Kick Start Right

Every January, I make a New Year’s resolution NOT to eat food from Starbucks for breakfast.
Because despite serving my three school-aged kids a well-balanced breakfast every morning (something different every day of the week, no less, complete with fruit), by the time I ensure all the beds are made, kitchen is clean, teeth are brushed and the kids are out the door with all the accoutrements they need for the school day, MY breakfast rarely makes it onto the to-do list.

So when I get to the Starbucks beside SavvyHQ, after having dropped them off at school, I often find myself in need of something to go along with my morning latte, but sadly that something can often mean a 500 calorie scone with no nutritional value. So this year, when I was given a chance to follow along with the Sprout Right Kick Start 2011 Healthy Eating Meal Plan, I vowed to improve my breakfast habits. The two-week plan, developed by Lianne Phillipson-Webb, which you can buy through the Sprout Right site ($44) is meant to help you and your entire family eat well, all day long, but I focused on the breakfast as my own personal improvement opportunity. (My whole family loved the Go Faster Granola Bars and the Pesto Fish.)

First of all, I took Lianne’s advice on the need to eat within half an hour of waking. Historically this has seemed impossible as I am so busy with the kids but now I head downstairs first to eat before I wake them up. Apparently, after fasting overnight, your metabolism—which is your internal energy burning stove—needs a kick to get going. Eating within 30 minutes of waking helps your body with energy balance throughout the day. And what mom doesn’t need that? I also implemented her suggestion of drinking a mug of hot water with the juice of half a lemon first as soon as I wake up—it’s a nice ritual and it feels like a great way to cleanse the system first thing in the morning.

With these new habits in place, it was time to focus on the ‘what’ to eat. Lianne suggests smoothies with fruit and flax oil, steel cut oatmeal, scrambled eggs and toast or homemade granola, all of which were yummy. But her recipe for Lovely Soaked Muesli really convinced me I could do better at the breakfast thing. The dry mixture is made up in advance in a large batch, and then the night before, you prepare your serving by adding grated apple and almond milk. Put it in the fridge and in the morning add a little more fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup. Delish and nutrish! I have been making mine up in a Tupperware container so if I don’t get to it first thing, I can grab it and bring it with me to the office. Thank you Sprout Right for letting me start 2011 off right!

PS Might try to kick the latte habit next!

Lovely Soaked Muesli
Note: this dry mixture will keep for a month or so if frozen or refrigerated.

You’ll Need

• 1 cup oats/buckwheat flakes
• 1 cup quinoa flakes (or more oats)
• ¼–½ cup mixed seeds (flax, sunflower and pumpkin)
• ¼ cup chopped dried apricots
• ¼ cup raisins
• Any extra dried fruit, nuts or seeds that you like

Prep and Cook

1. Combine all ingredients above and store in a container in fridge or freezer.
2. In the evening, measure ½ cup of dry mixture into a bowl.
3. Grate some apple into the mixture and cover with milk of choice (rice or almond).
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. In the morning, stir and add extra milk if necessary. More fresh fruit and maple syrup or agave can be added before serving, if desired.