I have long wanted a better routine for my days. At one point I was determined to do so, but alas, life got in the way and I lost the motivation. I am now in a place where these goals are reachable and I am learning not to waste this opportunity!
I have two alarms on my phone for waking up. Admittedly, I am still using the last, final one because I simply am not sleeping well enough to get up at the earlier time and I feel very justified in that extra 45 minutes. My goal is to change this as soon as possible. I think, if I can sleep better and longer, and wake up just a tiny bit earlier, I can grab that quick walk in the mornings.
For now, I am at least getting out of bed. Not that I didn’t before for the most part, but when I did so I’d go straight to the computer, log in to work and just start working. I might have brushed my teeth, or I may have waited until I finally ate something around 11, who knows. But not much else productive was happening.
I have developed bags under my eyes in the past 2 years. I know this is aging, but I have not done much to prevent it. I have gained weight and I feel horrible. I lose my breath easily; even just carrying something up a flight of stairs. It’s bad. I have lost a lot of confidence in myself. I am in no way interested in dating at this time, but I at least want to look and feel good and presentable to the world.
I get up. I make my bed.
I brush my teeth and either take a full shower if it’s hair day, or at the minimum a quick shower to clean and refresh my body.
I get dressed! No more living in pajamas and wearing the same underwear for 2 days at a time (so gross, I know, but I’m being completely honest with where I’ve been.) And yes, I was disgusted with myself which didn’t help with the depression or lack of motivation.
I come downstairs and tend to my cats. I turn on my computer so I can be ready to start my work day. In the meantime, I eat breakfast. I actually eat breakfast at a normal breakfast-eating time. And it’s amazing how it’s changed my eating habits. Before I’d eat maybe 2 meals a day, sometimes less. It’s not healthy and it makes your metabolism sloooooooooow down. Now I am hungry for lunch and dinner and I feel better treating my body this way.
Of course, I am still health-oriented, but I have been super slack with the white carbs and ice cream, so it is time to reign it in.
Here are my current go-to breakfasts:
- Oatmeal cooked with almond milk and chia seeds. Toppings can vary between dried fruit, fresh or frozen fruit (just depends on what I have), honey, brown sugar, and nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, etc. Sometimes I’ll get frisky and throw on some shredded coconut. There really is no way to mess this up.
- Bob Mill’s 7-Grain hot cereal with almond milk and chia seeds. All the above toppings apply here as well. Sometimes I even mix the hot cereal with the oatmeal.
- Hot cereal pancakes with fresh fruit or a compote, or pure maple syrup. Always incorporate chia seeds as much as possible into your foods as it helps boost metabolism. The best way to get good results is to use an immersion blender to really grind up those raw oatmeal flakes. You can add milk, vanilla, all the stuff, but truly all you need is enough eggs to get the same consistency and you will have protein-packed pancakes.
- Plain grits with scrambled egg(s) and cheese. YUM!
- An oldie but a goodie: breakfast quesadillas. I prefer the almond tortillas as they are healthy and delicious, but I’ve used all kinds of tortillas and they always come out good. I simply use a small pan to cook a scrambled egg into a disc the size of the tortilla, add some cheese, fold it into a taco, and heat both sides briefly in the pan so that the cheese melts and everything sticks together. Serve with salsa and anything else you like.
- Protein shakes. I used to make these every morning when I went to the office. They are super healthy and versatile. I have gotten away from this because they can be too sweet sometimes, but there are ways to make them to your liking. My typical recipe called for vanilla whey protein powder, almond milk, and fruits such as banana, strawberry, and blueberry were my go-to. A good idea is to use both fresh and frozen fruits so that you get that cool, shake-like consistency. Don’t forget the chai seeds, sliced almonds, and most importantly the raw spinach. Delicious. The great thing about smoothies is there are so many options for mixing up the flavor profiles, so just play around and have fun with it. See what you like.
- Fresh fruit. Either alone or on top of yogurt or cottage cheese (or on those pancakes-yum!) Add honey, don’t add honey- you choose. This is usually in addition to something else on this list. This is not a viable meal alone but is a good snack.
- Don’t forget breakfast doesn’t have to be breakfast food. Leftovers work fine, and one of my favorites is when I have leftover brisket such as corned beef. I will add a sunny-up egg or two and some tomatoes and avocado to the plate, and man is that good!
- Yes, yes, avocado toast. Bougie but delicious and has been around a lot longer than people realize, I think. My simple recipe is to mash the avocado in a small bowl and add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a splash of lemon juice. Butter your toast and slather on the avocado spread. Top however you desire, if you so desire. I don’t always but some yummy toppings include tomato, sprouts, chia seeds and/or sunflower seeds, other nuts….go nuts!
I am hoping to expand this list as time goes by. Right now just deciding what to eat can be exhausting so I don’t want to push myself and get overwhelmed. I am happy with my short breakfast list for now.
I have always been a water drinker, and I feel it is so vital and important to your health. A person should be drinking half their body weight in ounces a day. Yeah, it’s a lot, especially if you’re chunky like me, but as your weight normalizes you will adjust the number of ounces. I do not drink enough. 20 years ago I did not care for water much, and if you are one of those people, I promise if you drink good, quality water (distilled is best) you will get used to it and learn to love it. Add some flavor if you need to, but get that water down.
Most mornings I start with my meds and vitamins with some tepid water. Warm water is good for you too. Then I make a cup of tea and add a drop of anxiety soother. I have lots of tea flavors to choose from and usually go plain or add some honey. I still love coffee, but right now I am really into my teas. I wanted to post a picture of my tea and coffee bar (and my cats who are my saving grace), but alas, WordPress is reminding me that I pretty much used up all my media space during the years I was foodie blogging. I intend to remedy this at some point, but in the meantime, I don’t want to mess with all the recipes I’ve posted.
I haven’t been posting as much as I thought I would, partly due to certain limitations. Also, I disappeared for a long time. and I remember from experience the first time around, it takes time to build an audience. Don’t give up on me, please, because I won’t!
Bless you all and I hope you have a lovely Memorial Day weekend!
The Home Heart 