A New Habit + Breakfasts Lately
Heyo! I wanted to share with you all a new habit I've been practicing the last week and a half. I've recently gotten into the habit of watching tv while eating breakfast and/or lunch. I started watching Parenthood a few weeks back and now I just watch one episode after another! So addicting. The weird part is that I don't even know why. Their family makes SO MANY dumb decisions, they yell at each other all the time, and yet at the end of every episode, I want to watch another one. 🙄 (Is it even possible for Lauren Graham to play a character that doesn't screw up every relationship?!) And although this Parenthood marathon is fine at different times, it has really gotten in the way of me being productive while at home. It's also gotten in the way of me connecting with my food at meal times.
I decided that something needed to change. This desire for change wasn't born out of beating myself up, but out of the desire for accomplishing more, feeling more satisfied with my meals, taking better care of myself, etc. So I've started a new morning routine in which I oftentimes go for a walk around our apartment complex while listening to part of a podcast 😍 + breakfast out on our balcony + time in the Word while still sitting outside. I've LOVED quieting my mind through sitting out in nature and not being distracted with watching tv. The time outside moving my body in a gentle way, connecting to my meals, and then connecting to my Father has made me feel so much more grounded, peaceful, and joyful for the day. It has also helped me to be more productive while at home in the mornings.
This is what I read for my morning quiet times.
Along with a GREAT view, and peaceful environment, I've also had some really delicious meals. Here's a few of them: Overnight oats with oats, chia seeds, pb2, maple syrup, almond milk, topped with fruit and nuts.
Sweet potatoes on repeat for several meals. They have been so delicious and satisfying to me lately. I plan on sharing how I make my scrambled eggs so fluffy in a post soon.
My doughy snickerdoodle oatmeal breakfast bake (+ iced latte) was incredibly delicious after not having it for awhile.
So there you have it! My new habit plus a few breakfast ideas for you. Hope you are finding activities that allow you to take care of yourself-mind, body, and spirit; and that you are eating delicious, satisfying food!
Doughy Snickerdoodle Oatmeal Breakfast Bake
Oh my goodness. This incredible bowl of deliciousness...I ate it for breakfast for a week straight. I kid you not. I stumbled upon it by accident actually. I was combining bits of several different oatmeal breakfasts/bakes that I like. The result? An incredibly doughy, custard-like oatmeal bake with a caramelized brown sugar crunch that made my mouth think I was eating a snickerdoodle cookie. I just about died and went to heaven.
Oh my goodness. This incredible bowl of deliciousness...I ate it for breakfast for a week straight. I kid you not.
I stumbled upon it by accident actually. I was combining bits of several different oatmeal breakfasts/bakes that I like. The result? An incredibly doughy, custard-like oatmeal bake with a caramelized brown sugar crunch that made my mouth think I was eating a snickerdoodle cookie. I just about died and went to heaven.
Do you like wet, doughy, gooey textures? Surely by now you don't even have to ask me. Home girl goes for brownie batter, raw cookie dough, underbaked goodies, puddings, bread puddings, etc. ANY day. However, I also really like having a crunch to go with it (remember how I put chips on my sandwiches?). Cue the caramelized brown sugar. It gives the oatmeal a really great sweet crunch. It's kinda like the crunchy top of a creme brulee. I don't know that I've actually had real creme brulee. But I imagine that's what the top of a creme brulee would taste like...
Now, you can't skip on the peanut butter. Because, PEANUT BUTTER! Oh how I love pb. And honestly, I like this hot or cold. But I'm a fan of most things cold. You do what suits you. If you serve it cold, it's really delicious with blueberries <3. Just a tip.
So I thought I would update you all/enlighten you to what I've been learning about in my mindful eating book. I really believe applying the principles in this book could help SO many people with food and weight issues. Our culture is so caught up in "good" vs. "bad" food, the macro- and micro-nutrient content of foods, the timing of foods, the health benefits, etc. that we've completely lost our sense of enjoying our food and allowing it to nourish us. Here's an incredible quote from the book that really resonated with me and was able to articulate my thoughts in a way I never could:
"Finding the middle way means not clinging to any food and not hating any food. Don't go overboard with anything in either a positive way or negative way. Food is food. The rest is mind games."
"We've learned to choose our foods by the numbers (calories, carbs, fats, RDA's, price, whatever), relying more heavily on our reading and computational skills than upon our senses. We've lost all confidence in our sense of taste and smell, which can't detect the invisible macro- and micro-nutrients science has taught us to worry aobut, and which food processors have become adept at deceiving anyway...No wonder we have become, in the midst of our astounding abundance, the world's most anxious eaters."
"When we eat based upon the thoughts in the mind, our eating is usually based in worry. When the mind is fretting about "should eat" and "should not eat," our enjoyment of what is actually in our mouths evaporates."
pg.46,47 of Mindful Eating by Jan Chozen Bays, MD
Are there issues with our food supply? You betcha. There are certainly things that need to change about our food system and food processing. But as we learn to eat intuitively (truly listening to our bodies--not eating whatever), our demands on the food supply will change, forcing our food producers to make changes. Or us to make changes in the way we buy and prepare foods. But instead of it being based on fear, it will be based on what our bodies are needing and craving.
The book discusses the different types of hunger we have: eye, nose, mouth, stomach, cellular, mind, and heart. Learning to identify which hunger you're experiencing is essential for being able to satisfy that hunger. Only stomach and cellular hunger can be satisfied with food or drink, but the others can be met through different means. I think heart hunger (desire for emotional intimacy) is a huge one that impacts our culture. Unfortunately, we try finding satisfaction through food, a source that will never truly satisfy that hunger.
So for a breakfast that will satisfy your mouth, stomach, and cellular hunger, give this snickerdoodle breakfast bake a try. And while you're at it, share that time with someone you love. It's a great way to satisfy that heart hunger too.
Let me know what your thoughts are on this post. Do you like my recaps on mindful eating? Have you tried out any of my recipes?
Doughy Snickerdoodle Oatmeal Bake
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 5 Tbsp white whole wheat flour* (or oat flour for gluten free option)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp-4 Tbsp canned pumpkin (depending on how “doughy” you like things)
- 1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- peanut butter, blueberries (optional, but not really optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix dry ingredients (except for brown sugar) and then add wet ingredients. Pour into a small oven safe bowl/dish and bake for 18-20 min.
- Take out of oven and turn on oven broiler. Sprinkle 1 tsp of brown sugar on top and broil on high heat for 2 min. Take out of oven and let cool until at temperature you can eat. Top with peanut butter and devour or stick in fridge and enjoy later!!
Notes:
*If you don’t care for doughy textures, increase flour to 2-2.5 Tbsp instead of 1.5 Tbsp.
