Gourmet Brekky at the Office

I'm known at work for eating gourmet breakfasts at the office.

Quite a few of the staff come to work early and eat breakfast there. I do it because I live out of town a bit and like to beat the thicker traffic coming in, and to get what is becoming rare - a free parking spot!

So when others are tipping something from a box and pouring on milk, I'm tucking into a cooked breakfast!

There's been beef rissoles with boiled eggs, avocado and sauerkraut 

or leftover veggie pie, with avocado and sauerkraut 

 

or lately, inspired by an "I Quit Sugar" post, a kind of greens and scrambled eggs...with avocado and sauerkraut, just because I can't live without them!

I prepare the night before by cracking two free range eggs into a mason jar and whisk them with a fork. I add about a tablespoon of pure butter, chopped in a few pieces.

I buy a butter that is certified organic and comes from New Zealand. They say that the healthiest butter to have is from grass fed cows. It doesn't say "grass fed" on the packet, and I haven't been to New Zealand, I've only seen pictures, but I have been to Tasmania and seen the very content looking dairy cows in the lush green paddocks there. I figure that New Zealand would be very similar so the butter is probably pretty good.

Next I add a little grated cheese and a sprinkle of turmeric powder, because turmeric has great anti-inflammatory properties.

I like to sprinkle a little turmeric powder in lots of meals. I figure if small regular doses of chemicals and preservatives in processed foods can make us sick over time then small regular doses of great herbs and spices in real food will do wonders!

So where was I ... then as a minimum I top up the jar with mixed leafy greens and some fresh coriander, but sometimes I'll add other things.

I've done diced onion, just because I was chopping some up for dinner and thought I'll chuck a little
of that in.

I've also added sautéed broccolini and/or asparagus spears because I was doing some with dinner, and last night I had sautéed mushrooms and kale with dinner and saved a little of that for my gourmet
brekky jar.

Then that goes into the fridge overnight. In the morning I pack it with my lunch - usually dinner leftovers in another jar - into an insulated bag with some frozen ice packs for the journey into work.

At the office we have quite a well equipped little kitchen with a microwave.

I simply empty my brekky jar contents into a bowl, stir the mixture lightly with a fork and pop it into the microwave on medium power for around 4 minutes, stopping periodically to "scramble" the egg mixture with a fork. So at say 1 1/2 minutes, at 3 minutes,  and at 3 1/2 minutes. It can take a little longer if you have added the more bulky greens or if you add a little extra liquid. Sometimes I rinse the jar with the tiniest amount of water and tip that in so I'm not leaving half the turmeric powder on the side of the jar.

I then top my scramble and greens with avocado because it's a great fat source for hormone and skin health and sauerkraut because it's very nutritious, great for my gut health and a is digestive aid.

This is really very easy to do.

See, there's really no excuse for not having a delicious and nutritious cooked breakfast everyday!

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

Eggs and Breakfast On the Go!

Another favourite quick breakfast is leftover rissoles, boiled eggs and avocado.  I simply make some extra rissoles when having these for dinner, boil up a few days' supply of free range eggs and make sure I have some avocado on hand.  I pack everything into an insulated bag with an ice pack to take to work where I can heat the meat in a microwave, add the boiled eggs, a little sea salt and cracked pepper, avocado and enjoy!

Fee range eggs are pretty awesome!  According to "The Happiness Diet - A Nutritional Prescription for a Sharp Brian, Balanced Mood, and Lean Energized Body" by Tyler Graham & Drew Ramsey MD, when a hen lives a normal life foraging around a farm her eggs contain the following:

B6 - crucial for most all your cognitive functions.
B12 - crucial for avoiding agitation and loss of focus.

These two vitamins together go a long way towards boosting memory and treating nervousness and depression.

B9, also known as folate - helps to protect your brain and lowers homocysteine levels in the blood - high levels are one of the best predictors of cognitive decline.

Iodine - central to your metabolism's master switch, the thyroid.

