The Perfect Breakfast

As many of you probably realize by now, I've decided to become a vegan (for the most part, more on that later) which officially began December 27, 2009. I had seen this little ad on Facebook about a "21-Day Vegan Kickstart" with a picture of Alicia Silverstone. Out of curiosity, I clicked on it to see what it was all about. After looking it over and contemplating whether or not this would be a good idea for me, I chose to give it a shot. Figured it was only 21 days, I can do anything for 21 days! I didn't come into it already a vegetarian, although I was eating probably in the area of 75% vegetarian meals. I haven't been really big on dairy for quite sometime, especially milk, so that wasn't a really big deal to me.

For the 21 days, I stayed 100% on the vegan path (excluding a food or two that I didn't realize was 100% vegan, such as carob chips that I had put in a homemade trail mix). What I did give up and wasn't completely thrilled about giving up was my Shakeology (it has whey protein powder, which is not vegan). I decided that the health benefits of Shakeology was too great to eliminate forever and I did really notice it not being a significant part of my diet. So, since my 21-Day Vegan Kickstart ended, I did bring it back into my diet, which has given me more energy and healthier, thicker hair (that is important, you know!).

Well, the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart is back, which started March 1st. Although I still consider myself vegan, I recommitted to the Kickstart because it is really fun, informative and you get to meet lots of great people. Through this, I found this wonderful blog called "Healthy, Green and Frugal" written by a fellow Rebecca. She has such a fun outlook and writing style, plus some fabulous recipes. My favorite, and the real topic of this blog, is her recipe "The Perfect Breakfast". I saw that recipe and just knew I had to try it! You can click on the link to see her recipe, and I am listing it below with a couple additions I've added, just for my own liking.

* Red Mill Organic Whole Grain High Fiber Hot Cereal
* a fresh cut-up banana
* walnuts
* dried cranberries sweetened with cane sugar
(not high-fructose corn syrup)
* drizzle of flax oil
my additions:
* cinnamon
* 1 t. agave nectar
* splash unsweetened almond milk
* 1/2 scoop Beachbody Vanilla Protein Powder

Make the cereal as directed on package, then add all the ingredients to bowl afterwards.

This cereal is the perfect breakfast for a few reasons:

1. The protein in the breakfast keeps you satisfied longer, as well as building important, fat burning muscles.
2. The high fiber makes you feel full as well as keeping things moving, if you know what I mean. :)
3. The fruit adds important vitamins and minerals; the banana adds potassium, which helps keep blood pressure steady, lowers anxiety, boosts metabolism and acts as an electrolyte, just to name a few. The cranberries have anti-inflammatory properties, may help prevent a variety of cancers and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, probiotics, polyphenols, flavonoids and fiber.
4. The walnuts are high in omega-3's and heart protective monounsaturated fats. They are extremely good for your brain (ever look at a walnut? It even looks a bit like the lobes of the brain!) as well as for your heart.
5. Flax oil is also high in omega-3's, which are extremely important for the anti-inflammatory benefits. It's also excellent for preventing high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, eye diseases and diabetes.
6. Cinnamon should be eaten in something everyday, because it helps keep blood sugar stable. It also boosts the activity of the brain, helps to remove blood impurities, helps to prevent infections and aids in digestion.
7. Agave nectar is lower on the glycemic index than any other sweetener, which makes it an excellent substitute for any sweetener. It also has anti-inflammatory benefits and immune boosting properties.
8. Almond milk is rich in magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, and calcium.
9. The protein powder just gives you some more protein to help you feel full longer, build muscle and it contains the highest concentration of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) of any single protein source.

As you can see, this is nothing short of pure nutrition. I've been eating it most days and really, really love it. I'd love to hear what you think about it and ways you end up making it your own.

Enjoy!