maybe a little), but I’m not worried about what others believe  Being close to sixty is very liberating. You begin to not care what others think, you begin to see what works for you in spite of anyone else’s raised eyebrows.  Here are a few more unconventional first meals of the day:

— Lean fish or meat very small portion, rolled up with bibb or green leaf lettuce and light cilantro mayo.

–Tabbouleh and a handful of raw nuts. Walnuts provide vitamin E, and are rich with antioxidents and anti-inflammatorys. Almonds are also full of E, manganese, and a host of other nutrients.

–The perennial favorite: green smoothie, with a combination of the following ingredients: 3-4 lettuce leaves-your choice, two different packaged green powders for nutritional variety, occasionally berries, flax seed, hemp seed, chia seed, powdered Kombu (a seaweed, huge in multitudinous nutrients).

I know, crazy, right? But whatever works for you, some variation perhaps on some of these themes. These options are faster than cooking an egg, and can serve as nutritious starts to your day. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Have fun opening up to new dining possibilities.

One Thought on “Lunch for Breakfast”

  • My amused takeaway here is that your mother is a wilted lettuce wussy! Not sure why that delights me!

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