Foodie Friday 3: Protein in the Morning

Last week I reviewed some gluten-free cereal options, but I started the cereal ranking by saying that of all the cereals, hot cereal (oatmeal, quinoa porridge, rice porridge, etc) are the best. Why? Because they are the cleanest (no added anything), they are full of fiber, and they have protein. 

It is very important to eat protein in the morning.  It keeps you full for longer and helps set the tone of your appetite for the rest of the day. 

However, most people don't eat enough protein in the morning. Take cereal, the most popular breakfast food: as reviewed last week, most cereals available at grocery stores do not contain near enough protein. They are mainly made of carbohydrates; most of which are simple, refined carbs that don't contribute to satiety (fullness and meal satisfaction) and throw blood sugar out of whack. Even when paired with a glass of cow or goat milk*, the cereal plus milk meal will still likely fall short on the protein and will contain too many carbohydrates. *If you use almond mylk in your cereal, then the protein content will be even lower!

Nothing says good morning like (buckwheat) pancakes

Ten higher protein alternatives to milk & cereal for breakfast:

(in no particular order)

1) Hot cereals, like oatmeal, quinoa, or amaranth porridge

2) Hearty grain* toast with nut butter

3) A smoothie with fruit, greens, and protein powder 

4) Scrambled eggs (or tofu) with veggies 

5) Poached or boiled eggs (if you eat eggs)

6) Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, or hard cheeses (if you eat dairy)

7) Leftovers (rice dishes, bean dishes, stir-fry, chili, stew, etc)

8) Protein bars (opt for lower sugar ones)

9) Hearty grain* waffles, pancakes, crepes, or muffins

10) Nuts, trail mix, museli, or granola with milk of choice

*Whole wheat, multi-grain, kamut, spelt, buckwheat, amaranth, teff, sorghum, almond flour, etc

Foodie Friday 2: Gluten Free Cereal Guide

There are SO many gluten free cereals on the market, I had a hard time deciding where to even begin with this post... but here goes. My first attempt at summarizing the g-free cereal brands on the market. In order of BEST to WORST, in my opinion. 

1. Hot Cereal I really don't advocate cereal because, as you'll see from this summary, MOST g-free cereals are empty calories. They are made of corn or rice (practically void of protein and fiber) and contain way too much sugar. I'd rather eat a bowl of plain oatmeal where I get to choose my own toppings, fillers, and sweeteners. Alternatively, homemade granola is an amazing 'cereal' option. 

An old picture of oatmeal with almond butter swirl and strawberry jam.

2. Enjoy Life Enjoy Life is a company that focuses on allergen-free foods. Their flax crunch cereal (pictured below) is stellar. The ingredients? Sorghum flour, flax, honey, raisin juice (for sweetener), and salt. No junk, no refined sugar, no corn or rice. The nutritional stats are great too (7 grams of protein per serving! That is very high for a g-free cereal). If it is too 'plain' for your liking, try dressing it up with berries, a vanilla nut mylk, chopped banana, or a sprinkle of cinnamon. If you find it super bland, you could eat it with a sweetened nut or soy mylk to add some more sweetness. 

3. Barbara's Similar to Enjoy Life's products, Barbara's uses some alternatives to refined sugars, like molasses. Their products are mostly made of oat flour, but beware because others are mainly corn-based. Overall, I still like Barbara's because their ingredients lists are pretty straight forward. Just be mindful of the corn based varieties and that some of their cereals do contain gluten. 

4. Nature's Path Nature's Path is the gluten-free cereal king! They have TONS of varieties. They have g-free granola, puffed cereal, flake cereal, etc. However, they are mostly made of corn and rice and I find them to be very, very sweet. Mesa Sunrise is probably the most nutritious because it contains ground flax... but it's still corn based. *Sigh*.

5. Glutino Not a fan of these cereals. While Nature's Path is corn and rice based, and is sugary, they at least have flax, hemp, and other healthy ingredients added. Glutino cereals are pretty plain and pretty nutritionally void. 

6. General Mills/Kellogg's/Post Oh, boy. The big cereal brands are now making gluten free versions of their classic cereals! You can get g-free Rice Krispies, Chex, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Fruit Pebbles, and more. Don't be tricked into thinking that these are healthy cereals now that they have been dubbed gluten-free... they are still the same old candy cereals that they've always been. 

More to come! Next week I'll be featuring a homemade cereal recipe...

The best (in my opinion)! Image source here.

Oopsie Daisy! (Foodie Friday 1)

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold the phone! 

What happened to the new blogging schedule starting on Monday, May 20th? Um, yeah. I got side-tracked by all the wonderfulness of being in Clinic! My sincere apologies. 

Let's get back on track today, with the first Foodie Friday blog post!

It's almost 'burger season' (also known as 'Summer')

Looking for some healthy dinner inspiration? Well, I've got five wonderful, Summer-y, and healthier dinner recipes, collected from around the web, to share with you today. 

Happy cooking!

1) Sweet Potato Burgers. It's almost barbecue and burger season. These vegetarian burgers are wonderful when topped with avocado (as suggested in the recipe). Make them gluten-free by using gluten-free instant (or slightly ground rolled oats) instead of panko bread crumbs. 

2) Green Sushi Salad. We've made variations of this wonderful dish in our home many times, but here is a professional recipe with pretty pictures. With this you get sushi, without the fuss of rolling the ingredients up. 

3) Jarred Salads. This would actually make a wonderful lunch, but you could have it for dinner too, especially if you were having a picnic! The key is to keep the dressing at the bottom of the jar to prevent the salad greens/veggies from getting soggy. When it is time to eat, simply shake it up and dig in. 

4) Chopped Kale Salad with Creamy Almond Ginger Dressing. This recipe is wonderful, but the dressing is really where it is at. Make the dressing and pour it over any salad of your liking or pour it on top of baked or steamed vegetables. Oh, and it also makes a great dip for raw vegetables. 

5) Shrimp Mango Tacos. I don't normally eat shrimp, but I love the idea of these lettuce-wrapped 'tacos'. You could alternatively use chickpeas, chicken, or even baked tofu cubes.