Healthy breakfast- starting your day off right!

Seems like in general breakfast advice has ranged from it being "the most important meal of the day" to "skip breakfast all together and restrict your eating to a smaller window of time." 

I'm in the camp of applauding breakfast as being our first attempt each day to include the nutrients that will bless our bodies and help them accomplish all we need them to do. 

Protein is important to help us maintain muscle mass and it also leads to us feeling fuller throughout the day and breakfast is a good time to get started eating protein. I enjoyed this article shared on Livestrong and hope it gives you some ideas for some healthier breakfasts. If you are in a rut of eating the same cereal, protein shake or bar etc for breakfast I am hoping this gives you a chance to look more carefully at starting your day with real food including some quality protein and at least one serving of fruit or vegetables. Let me know if you try and enjoy any of these recipes. Chia pudding is one of my favorite breakfast dishes. 

10 High-Protein Breakfasts That Aren't Eggs

By Kate Bratskeir

Updated Oct 20, 2023

Visit Page https://thelemonbowl.com

You know you need protein in the morning to feed your hardworking muscles and to help keep blood sugar levels stable throughout the day. While eggs are a popular choice — for good reason — eating eggs every day for every morning meal can get tired, fast.

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be all eggs all the time. There are plenty of other high-quality protein options to revive your a.m. meals into ones you'll wan to wake up for.

To get the scoop on amping up that morning protein, we tapped two registered dietitians to share protein-rich breakfast recipes that aren't made with eggs. Keep reading to learn more.

1. Breakfast Quinoa Oatmeal

Quinoa and other whole grains can help reduce the risk of some chronic diseases, per the USDA. Quinoa has more protein than oatmeal and can even be pre-cooked and frozen in advance, so you can make this recipe with minimal time and prep," Harlow says.

If you decide to go the apple route for toppings (there are so many options!) you'll get an extra crunchy sweetness, plus a boost of fiber.

‌Get the Breakfast Quinoa Oatmeal recipe from Feel Good Foodie. ‌

2. Peach Parfait 

Depending on the type you buy, Greek yogurt can be a wonderful source of protein. When shopping for groceries, read labels and look for Greek yogurt without any added sugars — you can sweeten your morning mixture yourself with delicious fruit.

This peach parfait looks exquisite as is, but don't be afraid to veer outside of peaches depending on the season; berries (frozen or fresh) can be a great addition to your mornings, adding extra fiber to keep you full until lunchtime.

‌Get the Peach Parfait recipe from Love and Zest. ‌

3. Blueberry Chia Smoothie

"Kefir is an excellent way to get in your daily dose of probiotics to keep your gut healthy," Elise Harlow, RDN of The Flourished Table says. "Kefir actually has more probiotics than yogurt."

‌Get the Blueberry Chia Smoothie recipe from Love and Zest.‌

4. High Protein Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats

No cooking, 22 grams of protein and a nutritionist-approved dessert-for-breakfast flavor? This recipe pretty much has it all.The unsung hero of this chocolatey morning meal is cottage cheese, which contributes to its high protein count and creamy texture. Just mix all of the ingredients up in a jar and refrigerate over night. Come morning, your delicious fuel will be ready for you.

‌Get the High Protein Chocolate Banana Overnight Oats recipe and nutrition info from Love and Zest. ‌

5. 5-Minute Glowing Green Smoothie

Getting enough veggies in the day can be hard enough, so adding them to a smoothie is a great way to reach that daily goal. "Spinach is a great one to add to smoothies because it blends well and does not change the flavor very much, if at all," Harlow says.

Get the 5-Minute Glowing Green Smoothie recipe and nutrition info from Real Food Whole Life. ‌

6. Protein Chia Pudding

This gorgeous breakfast pudding packs in a whopping 19 grams of protein, thanks to the yogurt and protein powder. Beyond their fun texture, the chia seeds provide a great source of healthy omega-3 fats that can help reduce your risk of heart disease, per the American Heart Association 

Those omega-3 fatty acids can also help to fight inflammation, Harlow says.

‌Get the Protein Chia Pudding recipe from Eating Bird Food. ‌

7. Apple Cinnamon Protein Pancakes

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These apple cinnamon pancakes clock in at 14.1 grams of protein per serving, so they're sure to keep mid-day snacking at bay. "Oats are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which is the kind that helps lower cholesterol. Grinding them into flour results in a fluffier pancake," Nicole Rodriguez, RD says.

‌

8. Avocado Toast With Cottage Cheese and Tomatoes

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When it comes to cottage cheese, Rodriguez suggests looking for a no-salt-added variety, so you can have more flexibility with toppings. "Avocado is a smart pairing for satiety, but also aids absorption of the lycopene, a potent antioxidant found in tomatoes," she says.

