Fit Fare

While on this new intensive workout plan my husband and I have been doing, I’ve found that my usual breakfast hasn’t been quite enough to sustain me till lunch. So after looking around and testing different heartier breakfast options, I’ve settled on one that seems to always do the trick. The best part is, I can vary it almost infinitely to keep from getting bored with it.

The essential elements are a multi-grain hot cereal, nuts, fruit, and a sweetener of some sort. For the cereal part, my favorites have been Bob’s Red Mill brand hot cereals, such as the 10-grain or the Right Stuff 6-Grain hot cereal with flaxseed. Cooking it up is really easy, usually just water and cereal (specific quantities vary a bit depending on the cereal) simmered for 3-10 minutes. Oatmeal is ok, though avoid using instant oats because they’re thin and less nutritious and often have added sugar and salt. Your best bet is rolled oats or steel-cut oats (also known as Irish oats).

Then comes the fun part: Choosing my flavoring. First, I toast up some nuts and chop them. Lately, I’ve been using walnuts or hazelnuts, but in the past I’ve used almonds, macadamia nuts, pine nuts… Any nut would do. Then, if my cereal doesn’t already include it, I add a couple of tablespoons of ground flaxseed. I grind it in my coffee grinder to get it nice and fine, because otherwise the body wouldn’t be able to digest it and benefit from its heart-happy omega-3s.

Then comes the fruit. I don’t usually have a big selection for this - raisins is my standard. But I have recently found organic artisan dried fruits at our local supermarket and have been using dried figs, pears, prunes and apricots. I’ve also used fresh fruit on occasion, but I tend to prefer that in the summer when there are tons of luscious berries around.

I lightly sweeten the cereal with a drizzle of agave nectar or maple syrup and sometimes for an extra touch of decadence, I mix in a tablespoon of coconut butter which is incredibly tasty, rich, and apparently quite good for you, albeit a bit on the caloric side. One tablespoon is really enough. This breakfast will fill you up and keep you going through the morning.

Here’s the simplified formula - choose at least one of each of the following:

• Hot cereal: Oats, rye, kamut, spelt… or any blend thereof
• Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios… Raw or toasted, chopped or whole
• Fruit: Dried or fresh - Cranberries, raisins, prunes, pears or any fruit that you enjoy. For a more exotic flavour, try the nutrient powerhouse, the dried goji berry.
• Sweetener: If you like your cereal on the sweet side, try a drizzle of agave nectar (which is lower on the glycemic index than most natural sweeteners) or some maple syrup.
• Other additions: Ground flaxseed for the omega-3s and a delicate nutty flavour. Unhydrogenated coconut butter for a little bit of good fat and a delicious decadent richness.