Best Easy Breakfast Ever & A Simple Morning Ritual
The end of summer is around the corner and, if you have children, you see the school year quickly approaching. Even with all my children grown, I mourn the impending loss of long warm days and lazy afternoons reading my book on the beach. Fall comes with new routines, and if you are stuck trying to figure out what to make to get yourself going in the morning, I’m going to Nourish you with this quick recipe.
If you just want the recipe, scroll down for this nutrient-dense, hormone and mineral balancing powerhouse meal. Or, keep reading and let me Nurture with a simple habit I picked up during the hardest summer of my life…
Late spring of 2007 my youngest child was born. She was supposed to arrive via home-birth, but she was breached and we ended up doing a C-section at 38 weeks. Two short weeks later my husband left on an 8 week long Coast Guard patrol off the Atlantic Coast, leaving me alone with the 5 kids as I recovered from surgery.
That would be difficult enough, but I also had to oversee our military move from Washington DC to Cape May, NJ. I am so thankful for my mother-in-law who saw me through that short but eventful move. She came to DC and helped me drive to her house in NC for a few weeks and then we returned to DC to get the house ready for the move. Typical military move— packers showed up 3 hours late everyday, took 60-minute smoking breaks, and the movers were at my house until 11 pm the final day, where they ended up bungee cording things (like my outdoor swing!) to the back of the semi that they could not get inside… all while I was nursing a newborn and taking care of the other 4 kids (ages 4-12).
When we arrived in Cape May, we found out that there was a 3 week delay with the house we were supposed to move right into. So the Coast Guard put us up in a smaller unit, but we could not get our household goods delivered there. Basically we ended up “camping out” on items from Coast Guard storage… sleeping on air mattresses on the floor, eating on a little fold-out picnic table and sitting in lawn/camp chairs.
The day after our Cape May arrival, my mother in law (who had been helping me for over a month) had to get back to her house. I cried. Actually, I think we all cried!
Then I took everyone to football practice. My husband had signed up our 2 older sons for the tackle football league. It happened to be at a really nice park. I sat down on a bench to nurse my daughter while I watched the 4 and 7 year old try to make new friends on the playground. Somehow, my inquisitive 4 year old got out of my sight for 30 seconds and found a wasp nest in a hockey dug-out behind the playground. He came out screaming and full of bites— so many I could not count them all.
I frantically collected the boys from the football field and got in the car. Then I froze…should I drive to the ER or back to the house? I had no idea where the nearest hospital was; in fact I was not even sure I could find my way back to my house with a screaming 4 year old and very unhappy baby—(this was before smart phones). Really not wanting to take all 5 of them to the ER, I decided to try to find my way back home and look for a neighbor to help me figure out what to do.
Back in our neighborhood, I knocked on the door of the one family who had introduced themselves to me that morning. The husband just happened to be a medic. He gave us some ointment and said, “Good news is, he’s probably not allergic because if he was, he would be dead by now. So he should be fine.” I honestly can’t remember if I wept, shrieked, or laughed at that.
Well, all that wasp venom overwhelmed his poor little body and he was up most of the night vomiting. So I took him to the Coast Guard clinic the next day. Again they reassured me he would be okay, but might develop an allergy to wasps.
I was almost at my breaking point. How was I supposed to do everything?— no husband, family or friends, nursing my baby on an air mattress that kept losing air, cooking with 1 borrowed pot, tending to 25 plus wasp wounds on my 4 year old, and I still did not know how to get to the hospital. Well about 5 days later I figured that out!
It was the first day of football tackle practice, but before the equipment/padding distribution. Why they do that, I don’t know— but during practice my oldest son was tackled and ended up breaking the humerus in his right arm. I got personal instructions on how to get to the hospital from the very apologetic coach. Later my injured son told me what he was most upset about was that he couldn’t hold his baby sister for me when I needed help.
That did it, I went to my room, broke down and prayed like never before. I could not keep doing everything on my own. And God showed me that I was not meant to do all this on my own. He would be my support and strength if I just would turn to Him. While God did not take the difficulties away, He gave me the inspiration to ask for daily help. So simple, but so profound— when I woke up I just asked the Holy Spirit for the grace to get through the day. And that changed everything.
God sent me 2 sets of visitors to “camp out” with us in that little house. This did not add to my burden, but lightened my load and improved my mood. Eventually my husband returned, we got into our designated house, and our household goods were delivered. And wouldn’t you know it, Cape May ended up being my favorite place we ever lived— we had so many unforgettable family outings at the beach and entertained lifelong family friends there.
To this day, I make sure I talk to the Holy Spirit before getting out of bed. That prayer may have changed a bit as the kids grew, but the Holy Spirit remained constant, seeing me through every day. If you are in a rough season and don’t feel like you have time for prayer, simply asking for the grace to get through the day— as soon as you wake up—will go a long way!