‌Get the Avocado Toast With Cottage Cheese and Tomatoes recipe and nutrition info from The Lemon Bowl.‌

9. Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie

Visit Page https://www.sixsistersstuff.com

To make this smoothie even more filling, add a scoop of protein powder or a heart-healthy fat like peanut butter or avocado, Rodriguez suggests. "Depending on your needs, you might also consider increasing complex carbs by adding 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats.”  

‌Get the Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie recipe and nutritional info from Six Sisters Stuff.‌

10. Protein Granola Breakfast Bowl

Visit Page https://dishingouthealth.com

Granola can be loaded with calories, so consider limiting this bowl topping to 1/4 cup, Rodriguez suggests. "And because there's no nutritional difference between organic and other yogurts, choose yours based on taste preference."

‌Get the Protein Granola Breakfast Bowl recipe and nutritional info from Dishing Out Health.‌

For each day this week that you make sure you have good quality protein and at least one fruit or vegetable in your daily breakfast you can claim the 5 daily bonus points for a total of 35 for the week 

Celebrating Yourself and Others

Whether it is you that has accomplished something wonderful or when you are applauding the achievement of a grandchild, neighbor, friend or spouse-- celebrations are fun! 

But it seems the default way to celebrate is with sugary foods. You got an A on your report card, finished that big project you were working on, won the race, earned a promotion.... let's bake a cake, go out for ice cream, enjoy some cookies. 

My ministering sister stopped by this week for a sweet visit and she brought a pretty bag of fancy chocolates. And I recognize the effort for what it was. A kind acknowledgment of friendship and caring. But are there other ways to express this?

As a parent or grandparent, friend and neighbor and even for our own selves we often kick up the fun and celebration by enjoying a fun dessert.  It's an easy way to set this time aside as something "special". But there are other ways to celebrate. Let's look at this list and see if there isn't something we can use to reward ourselves or those we love. 

1. Manicure- Give yourself or loved one a manicure or pedicure (or go out and enjoy a professional one). Maybe even paint the nails in a way that commemorates what you are celebrating. 

2. Read or re-read a favorite book. If you are celebrating with a grandchild why not bring a new or used book wrapped in pretty paper and read it together?" I heard you got a ribbon in swim lessons and I wanted to celebrate by reading you one of my favorite stories." You can embellish by wearing a costume (just a funny hat?) or doing funny voices while reading. Or go to the library to peruse and check out something wonderful. 

3. Bubble bath. Draw one for yourself, spouse or grandchild. Or for the grands offer glow in the dark sticks to play with in the bath tub. 

4. Listen to your favorite music. Share it with family or friends. Have a one song dance party to celebrate an accomplishment. "Aunt Suzy just got promoted at work let's put on her favorite song and DANCE"

5. Walk or Bike. "Honey I'm so proud of you let's go on a long walk." "You got an A on your math exam- family bike ride time!"

6. Get artistic. "Grandpa just got a hole in one. Let's all paint, draw, sketch... him a congratulations card!" Or grab the supplies and do a YouTube drawing tutorial together to celebrate someone's accomplishment. 

7.  Give service. Your brother Mike just scored a goal - let's wash and vacuum his car for him. Jennifer earned good grades on her report card let's wash her sheets and make her bed. 

8. Have a tiny tea party. Herbal tea, honey or real sugar cubes, and fancy tea cups. "I'm so happy you did well at your piano recital- let's get fancy and have tea together and you can tell me all about it."

9. Photo time. Of course we take photos at our relative's ball games, chorus recitals and school plays but let's take a photo of Jimmy holding his excellent math paper, Grandpa standing in the garage he just cleaned out, or Duke showing his screen when he's done 100 days of duolingo, 

10. Light candles. This one is so easy. You might even have a favorite scent or container and designate this candle the one you light when someone you love has done something worth celebrating. Or maybe a candlelight dinner is your way to say hoorah to someone you love that has excelled in some way. 

11. Enjoy your (or your neighbors) pets. Woot Woot! You finished that project. Let's walk the dog or play fetch or pet the cat!

12. Play a board or card game. "Becky made us so proud today. She gets to choose a game to play after dinner."

13. Massage. Get a professional one to celebrate. Or give one. "You did so well today Cathy. Sit down I'm giving you my deluxe foot massage."

14. Plants. Commemorate an accomplishment by planting something beautiful in your yard or by gathering or even purchasing a bouquet. 

15. Decorate. Celebrate with balloons, streamers, poster or even a special place setting. When I was raising my children we had a red plate that said "You are Special on it" and serving dinner to the family member on that plate applauded their accomplishment. 

Those are just a few ways to celebrate. Please feel free to add your favorite non-food ways to celebrate and share them in the comments. And what is our challenge?

