Healthy Food I Like: Breakfast

Calling a food “healthy” is loaded. Everyone has a different opinion about what is healthy. Low carb. Low fat. Vegetarian. Standard American. Mediterranean. But one thing is true, no matter the source: whole, real food.

An example is breakfast this morning.

1. Three farm fresh eggs from humanely raised chickens from my friend’s local farm. (The chickens live in what she calls “the chicken mansion” and they eat the best fruit!)

2. Cooked in extra virgin olive oil.

3. Sprinkled with turmeric, which is savory and reduces inflammation (which is the root cause of many diseases and problems).

4. Sungold tomatoes, organically grown in my back yard.

5. Plus 2 leaves of basil and some pinches of sorel, both grown on my deck in pots.

Delicious. Nutritious. Simple. Enjoy!

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Blue Diamond Almond Products

There are several almond products that I like and I just noticed that they are all made by the same company: Blue Diamond Growers.

I started with their Roasted Almonds with Sea Salt that come in a plastic “can” that is shaped more like a coffee cup than your typical jar of nuts. So they fit perfectly in your car cup holder. I like to keep them in my car to help me avoid drive-thru windows and other quickie snacks when I am out and about in the car and get hungry. They are so yummy and good for you!

I also really like their Nut-Thins crackers, which I started buying when I was eating gluten free. (Not doing that anymore, thank goodness!) You can eat something like 16 crackers as a serving and they only have about 150 calories and they are really delicious. I had them at a dinner party as an appetizer with cheese and everyone loved them. Even though I’m not eating gluten-free anymore, I still buy them. I like the pecan ones.

And I also like their Almond Milk. You can get it sweetened or unsweetened. Both are really good. The unsweetened has less calories since it doesn’t have the sugar. You can keep the milk on the shelf until you open it, so I like to keep it for when I run out of regular cow’s milk. Then I drink the carton before getting more milk. It’s great in cereal and coffee too!

Learn more about the products here. Enjoy!

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Design Your Own … Cereal

Yes, that’s right. In case you are sick of standing in the cereal aisle reading all the labels trying to figure out what you will really be eating out of that box, now there is a better way: custom choice cereal. Snack Girl tells all about it at her blog (& gives you the chance to win a free bag). Check it out!

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Update: Only 7 more pounds to go!

So I lost another post-partum pound and can now fit back into my looser pre-pregnancy jeans. Yay! But as you can see from my exercise log, I haven’t been exercising that much. So what has caused the lost pound? I think my gluten-free diet has played a large part.

I am eating gluten-free at the advice of my lactation consultant, but there are certainly weight loss benefits. For example, when I go to Starbucks for a coffee or chai latte, I can’t get a scone to go with it. In fact, there is almost nothing gluten-free there. The same is true at Dunkin’ Donuts. A drive-thru coffee doesn’t also result in a chocolate cake donut.

I can’t fix a quick dinner of frozen or delivery pizza. No brownies or cookies at my friend’s dinner party. No cereal bars when running out the door late for some appointment. The result: I eat less snacks, treats, and junk.

And I lost another pound!

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Quick, Healthy, Frozen, Heat-in-the-Microwave Food? Really.

Yes, really. It’s Amy’s. I discovered it a few years ago when I lived in Manhattan and was working crazy hours. I was getting tired of take-out and sometimes just wanted to eat without having to call and wait for the food. But I was busy and tired and had an incredibly small Manhattan-apartment kitchen. And Amy’s saved the day.

All of their products are vegetarian and contain ingredients that are organic and there are no genetically-modified ingredients. And unlike most frozen dinners, they aren’t really high in sodium and preservatives either.  Plus, they have gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan varieties. Don’t let the vegetarian part make you think you aren’t interested if you aren’t vegetarian. My husband is a meat-and-potatoes guy and he likes Amy’s.

You can learn more about Amy’s at their website, including where to buy their products and even try out the Amy’s Diet Plan (which is kinda like NutriSystem but organic).

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Quick & Easy Gluten-free Breakfast

My friend Lizette knows that I am trying to eat gluten-free these days, so she offered up a quick and easy breakfast that sounds delicious so I wanted to share it with you too! Here it is, in her own words:

1 ripe banana
1-2 tbsp of peanut butter (for me whether I use 1 or 2 depends on my meal plan/calories for the rest of the day)
1 container stoneyfield farms organic non-fat chocolate underground yogurt or their Greek yogurt brand chocolate indulgence flavor

Mash all 3 together and enjoy. I usually put grape nuts over it, but since that is not gluten free, it really is good without it too!

Doesn’t that sound good, and really easy? One of the things I really like about this recipe is the number of variations you could have to offer control over flavor and number of calories. As Lizette suggested, you can use whatever yogurt you like, which means it could be fat-free or full fat, sugar free or with sugar, and any flavor you like.

As for the crunchy topping, Udi’s makes a great granola that I think would be a perfect gluten-free topping.

Thanks Lizette. Enjoy!

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Actually Delicious Gluten-Free Bread: Udi’s

As I mentioned earlier, I am eating a gluten-free diet these days. What is a gluten-free diet? According to the Mayo Clinic:

“A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye.”

So what exactly must one avoid? A lot. The Mayo Clinic continues:

Always avoid
In order to avoid eating gluten, avoid food and drinks containing:

• Barley
• Bulgur
• Durham
• Farina
• Graham flour
• Kamut
• Matzo meal
• Rye
• Semolina
• Spelt (a form of wheat)
• Triticale
• Wheat

Avoid unless labeled ‘gluten free’
Avoid these foods unless they’re labeled as gluten free or made with corn, rice, soy or other gluten-free grain. Also check the label to see that they’re processed in a facility that is free of wheat or other contaminating products:

• Beers
• Breads
• Candies
• Cakes and pies
• Cereals
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Croutons
• Gravies
• Imitation meats or seafood
• Oats
• Pastas
• Processed luncheon meats
• Salad dressings
• Sauces (including soy sauce)
• Self-basting poultry
• Soups

Isn’t that everything a person eats, you may ask. It may seem so in the beginning, but after rethinking diet and looking for great products, there are lots of things to eat. For example, I finally found a brand of gluten-free bread that is actually good and has the consistency of bread made from wheat.

I can say that “I LOVE UDI’S.” And thank you to my sister-in-law Cindy for introducing me to it. I can now have sandwiches that I enjoy instead of being relegated to gluten-free crackers, of which there are many great brands (more on those in a later post).

You can learn more about Udi’s at their website and even print a coupon and find a store that sells their products.

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