Serves 2

A party in a bowl, kids age three to 93 can’t resist this power-packed breakfast or healthy snack. It also makes a fantastically balanced dessert. Make sure to get the nuts, yogurt or coconut milk in there for good fats and to offset the carbohydrate.

Nutrition Tip: Smoothies are great for all body types IF there’s a healthy balance of macro-nutrients (proteins, carbs, fats). An all-carb smoothie (berries, bananas, rice milk, honey) can easily throw off metabolic balance. Always make sure to add good fats to offset the carbs so they absorb slower into the blood stream. Good fats include: coconut milk, coconut butter, nuts or nut butter, yogurt. I never drink a smoothie without high-quality protein powder. These need to be purchased from a health professional, not from a health food store. Brands I recommend are Apex Energetics Clear-Vite, Designs for Health Paleo-Meal, Biotics Ultra-Glycemex, or a cold-processed, unpasteurized whey protein powder like Whey Natural.

SMOOTHIE
1 1/2 cups milk (any variety) or milk/juice combo
1/2-3/4 cup frozen berries
Handful fresh spinach or other leafy green
2 scoops high-quality protein powder
Sweetener of choice, to taste

NUT SWIRL (optional)
2 tablespoons nut butter or yogurt
2-3 tablespoons milk (any variety, omit if using yogurt)
2 teaspoons sweetener or 1-2 drops liquid stevia extract

ADDITIONAL TOPPINGS
Sliced bananas
Chopped nuts
Shredded coconut
Cocao nibs

Blend the smoothie ingredients in a blender until pureed. Divide between two bowls.

Whisk the optional nut swirl ingredients in a small dish, divide in two and swirl over the top of each bowl.

Add any of the the additional toppings and serve immediately with a spoon.

Food photos by Jackson D. Carson

©2010. Alison Anton. All rights reserved.

Makes about 1 1/2 quarts prunes

Prunes stewed with chai spices are served over a dish of yogurt for a mildly sweet breakfast, mid-day snack or after-dinner treat. Even if you don’t have ANY of the spices, the prunes can be stewed only with water and will come out deliciously sweet.

Cooking Tip: Stewed prunes make a high-fiber addition to yogurt, warm cereal or smoothies. Also try pureeing them and spreading on toast or drizzling onto fruit.

Nutrition Tip: Try to consume yogurt and all dairy products in “whole” form. Low- and no-fat dairy items are highly processed and may no longer contain all the necessary nutrients naturally occurring in the food that our bodies need to digest it properly.

1 pound prunes
Juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon jasmine tea (optional)
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
5 black peppercorns
2-3 whole cardamom pods, crushed
2 whole cloves
1/2 cup whole milk yogurt per serving
1 teaspoon maple syrup per serving (optional)

Place the prunes in a medium saucepan with the orange juice and water to cover. Place the tea and spices in a tea steeper or a cheesecloth tied with cooking twine and tuck into the prunes. (If you don’t have either, just place the spices free into the pan and remove after cooking – the tea leaves will cook into the prunes.)

Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 45 minutes, until much of the liquid has absorbed and the spices are fragrant. Remove the spice sachet.

Dollop the yogurt into small bowls or parfait cups. Place a few of the prunes on top and drizzle with the optional maple syrup.

To reheat chilled prunes, add a little water and cook over low until heated through. The prunes can be served warm or room temperature, and will keep about a week in refrigerator.

Food photos by Jackson D. Carson

©2010. Alison Anton. All rights reserved.

Just to see what kinds of photos would come up around “breakfast”, I typed it into my image library.

What do you think I got? Did I struggle with having to decide between all the great shots of good quality protein, green smoothies, mineral broths, poached eggs, whole grain porridge and green tea?

Of course not. Instead, I found these:

• Pancakes with drizzling maple syrup
• Boxed cereals posed to look healthy
• Waffles with pats of butter (and more syrup drizzling)
• Toast and jam
• Croissants
• Steaming cups of coffee
• Eggs with hash browns, buttered toast and sausage links
• Bagels and cream cheese
• Breakfast muffins
• Melons, grapes and bananas
• And of course… a tall glass of orange juice

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It’s hard to get away from the feeling that we need to have carbohydrates in the morning, as if it’s the way it’s “supposed” to be. In all actuality, most popular breakfast foods (even “healthy” boxed cereals) should be considered dessert.

Eating too many carbs in the morning without some protein can be a set up for failure for the rest of the day. Carbs tend to provide instant energy that doesn’t last. Before we know it, we are on a carbohydrate roller coaster, needing more to lift us back up. The goal is to start off better, so we have a better day and keep blood sugar balanced.

Tips for a Healthy, Lasting Breakfast

Retrain your brain. Why not eat leftover dinner? Chicken legs, vegetable soup, fish pie… What’s in your fridge? Get it out of your head that you can’t eat lunch or dinner foods for breakfast.

Stop buying boxed cereals. If it’s not in the cupboard, you can’t eat it. This will enable you to get creative fast and try new things.

Eat a little fat with breakfast. Good fats preserve the feeling of fullness. Blend ¼ cup of coconut milk or 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil into a smoothie or hot cereal. A serving of fish oil in the morning can also do the trick.

It doesn’t have to be “low-carb” or “no-carb”. A serving of unprocessed complex carbohydrate at breakfast (sweet potato, organic berries, gluten-free whole grain) might give you energy and help you feel satisfied.

Be careful with vegetable juicing. Popular juicing veggies (carrots, beets, apples) contain a lot of sugar. When you extract the juice, you essentially leave the fiber and protein behind. Instead of juicing, put them in a blender with water and drink the whole food.

Eat protein for dinner. Eating protein the night before maintains balanced blood sugar throughout the night and into the morning. If you wake up feeling “crashed out”, this tip is particularly important.

Eat within one hour of rising. If you don’t wake up hungry and ready to eat, there could be an imbalance of blood sugar and adrenal hormones at play. Nudge your body back into balance by eating soon after rising.