Find an accomplishment (your own or someone you love) this week that you might normally celebrate with dessert and find a different way to commemorate the accomplishment. Do that and earn our 35 weekly bonus points. 

The refrigerator where most of your healthiest foods reside

 

A Sparkling Clean Refrigerator and freezer 

I don’t know about you but I have favorite household jobs (I actually love cooking, vacuuming, doing dishes and making my bed) and those I dread (for me it’s folding and putting away laundry and cleaning out the refrigerator) 

And so to perhaps just to get myself to do a sparkling clean and thorough job of cleaning out my refrigerator I’ve decided to make that our challenge for the upcoming week. The following information comes from Web MD (and yes I love that it quotes the American Dietetic Association) 

What's lurking in your fridge?

         Does evil lurk behind the door of your refrigerator? The last time you cleaned out your fridge, did you find a science experiment growing on last week's leftovers?

         According to the experts, the home kitchen is a Petri dish for food-borne illness. In fact, what we often mistake for an upset stomach or the flu is often a mild form of food poisoning.

         According to the February 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, "food-borne diseases are estimated to cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year."

         These bacteria, viruses, and parasites pose health risks for all of us, but especially for pregnant and lactating women, young children, the elderly, and anyone with an immune-deficiency disease.

         The good news is that up to 25% of the outbreaks can be prevented with safer practices in the home.

So how do you make sure the food in your refrigerator is safe? Let's start with the basics:

         1. Clean out the fridge every week or two, using a mild solution of bleach and water (Yikes I know it has been longer than two weeks for mine)

         2. Wipe up any spills in your refrigerator immediately, to prevent cross-contamination.

         3. Use all food by its expiration or "use-by" date.

         Food that is labeled with a "sell-by" date should be used within five days of that date.

         It's also important to examine food for any signs of deterioration before you prepare it. When food starts to deteriorate, it often looks and/or smells bad.

         But unfortunately, some foods can appear perfectly good even when they are full of dangerous organisms. So when in doubt, throw it out!

Live by this motto, read the dates stamped on containers, and use all your senses -- including common sense -- to determine if food is safe to eat.

Smart Shopping

         Safety starts at the grocery store. Begin shopping in the center of the market, proceed to the periphery, and select frozen food last. Don't buy dented or leaking cans or jars, or fresh food that looks or smells old. Make sure eggs are free of any cracks. Check the dates on all foods, including cans and jars.

         Once you're home, immediately store perishables and frozen foods. Keep your refrigerator and freezer filled, but with a little room to spare to allow for air circulation. Overstuffed refrigerators and freezers can dip below safe temperatures, thus promoting bacterial growth.

The Danger Zone

Foods that thaw or sit out at room temperature are officially in the danger zone (40-140 degrees Fahrenheit), where bacteria multiply rapidly. Thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator -- on the bottom shelf so they won't drip onto foods. And remember that foods served buffet-style should not sit out any longer than two hours.

         Carefully wrap and date your leftovers, and use them up within two days. Remove as much air as possible from storage bags to keep foods fresh longer. You might consider getting a vacuum sealer, a handy gadget that shrink-wraps food for maximum storage.

         For quick cooling, divide large pots of hot food into smaller containers before you refrigerate or freeze them.

If you follow these simple precautions, you'll find it's easy to keep your refrigerator safe and keep yourself free of food-borne illnesses. Chill out safely to stay healthy!

So yes your challenge this week is to totally and completely clean out your refrigerator and freezer. Check everything for expiration or sell by dates. Discard what is spoiled. Take every item out and give it a good washing with soap and water. And when it is sparkling clean you can claim 35 weekly bonus points. (Note if you are traveling and not home all week please feel free to compete BEFORE Wednesday or send me a note with a promise to do it AFTER the week if you will not be home to do it) Good luck ladies! 

Friends are good for your health

 

My husband and I have been watching (and highly recommend) the Netflix series “The Blue Zones”. Among other finding that they prescribe for elongating your life is connection, community and friendship. 

I’ve left the links on this information from the American Psychological Association, in an article entitled The science of why friendships keep us healthy by Zara Adams in case you want to read the studies. But the information is clear. Friendship is good for your health! 

People who have friends and close confidants are more satisfied with their lives and less likely to suffer from depression (Choi, K. W., et al., The American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 177, No. 10, 2020). They’re also less likely to die from all causes, including heart problems and a range of chronic diseases (Holt-Lunstad, J., et al., PLOS Medicine, Vol. 7, No. 7, 2010; Steptoe, A., et al., PNAS, Vol. 110, No. 15, 2013).

“On the other hand, when people are low in social connection—because of isolation, loneliness, or poor-quality relationships—they face an increased risk of premature death,” said Julianne Holt-Lunstad, PhD, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University who studies how relationships affect the body and brain.

