Fixing Breakfast: A Deliciously Sensible Solution

            On Monday, we told you that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. On Wednesday, we illuminated the cost of living an unhealthy lifestyle. So today, we are adding it all up to give you a power breakfast recipe that takes less than five minutes to make.

            At the outset, this wouldn't appear to be a life-changing breakfast, but remember, every decision you make affects your health. So dump the breakfast sausages, the pancakes, the waffles, the sugary cereals and the bagels for a super-charged meal that will kick-start your day and your metabolism.

The strawberry-blueberry-banana oatmeal 

            Some people are scared of oatmeal based on its mushy, porridge-like appearance, but don't judge a surprisingly delicious meal by its gooey, bumpy “cover.” With both big names and store-brands making a wide array of flavored instant oatmeal, there's an option for every taste (even chocolate!).

            Our favorite oatmeal comes from the lovely people at Trader Joe's, although we can't settle on a flavor though– it's between maple syrup, apple cinnamon, blueberry and cranberry. Anyway, let's get to the recipe:

           

What you'll need:

            5 fresh strawberries (we used five because we are greedy in the morning, but 3-4 would do just fine) (1 cups, 49 calories)

            1 banana (105 calories)

            2 packets of instant oatmeal (one is not enough for an adult) We used Trader Joe's  Instant Whole Grain Oatmeal with Blueberries, but you can use any flavor. If you make it with Trader Joe's maple syrup oatmeal, this will taste like strawberry-banana pancakes without the guilt and the boatload of calories. Some nutritionists may argue that the flavoring just adds empty calories to the oatmeal, but we love the flavors (160 calories per packet X 2= 360)

            A bowl

            A knife

            A spoon

            A microwave or a stove

What to do:

            Because every instant oatmeal is different, check the box to see the cooking instructions, then follow them.

            While your oatmeal or water is heating up, slice the strawberries and the banana into little pieces. We dice our strawberries and slice our banana, however there is no wrong way to do this, that is, unless you forget to cut the fruit.

            Once the oatmeal or water is done, signaled by the teapot screaming or the microwave beeping, add the mixture of fruit and oatmeal together and Ta-Da, you're power breakfast is ready for consumption. On second thought, maybe let the oatmeal cool off a bit.

            Yes, this is simple and really healthy, and you might already know about it. So why are we explaining how to make fruit and oatmeal? Because it's the little steps that can make the big differences when it comes to your health. And yet people continue to eat bacon and sausage for breakfast as if the world was running out of it.

            If the convenience of being able to make a powerful, healthy meal in five minutes doesn’t sell you, well here are several reasons why oatmeal should be a daily occurrence for you and your family.

            The soluble fiber found in oatmeal can reduce LDL’s (the kind of cholesterol you don’t want), while not affecting the HDL’s (the kind you do want). This means that rather than building up little bacon-induced plaque walls in your blood stream at the breakfast table, you could actually be combating heart disease.

            By allowing you to feel full longer than a normal breakfast, oatmeal can help you lose weight, cutting down on snacking and cutting out the need for a mid-morning meal before lunch.

            Oatmeal contains a ton of vitamins and minerals including Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Beta-Carotene as well as a large amount of antioxidants.

            No matter what age you are– college, kindergarten, professional, retired or elderly– oatmeal is a great habit to adopt today. Give it a chance this weekend and let us know what you think. It’ll be good for you.