Then, you can get out of bed and think about breakfast! My favorite quick breakfast recipe is energy stabilizing, easy to digest, and mineral balancing! With this breakfast you are more likely to avoid the crashes and blood sugar roller coaster so many of us experience if we grab coffee and a pastry first thing—- or worse, skip breakfast altogether and binge at lunch or grab that snickers at 11 a.m. because our body is craving a quick burst of energy.
This recipe is very adjustable to your needs and preferences. With my recent deep dive into minerals through Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis, I realized most of us— actually everyone I’ve done a test on so far, is deficient in potassium, and most of us are slow metabolizers (see below). On top of that it is really hard to get all the protein you need in a day. Protein needs to be a priority with every meal. This recipe has 2 sources of potassium and 2 sources of protein.
But first what does it mean to be a fast or slow metabolizer? FAST metabolizers are most often operating out of their sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system.
They are more likely to have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and feel stressed-out, anxious and easily irritated. Their bodies are supported best by a diet that is 50% fat, 30% protein, and 20% carbs.
Fast metabolizers need a lot of fat (think grass-fed meat and butter or ghee, good olive oil, avocados, and nuts) because they burn through their calories and minerals fast! Kids are almost always fast metabolizers.
SLOW metabolizers are usually in their parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system. They often have a slower thyroid, feel cold more readily, are prone toward insomnia, and hormone imbalances. Their bodies need a diet that is roughly 40% carbs, 35% protein, 25% fat.
Slow metabolizers need less fat and more carbs (think vegetables and whole grains) because high fat slows down their digestion, which can result in post-meal fatigue and constipation! And so, it is harder for them to convert nutrients from food into energy.
One more thing before we get to the recipe: the importance of the mineral potassium!
Low potassium has been linked to allergies, constipation, fatigue, irregular heartbeats, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, muscle weakness, skin problems, and water retention. And when you combine it with low sodium (from not eating mineral-rich salt like Redmonds or Celtic Sea Salt) things get even worse—sugar cravings, reduced immunity, chronic infections. Ugh!
What makes my breakfast recipe so great? I’m really glad you asked!
Cooked sweet potatoes (with or without skin), russet potatoes (with skin) OR avocados—-are all all great sources of potassium. Cook up some extra potatoes on the weekend or the night before so you don’t have to think about it in the morning. Sweet potatoes are my favorite because they are full of fiber, antioxidants and vitamins A, B, and C. They also have prebiotics that help balance gut bacteria and beta carotene, which boosts progesterone levels— so helpful for fertility and perimenopause!
Choose the avocado over the potato if you are a fast metabolizer and need the extra fat.
Tomatoes, in the form of salsa is another great source of potassium. I personally like Mateo’s brand if I don’t have any leftover Black Bean Salsa (future blog recipe) on hand.
Goat cheese is full of MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) that quickly convert to keytones to give you sustained energy and burn fat right away! It is also much easier to digest than regular cow’s milk cheeses and is a nice source of protein.
Deli turkey, leftover chicken (or 2 eggs if you prefer)— for protein and sustained energy. Right now my body is not liking eggs. Honestly I never really liked eggs but thought I needed them for morning protein. Nope— turkey is much better for me and it is quicker. I love the organic Deitz and Watson brand from Costco.
Sprouts (or something green)— to top it off. There are too many benefits of sprouts for me to explain now when you are this hungry. That’s a topic for another blog I’m already working on.
Click on the image to download the recipe:
"Sustain-Me-All-Morning Topped Potato”
I pray this recipe nourishes you like it has been nourishing me this summer!
I challenge you to try it for a week and see how you feel!
If you want to know exactly where you fall on the slow/fast metabolism spectrum or if you are deficient in minerals and are worried about possible heavy metals, contact me and, we can do an HTMA! I am really seeing some amazing results— to be discussed in a future blog!
Note: Although sweet potatoes and russet potatoes are excellent sources of potassium , it may negatively affect your blood sugar. For most people, sweet potatoes are blood sugar balancing since they are a slow-digesting carbohydrate, however, everyone is different. So I am reminding you that this is an educational blog. None of this information is personalized nutrition or medical advice. Please consult your own practitioner before changing any eating habits.
PS: Are you in need of some new, easy, and nutritious recipes that you can put on the table in 30 minutes or less?
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Medical Disclaimer: This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is being provided to educate you about how to take care of your body and as a self-help tool for your own use so that you can reach your own health goals. It is not intended to treat or cure any specific illness and is not to replace the guidance provided by your own medical practitioner. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment. If you suspect you have a medical problem, I urge you to take appropriate action by seeking medical attention.
