I love making my Israeli Breakfast on Sunday mornings, and I love serving it in the Cafe. While it doesn't take all that long to make, it does take a little more time than I have available on a weekday. Here's what I make on weekdays...a crunchy, very slightly sweet, delicious and satisfying start for my day. First a handful of walnuts and a handful of almonds go into my bowl.
Next into the bowl is soft plums (formerly called "prunes"). I cut up five into the bowl, and later in the day I eat four more. In the course of pre-marketing research, prune packagers discovered that prunes have a significant bone-strengthening effect. It seems that the magic number is 9 or 10. I used to use raisins and craisins...but since I quit eating sugar, craisins are out. And prunes have that great bone strengthening effect.
The next layer is the fresh fruit layer. I'm just enjoying the last of the peach season. Soon I will move on to apples for most of the winter. Berries are great in season. Bananas work almost any time of year. I've used pears, and I really enjoy them. I usually keep a bag of non-sugared frozen berries in the house just in case I run out of fresh fruit.
My crushed vitamins are next. I just can't seem to swallow those pills. I can take the gel caps, but the non-gel caps just will not go down. Crushing them and burying them in my breakfast seems to work well. By the way, vegetarians tend to be low in B-vitamins, and studies show that B-vitamins are good for your heart. If you are vegetarian, you should check your B level. I take a Super B-Complex along with my multi-vitamin.
Kefir. A few years ago, my daughter-in-law persuaded me to try the elimination diet, insisting that she thought I had issues with dairy. I didn't go through the entire process with all possible allergens, but I did check out dairy and wheat. Wheat was a non-issue, but I was surprised to find that there was an issue with dairy. I have reduced my dairy intake, but yogurt and kefir don't seem to have the same effect, so that's what I use with my breakfast.
Finally, I top off the whole meal with two tablespoons of flaxseed. My associate, Jame, calls it my "sawdust." On the other hand, I gave him a bag for his own use, and I notice he requested another -- so I guess he must have liked it. I surely do! And it helped lower my cholesterol by a significant amount. I love this mix of nuts, fresh and dried fruits, kefir and ground seeds. It's a delicious and satisfying start to my day!
Similar breakfast to the one I eat...Greek yogurt with fruit, raw almonds, and flax seed, except that I now also sprinkle on chia seeds as well. Have you tried them? Lots of fiber, omega 3 acids, calcium, protein, & antioxidants!
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