Breakfast Secrets

Complete breakfast - Savory Green Oats, topped with an egg!

Ever wondered what a Yoga teacher eats for breakfast? And how does one find time for a good breakfast? If you're anything like me, your week is a whirlwind. It's hard to fit everything in, from work to family to self-care…and then there's Yoga practice to squeeze in! I'm here to tell you that it can be done. Read on for my secrets to starting the day off on a healthy foot!

Secret #1: Cook in advance. I like to cook on Sundays for the week. I don't make every meal in advance, but making at least a breakfast dish keeps my week running far more smoothly.

Secret #2: Make it healthy. Choose something with whole grains, greens and protein. Skip the sugary pastries! This way, you'll have plenty of energy to power through the morning, plus you're ahead of the game with one serving of green vegetables in you before 9am!

Secret #3: Schedule breakfast in to your week. This sounds obvious, but I mean it. Sit down, take a look at your calendar and make what changes are necessary to be able to eat breakfast every day. I don't see a single client or teach any classes until I get a good night's sleep, do my morning practice and eat a good breakfast.

Back to the fun part…what does the Renegade Yogini eat for breakfast? When I don't cook in advance or in the summertime, I will often eat an egg with some avocado slices. This makes a dynamite sandwich if you eat bread! My favorite grab-and-go option is this recipe for Flourless Breakfast Muffins. It is easy to adapt to fit your taste and budget, and can be modified endlessly to avoid boredom. I also like this Kale, Mozzarella and Egg Bake. It's similar to a frittata, and you can certainly add greens to a frittata as well.

Savory Oatmeal with Greens

In the winter, I get really into savory oatmeal. Oh, did you not know that oatmeal can be eaten without sugar? IT IS SO GOOD! Seriously, try it. Oats are just another grain, so why not eat them with veggies and spices?

Important note: Don't buy the instant, pre-flavored oatmeal packets. The processing of the grain makes it a high glycemic index food, plus the packets are loaded with sugar, salt and artificial flavors. What that means is that your body will burn the instant oatmeal really quickly. This can bring on a sugar crash mid-morning, which can lead to increased caffeine intake. But that's a topic for another post!

Without further ado, I give you:

Jan's Savory Green Oats

Servings: 4-5

Ingredients:


• 2.5 cups water
• 1 cup steel-cut oats

• 1 onion
• 1 pound mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
•  A big pile of greens (collards or kale are my favorites), thoroughly washed, stems removed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
(liberal)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 cup Coconut milk – optional
• Splash of cooking wine
• Liberal shake of Bragg’s Sprinkle
• Liberal splash of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Directions:
Boil water and stir in oats, reducing heat to medium. Cook for about 40 minutes. Add more water if needed and stir regularly – they have a tendency to stick. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, sautée onion in coconut oil, add garlic and then mushrooms. Add greens and stir. Add coconut milk, wine and nutritional yeast. Then season with salt and pepper, Bragg’s Sprinkle and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. Add more than usual to offset the blandness of the oats.

Serve with an egg on top. Sriracha sauce or Korean go chee jang sauce is great with this if you like spicy food!

Buon appetito!