Great Breakfast Option for your New Year Resolution

Are you like most people who figured if you make a New Year's resolution to lose weight, it might actually happen this time?  All kidding aside.  The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to change your lifestyle, not just deprive yourself of the things you crave that aren't good for you for a short period of time, just to fall right back into your bad habits again later.  Create healthy "habits", or routines, that you don't even have to think about.  Before you know it, the pounds will slowly start falling off and it won't even seem like you are trying.

A great routine to start is eating a healthy breakfast that won't spike your glycemic index, otherwise known as your blood sugar.  I know some of you don't even make it a regular practice to eat breakfast at all.  Big mistake, if you are trying to loose weight.  I have a quick and easy way to slide this into your busy morning routine, and it will even keep you from those mid-morning strolls over to the snack machine.

My go-to breakfast is Oatmeal.  Not those over-priced sugary little packets by various brands that are all pre-measured for you.  Those are no better than grabbing a candy bar for breakfast.  For just over a dollar, you can get the large container of regular plain quick 1-minute oats in a variety of store brands, or even the big brands if you are lucky enough to find a coupon or sale on them.  I have a cheap set of measuring cups that I keep the 1/2 cup scoop right in the container.  Don't have to take the extra time to find it before the coffee has kicked in.  Its right there every morning, right where it need it, when I open the container.  I don't just stop there.  Next to the Oatmeal is a weight loss gem called Oat Bran.  You will likely have to find it in the organic/health food section of your grocery store, if they don't have it by the regular cereal aisle.  Many stores like Whole Foods sell it bulk near their produce department. That is usually even cheaper if your store sells it that way.  It will typically run about $2.39 a pound, maybe a little more for organic.  Put the 1/3 cup scoop in there.  Some may stop there, but why not take the opportunity to get some extra fiber in there.  Fiber helps keep you feeling full and not looking for your next snack, not to mention keeps the works moving like they should. If you know what I mean. :o)  I have an old coffee grinder that I keep in the pantry right next to the oatmeal that I grind about 1 tablespoon of flax seeds (also typically found in the health food aisle) in and add that to the mix after I cook it.  Gets those great Omega-3 fatty acids into your diet that helps keep your skin beautiful and keep your heart running smooth.  If you want to go all the way, you can even throw in a bit of wheat germ (many times found in the grocery store near the hot cereals on the top shelf, but you might need to find it in the health food section, too.)  Again, more fiber for you, if you need it.

Okay.  Got it all on the counter?  Grab a big microwave safe bowl.  No plastic in the microwave - Please!  Go for ceramic or glass.  For hubby: he gets...

1 full scoop of oatmeal (1/2 cup)
1 full scoop of oat bran (1/3 cup)

That is a little too much for me, so I fill the scoops up a little more than halfway, no exact measuring here, and dump them in.  Add about a cup of filtered water, a little more or less depending on how much you put in your bowl and how you like the consistency of your oatmeal.  Over to the microwave & nuke on high for 2 minutes.

While that cooks, take your flax seeds out of the fridge.  Yes, these need to be stored in the fridge or they will go rancid (the natural oils in the seeds have gone bad) quickly.  Don't take the tempting easy way out and buy the pre-ground flax seed.  Most of this is already rancid by the time you buy it.  That is why it tastes bad.  If they are not rancid, you hardly taste them at all.  That is the way they are supposed to taste.  And yes, you do need to grind them or the seeds will go out the same way they went in.  Your body can't digest them and you can't chew them well enough, so you won't gain any benefit from them unless they are ground.

Okay, back to the recipe.  Put about 1 tablespoon of flax seed in your grinder and give it a quick grind.  Only takes a few seconds.  BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, the microwave is done.  Dump the ground flax seeds on top, give it a little stir and it's ready to customize or eat just like that.  How long did that take? 3 minutes? You have 3 minutes, right? Of course you do!

For those of you who like it a little sweet, try adding a little dried fruit in the mix before microwaving, such as chopped dates, raisins (preferably organic), dried cherries or cranberries, chopped dried apricot, diced apple, pear, etc.

Cinnamon is a great option to give it some extra flavor.  BONUS: The cinnamon works in your body to lower your insulin resistance and keeps your blood sugar more steady.  This, in addition to the fiber, helps keep those cravings at bay by keeping your blood sugar steady.

My hubby likes to add a splash of organic milk, almond milk is great too, to make it a little soupier, with a teaspoon of cane sugar.  Agave extract would be good too, instead of sugar.  Again, this will work better than sugar to not spike your glycemic index (blood sugar) as much.

Once you find a combo you like, automate it.  Make it easy to do, like putting a container of cinnamon right next to your oatmeal container.  After a while, you can make it in your sleep.  Some mornings you might feel like you are.

After I got my hubby on this oatmeal routine every morning instead of his usual, grabbing a pack of those dreaded "pop" pastries on the way out the door, after only a week he was noticing a big difference.  Did you know that one of those packs contains just over 400 calories and roughly 30 grams of sugar!!  Yikes! He said that he had more energy and wasn't getting hungry mid to late morning, like he had been.  Not only was he eating a better breakfast, but he wasn't consuming all the additional calories from hitting the snack machine before lunch, either.  After a a couple of months, he had dropped a pants size without hardly trying.

If you are one of those people grabbing your breakfast and running out the door, this will even work for you.  I move it from the ceramic/glass bowl to a plastic food storage container and its ready for the road.

Try this little "healthy habit" in your new New Year's resolution and you are well on your way to a healthier lifestyle you can stick to and keep the weight off.  No more yo-yo dieting for you.  Not to mention, it will likely add a little extra jingle in the pockets of those now looser pants. :o)

What are your healthy habits for breakfast?  I have some other secret weapons up my sleeve for breakfast, but I'll save them for another post.  What do you say?!  Are you going to give this a try and see the pounds start falling off?