A Breakfast Post

I am working and banking up a handful of posts upcoming, but I want to give you a little something to chew on for the week.  (In the literary world, that is called a "pun."  I hope you liked it.)

A while back I talked about breakfasts being the most important meal of the day.  I want to revisit that topic, as I've been in the habit of eating more breakfasts and eating better in general.  Almost every morning I get up and work out and then eat at the office.  And I eat all morning.  Spaced over the course of four hours I eat 3/4 cup green lentils with cinnamon and sugar (recipe, below), an apple, a banana, four ounces of non-fat Greek yogurt and one or two hard boiled eggs.  Maybe some almonds and dried blueberries. 

So what's the key to eating this much and this nutritiously everyday?  Planning and flavor.  Let's be honest, I'm not very motivated toward being responsible.  I'm a kid at heart.  I hate wearing a seatbelt (sorry Mom), I don't floss often enough (sorry Dr. Sadar) and I wouldn't eat my breakfast unless it's tasty and I don't have to work hard at that hour to make it. 

So, I keep it simple.  Sunday night, I put one and a half cups of dried lentils in a large bowl and add 2 cups water to soak over night.  Monday morning, when I wake up and start working out, I rinse the lentils and put them in the pot to boil.  I let them simmer and by the time I'm done with one work out, I have a week's worth of breakfast lentils.  Yipee!  (Ok, that's an over-reaction.  They are just lentils.)

This is simple, but meaning stuff.  Little changes make big changes possible.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll even start wearing my seatbelt. 


Green Lentil Breakfast
1 1/2 cups Dried Green Lentils (Pick through them. You never know what debris you'll find.  I've found other seed pods, stalks, even small rocks.)
2 1/2 cups Water
2 3/4 cups Water
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Cinnamon
Sugar

In a large bowl, soak the lentils in 2 1/2 cups of water for at least 8 hours. 

Rinse the lentils in a sieve and put them into a large pot, and sprinkle with salt and add the remaining water.  (For an extra treat, add 6-8 green cardamom pods.)  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-25 minutes.  The lentils should be tender, but not mush. 

Sprinkle with a mix, 1:6 ratio, of cinnamon to sugar.  Stir in and eat hot or cold.  (I like to let the lentils cool and then store in individual serving containers.)


And just because you've been good:

How to Hard Boil an Egg
Most people abuse the hard boiled egg because they believe they can't screw it up.  You can screw anything up.  You know that rubbery egg white and a yolk that has a green lining around it?  It's over cooked.  This will help.

1 Egg
3 cups Water (at least)

In a sauce pan, add at least three cups water.  You want a lot of water so the temperature of the water doesn't drop when the egg(s) are added. 

Bring the water to a boil.  Add the egg.  Return the water to a boil as fast as possible (i.e. put the lid on the pot), reduce your heat to a low rolling boil and cook for 11-12 minutes.  (This is at my altitude.  I'm a mile above sea level.  You will only need about 9-10 minutes at sea level.)

Immediately drain the eggs and soak them in ice water.  You want to stop them cooking as quickly as possible.  Level them soak in ice water for 15-20 minutes. 

Eat them however you wish.  I like hot sauce on mine.