AmyCz.com

One of my favorite breakfasts is steel cut oats. It started when we saw the “Oat Cuisine” episode on The Food Network’s Good Eats with Alton Brown.  I have been making a variation of his recipe on a weekly basis ever since.  (I do not use butter, I substitute canola oil instead. I also use skim milk in place of the whole, and when I don’t have buttermilk on had, I use a cup of skim and just add a splash of vinegar to substitute for the buttermilk).

It’s been quite some time since the episode first aired in November of 2001. I can’t believe I have not grown tired of these very satisfying and filling little oats. I like to make a batch ahead of time and have it for the week.  It does take a little longer than rolled oats (I simmer for 40 minutes), but to me it’s so much healthier than the rolled or instant oats.

I love eating mine with frozen wild blueberries, a few walnuts and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I feel so good combining all four of these ingredients together. I am getting the antioxidants from the blueberries, the omega-3 fatty acid from the walnuts, cinnamon which helps regulate your blood sugar, and the soluble fiber from the oats. If you eat a food really high in soluble fiber, your stomach is going to stay fuller longer so you’re going to eat less. Soluble fiber also slows the absorption of glucose into the body which means you’re going to avoid those nasty sugar highs and lows.

For a while there, I was having a hard time finding steel cut oats. The only brand that was available was John McCann’s from Ireland. They’re great, but a little pricey. Then we found Bob’s Red Mill online and saw that you could order oats in 25 pound bags. We would order two bags at a time, and that would last us about 9 months or so.  We did that for a while, but now steel cuts have become more popular, and some of our local grocery stores — like certain Pick ‘n’ Save stores — have been offering them in bulk. Whenever I come across them, I am able to pick up a pound or two at a pretty reasonable price.

A quicker breakfast that has really helped me stay on track is a yogurt parfait. Lately I have been strictly using Yoplait Light creamy vanilla. I buy a 2 pound tub and usually spoon out 6 to 8 ounces, then add my frozen berries. I like the triple blend: blueberries, raspberries, &  blackberries.

After the berries I add a teaspoon of cinnamon and half a cup of Fiber One cereal, and just mix it all up.  This is such a great breakfast, it is more like a dessert that keeps you satisfied for hours.

One more quick and easy breakfast that I eat on occasion is an egg sandwich. I apply spray oil to a microwave safe ramekin, and whisk an egg or a couple of egg whites in it. Then I mix in a handful of torn spinach or finely chopped broccoli, maybe some chopped green onion, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and a little salt and pepper. There are so many different ingredients that you could try for variety.

I microwave the egg mixture on half power for maybe 3 minutes or so (you have to keep your eye on it so it doesn’t overflow), then I put it on a toasted light English muffin. The best that I have found are the Food Club brand sold at Piggly Wiggly. They taste really great for being light. Some others I have found taste like cardboard. The Food Club ones have 90 calories, .5 grams of fat, and 3 grams of fiber. Sometimes I will top the egg with a slice of cheese, but I usually like to avoid fat, so I will finish it off with a spicy salsa.

I do believe that eating breakfast everyday is very important for a healthy lifestyle. I know how different my day goes when I skip breakfast, I usually find myself not making the best food choices throughout the rest of my day.

One of the best things that has helped me to keep focused on maintaining a healthier lifestyle is planning. On Sundays, like today, I like prepare a few things ahead of time for the week to come. For example,  I used my pressure cooker this morning to make black beans.

Last year, I had my blood pressure taken and noticed it was a little higher than it had been in the past. I found out that as some of my sisters have gotten older, their doctors have put them on blood pressure medication. Realizing that it might be a family trait, I wanted to see what I could do through my diet to try to prevent me from having to take medication.

I decided to start making my own beans and broth to cut out any unnecessary sodium. Having a pressure cooker is such a time saver. What used to take hours or overnight, because of the need to soak the beans, I can get done with the pressure cooker in less than an hour from start to finish. The beans taste great — even better than canned. I add a number of aromatics, such as garlic, onions, celery, bay leaves and leeks to enhance the flavors.

I no longer buy canned chicken broth. Instead, I save any chicken parts I have through the week — or if we have a turkey, save the carcass and any innards — and make stock.  This of course is superior to any canned broth that you can buy, and I am able to control how much sodium is added. I have a freezer full of stock and when I need it, we just put it into the microwave to thaw.

One of the other things I started doing is baking a batch of sweet potatoes, so during the week we can just reheat them in the microwave in minutes. Sweet potatoes have been included on the list of the 10 super foods. They are high in cancer-fighting antioxidants, loaded with energy boosting carbs, plus vitamins, manganese, and potassium. We both love them, and sometimes I find myself eating them cold right out of the fridge as a quick snack.

I feel that preparing several things ahead on one day helps me make better choices throughout the rest of the week, and keeps me on track.

I will be making gumbo for our Super Bowl festivities today. We almost always watch the Super Bowl and usually like to base our menu around a theme. Of course, this year New Orleans plays a big part. That’s all good for us, because New Orleans is one of our favorite cities. We only visited there once back in the early nineties, but that short visit a long time ago made a big impression.

My sister-in-law Maria sent me Mark Bittman’s gumbo recipe the other day.  I decided to make it as part today’s menu. We love gumbo and have made a few different versions in the past. One of our favorites has always been  Alton Brown’s. I want to give this one a try due to the fact that it’s on the lighter side, seeing that there is no sausage in the ingredients.  I’m going to be using shrimp in place of the scallops just because I have them on hand.  I am also making another variation by making my own stock with the shells from the shrimp to impart more flavor. In addition to the gumbo, we will be having baked catfish.

So maybe it’s not truly New Orleans fare but it is our tribute to the Saints.