Thoughts of the Week - Breakfast

I haven't posted any recipes or food love in over 3 weeks.  Wonder why?  Well it's because I've basically been a bore in the kitchen, eating and cooking for energy not necessarily enjoyment.  Not that good, energetic food can't be enjoyable, because it is.  It's just that it's rather simple food I guess.  I started really watching what I eat 3 weeks ago now because more than anything I was pissed about not being able to fit into my shorts.  It wasn't about bad body image or the scale or blah blah blah, but the simple fact that when Fall rolls around, I don't want to have to buy all new jeans.  Art has joined me too by the way.  We are doing the Zone, and while it's often called the Zone Diet, I hate using the word diet because I really don't feel like it's a diet but rather just a meal plan.

I'm not a nutritionist or a diet expert, nor have I ever struggled with weight gain and loss in excess of 20 lbs, and hell, there's a lot more dire subjects to wrap your head around today, so I'm not going to get into the fine details of the plan (I didn't even read the book).  But I will say this, it all starts with breakfast, and it truly is the most important meal of the day.

I've always eaten breakfast and have never been one of those people that just chugs a cup of coffee and holds out until lunch.  I absolutely need something to get me started, especially after having kids.  But what I have been missing all these years in my breakfasts is protein, plain and simple.  On the Zone a typical breakfast is 1 egg, a piece of ham and cheese on an English muffin with an apple.  Something very similar to that pretty picture taken above.  All that protein fills me up and keeps me full until almost lunch time.  If I need a snack in between, I have one, but on most days it sustains me all the way to a very early lunch.  I don't feel starved on this plan and I'm not miserable.  I feel good and after 3 weeks I have seen results.  It has also helped that I've replaced snacking on a bag of chips with snacking on a piece of string cheese and some turkey.

It does take some extra planning and a bit more time, but we're worth it right?  I don't' seem to have the time to eat this big breakfast before Taylor gets off to school so I just wait until after she leaves and then I sit down around 8:15 and enjoy a nice big breakfast.  I'm telling you, breakfast is where it's at.  If I have learned anything from this meal plan, it is this.

In other news, the honeymoon phase of a new school is now over and Taylor has declared that all the math problems they have to do all day is boring and she "hates it."  We have to pry her out of bed each morning but at least she gets there with no tears and has a smile on her face when I pick her up.  We're off to a better start than last year for sure.

Also, Syd picked up some Star Wars picture books from the library yesterday.  We haven't let him watch any of the movies yet and plan to wait until he's at least 7.  This morning before Art left for work he instructed me to "Make sure if they start talking about Darth Vader being Luke's father you skip over that part."  According to him you see, that moment in the film when he says "Luke I am your father" is the most dynamic, chill inducing and climatic piece of film in the history of all film making.  Especially for a boy.  He was very adamant about this.  Art doesn't really ask for much from me but the usual, so ya, I guess I'll give him this and will be skipping over that part.