Magnesium - will loosen up your muscles and relax your circulatory systems, helping you focus on tasks of daily life.

Zinc - a mineral that improves brain function and helps B9 regulate our gene expression so that we stay healthy.

Iron - this trace metal boosts your body's ability to transport oxygen around your bloodstream and further increases energy and focus.

Tryptophan - a complete protein for mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine.

Vitamin D - needed to help your body to absorb calcium.  This is a fat-soluable vitamin, so we actually need fat in our diet to absorb it.  Low levels of vitamin D is linked to depression.

Cholesterol - what your body uses to manufacture vitamin D from the sun.  Also the main component of bile, which is what your gut will use to absorb nutrients.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids - makes us smarter and protects us from heart disease.

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

Apples

When it comes to sticking to a real food diet an apple is one of my top go to snacks.  For fresh fruit it travels pretty well and doesn't need refrigeration.

Apples contain potassium and a small amount of vitamin C.  They contain high levels of various plant chemicals including the flavonoid quercetin, which has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory action.  They are also a valuable source of pectin, a soluble fibre that can help lower 'bad' cholesterol and help prevent colon cancer. Eat apples with the skin on as the skin contains up to five times as many plant chemicals as the flesh.

Apples are pretty convenient to just eat on their own, but to jazz it up a little I like to chop an apple into wedges and dip it in nut butter.  This is a favourite afternoon snack at the office!

Any of these work well as a dip:

Almond Spread

Almond Spread with Chia
Cashew Spread

ABC Spread (made from Almonds, Brazil nuts & Cashew nuts)

Hazelnut and Cacao Spread*

Look for the 100% nut varieties. 

 


Something else that works well as a dip for apple pieces is raw raspberry jam. Below is a link to a Raw Raspberry Jam recipe from Rawedibles.com

http://rawedibles.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/raw-natural-raspberry-jam.html






Source: 100 Best Health Foods by Parragon www.parragon.com/lovefood

Nut butters are available from health food stores, and the health food section of Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.

*Mayver's Hazelnut Cacao Spread is simply blended hazelnuts and cacao and is available from selected Coles supermarkets or you can order online from Aussie Health Products www.aussiehealthproducts.com.au

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.

Avocado

I LOVE avocado. Avocado makes everything special!

Avocado is one of those foods that many people seem to be a bit frightened of eating too often because its high in calories due to a high fat content.  I don't worry about calories.  I eat avocados whenever I want to because they are so nutrient rich and the fat in them is good fat.  

Avocado is rich in many nutrients:  vitamins C, E, and K, folate, iron, potassium and magnesium and also contains smaller amounts of several other minerals.  Avocado is great for your skin, is a good source of fibre, helps to protect the liver and helps to lower cholesterol.  It contains oleic acid which can lower the risk of breast cancer, glutathione which also helps to protect against cancer and lutein which helps protect against eye cataracts and macular degeneration.

 

These days I eat avocado 4 or 5 times a week.  I put it in salads, spread it on toast topped with a boiled or poached egg, use it instead of cheese on a homemade hamburger, make guacamole by mashing and adding lemon juice, fresh herbs and garlic and spread it on steak, or chicken or use it as a dip.  I don't usually eat a lot of bread but on a recent camping holiday a good compromise between healthy and convenient turned out to be BBQ chicken and salad wraps for lunch.  I mashed and spread avocado over the wrap before adding the other ingredients.  With the creamy flavour of the avocado I didn't feel the need to add any store bought dressing or mayo that would be full of refined sugar and preservatives.

Avocado can be added to smoothies and I have even used it to make chocolate mousse!  The avocado gives the mousse a lovely texture.

For more nutritional information and inspiration about how to eat avocados visit the Australian Avocados website,  or here's an idea I have previously posted http://putthegoodstuffin.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/guacamole-topped-steak-with-rice.html

Sources:   http://m.avocado.org.au

100 Best Health Foods by Parragon www.parragon.com/lovefood

 

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.