Fortunately, research also suggests that friendships can be made and maintained at any age, relationships with friends can strengthen or stand in for romantic relationships, and even minimal social interactions can be powerful.

How friendship changes the body and brain

Psychological research from around the world shows that having social connections is one of the most reliable predictors of a long, healthy, and satisfying life. A review of 38 studies found that adult friendships, especially high-quality ones that provide social support and companionship, significantly predict well-being and can protect against mental health issues such as depression and anxiety—and those benefits persist across the life span (Pezirkianidis, C., et al., Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 14, 2023; Blieszner, R., et al., Innovation in Aging, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2019). 

People with no friends or poor-quality friendships are twice as likely to die prematurely, according to Holt-Lunstad’s meta-analysis of more than 308,000 people—a risk factor even greater than the effects of smoking 20 cigarettes per day (PLOS Medicine, Vol. 7, No. 7, 2010).

“In the face of life’s challenges, having a close friend to turn to seems to be a buffer or protective factor against some of the negative outcomes we might otherwise see,” said Catherine Bagwell, PhD, a professor of psychology at Davidson College in North Carolina.

Friendships protect us in part by changing the way we respond to stress. Blood pressure reactivity is lower when people talk to a supportive friend rather than a friend whom they feel ambivalent about (Holt-Lunstad, J., et al., Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 33, No. 3, 2007). Participants who have a friend by their side while completing a tough task have less heart rate reactivity than those working alone (Kamarck, T. W., et al., Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol. 52, No. 1, 1990). In one study, people even judged a hill to be less steep when they were accompanied by a friend (Schnall, S., et al., Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 44, No. 5, 2008).

The risks of social isolation

On the other side of the coin, research has shown that loneliness—among people who lack quality friendships, romantic partnerships, or other relationships—increases our risk for heart attack, stroke, and premature death, according to a longitudinal study of nearly 480,000 U.K. residents (Hakulinen, C., et al., Heart, Vol. 104, No. 18, 2018). 

A meta-analysis by Holt-Lunstad estimates that loneliness increases the risk of early death as much as 26% (Perspectives on Psychological Science, Vol. 10, No. 2, 2015).

Despite the risks, Americans are getting lonelier. In 2021, 12% of U.S. adults said they did not have any close friends, up from 3% in 1990 (“The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss,” Survey Center on American Life, 2021).).

Social disconnection, which is rising across age groups, appears to have worsened after 2012, when smartphones and social media became virtually ubiquitous. An international study of high school students found that between 2012 and 2018, school loneliness increased in 36 of 37 countries (Twenge, J. M., et al., Journal of Adolescence, Vol. 93, No. 1, 2021).

The strength of “weak” ties

Having a close friend or confidant is undeniably good for us, but psychologists have found that interactions with acquaintances—and even strangers—can also give our mental health a boost. A casual relationship with the operator of a hot dog stand in Toronto helped Gillian Sandstrom, PhD, feel grounded and connected while pursuing her master’s degree. The relationship also inspired Sandstrom, now a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Sussex, to start studying “weak” social ties.

These connections with acquaintances—a work friend you bump into once a week, the pet store employee who remembers your cat—can be surprisingly sustaining. Sandstrom’s research has found that people who have more weak-tie interactions are happier than those who have fewer and that people tend to be happier on days when they have more than their average number of weak-tie interactions (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 40, No. 7, 2014).

 She also encourages talking to strangers and has shown that repeated practice can make doing so easier and more enjoyable (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 102, 2022).

So what is our challenge for this week? It is to connect. I’m going to really challenge you this time. Choose one of these things each day this week to earn your 35 bonus points. I encourage you to pick a variety of ways to connect and in some of them to seek people that you think need connection. 

1. Send a friendly or complimentary text to someone you don’t normally send texts to.
2. Mail a postcard, greeting card or letter to someone you care about.
3. Talk to someone you don’t know (sales clerk, neighbor, someone you see walking) learn their name and share a friendly comment.
4. Invite someone to do something with you. Go to the gym, out to lunch, for a walk, or just to run errands and bring someone along.
5. Call someone to reconnect. Maybe someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time.
6. Connect by noticing. Pay extra attention in a class and find something to compliment the instructor on. Ring a doorbell to compliment a neighbor on their yard. Tell a stranger how much you like their earrings, hair style etc. 
7. Make a positive comment on someone’s social media that you would usually overlook.
8. Listen carefully to someone. Don’t spend your thoughts thinking of what you will say in reply. Just listen fully.
9. If you have a church assignment to minister to someone make a personal connection this week.
10. Draw close. Sit next to someone you don’t usually sit with, lay your yoga mat down next to someone new and say hello etc. 

Good luck ladies!