Critique my breakfast menus

[gcgirl]

Hi! I've been working on moving from grain-based breakfasts (cereal, toast, etc.) to higher-protein, more nourishing breakfasts. I don't want my kids to have a legacy of cereal and oatmeal breakfasts, kwim?

I've read a bit about macrobiotics, traditional foods, the China Study, etc...and I've decided that a middle-of-the-road approach will work best for me and my family. So with that in mind, here's what I've come up with:

Monday: Ham and greens soup (with homemade bone broth, nitrite/nitrate-free ham, broccoli rabe or other dark green - cribbed from Sunset magazine).

Tuesday: Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and smoked mackerel.

Wednesday: Miso soup with tofu and buckwheat noodles.

Thursday: Hot millet cereal and ham/bacon/other meat on the side.

Friday: Beet soup with beets AND beet greens (again with homemade bone broth, and also cribbed from Sunset magazine). Not sure about what protein to add yet. Maybe poach an egg in the soup?

Saturday: Poached eggs on toast.

Sunday: Bit more traditional day: homemade cinnamon buns/pancakes/blintzes/waffles/hash/whatever with deviled eggs or sausage or something. More flexibility and variety.

So there it is. I'm interested in hearing from all sides, whether you do TF or veggie or macrobiotic or what. I find that a range of input helps me process my own opinions. Thanks!

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by gcgirl

Hi! I've been working on moving from grain-based breakfasts (cereal, toast, etc.) to higher-protein, more nourishing breakfasts. I don't want my kids to have a legacy of cereal and oatmeal breakfasts, kwim?

I've read a bit about macrobiotics, traditional foods, the China Study, etc...and I've decided that a middle-of-the-road approach will work best for me and my family. So with that in mind, here's what I've come up with:

Monday: Ham and greens soup (with homemade bone broth, nitrite/nitrate-free ham, broccoli rabe or other dark green - cribbed from Sunset magazine).

This sounds really yummy. I make ham bone soup often and it goes over well with the littles.

Tuesday: Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and smoked mackerel.


Wednesday: Miso soup with tofu and buckwheat noodles.\\

I avoid soy especially for my kiddos.

Thursday: Hot millet cereal and ham/bacon/other meat on the side.


Friday: Beet soup with beets AND beet greens (again with homemade bone broth, and also cribbed from Sunset magazine). Not sure about what protein to add yet. Maybe poach an egg in the soup?

A poached egg, or spicy italian sausage?

Saturday: Poached eggs on toast.

Sunday: Bit more traditional day: homemade cinnamon buns/pancakes/blintzes/waffles/hash/whatever with deviled eggs or sausage or something. More flexibility and variety.

So there it is. I'm interested in hearing from all sides, whether you do TF or veggie or macrobiotic or what. I find that a range of input helps me process my own opinions. Thanks!

Well I think you're leaps and bounds ahead of the SAD crowd, but your menu still has a lot of grains...

Good amount of protein, make sure you have some healthy fats in there too!

[velcromom]

I'm interested in higher protein breakfasts too... I'm also trying to get away from relying on grains so much. We lean TF... so I'd add good fats - pasture or raw butter - and lactofermented foods to what you've got already... Maybe cut out two more days of the grains & make those soaked. I agree though, you are already ahead of the game!

I love the idea of bone broth soups for breakfast. A beaten egg swirled into simmering broth is heavenly. A lentil or bean soup offers a lot of protein too.

Meat leftovers from dinner can be a good morning meal, if you feed the freezer with extras then you don't have to end up eating the same thing night and morning - choose something out of the freezer, use it in an omelet or chop & toss into a soup.

Can't forget sausage with scrambled eggs & gravy.

chili made with grassfed beef over a cheese & onion omelet... lol now I am getting hungry.

With a ham dish, I'd serve lf sauerkraut.

We avoid unfermented soy - fermented is ok though.

[cristeen]

I agree with the pp - I wouldn't be feeding my kidlet soy on a regular basis, much less a weekly basis.

Bagels are really high in carbs, and unless you have a local source for them, they've usually got some nasty ingredients, including plain old white flour. If you're going for white flour, some sourdough bread would probably be a better choice.

Personally we eat pretty egg heavy breakfasts - they're fast and easy. I cook new creative meals for dinner 7 days/week, I can't handle having to come up with a full breakfast 7 days also. It's too much work for me.

And honestly, eating the same meals week in and week out would get boring pretty quickly. But that's just me.

[gcgirl]

I'd probably make the bagels myself. Also, I thought tofu was "okay" soy? I would never use soy oils or soy flours or anything like that.

I need a set breakfast menu because I am NOT a morning person, and I can't do this unless I have a plan.

[Holiztic]

Looks like you're not afraid to cook, and okay with some carbs, so I thought I'd share our new favorite:

Homemade Potato Latkes (so easy!!) topped with fried egg, "grilled" (in cast iron pan) tomato, and optionally some bacon or fried ham. Can top with fermented ketchup (my fave), hot sauce, sour cream or nothing (runny yoke is enough for me some days)!

Kudos to you for eating soup for breakfast, wish I could bring myself to do it! We eat homemade soup made with homemade bone broth twice a day--lunch and supper, so I don't feel too bad about missing breakfast, but if I *could* I would! (We do eat soup with all 3 meals when we're sick, though)

[Sativarain1]

Wednesday: Miso soup with tofu and buckwheat noodles

and Homemade Potato Latkes (so easy!!) topped with fried egg, "grilled" (in cast iron pan) tomato, and optionally some bacon or fried ham. Can top with fermented ketchup (my fave), hot sauce, sour cream or nothing (runny yoke is enough for me some days)!

those sound delicious!
what is your recipe for the miso soup?

[mumkimum]

If you were concerned about the tofu in the miso soup, you can make it just as easily without the tofu. We usually just have miso-veggie-buckwheat-noodle-soup here anyway (mainly cause we don't have any tofu around).

Anyway, I've been working on increasing both protein and veggies in breakfast meals. Some of my recent favorites are:

Egg over-easy on a bed of arugula or baby spinach. Will often do sliced tomatoes, veg sausage, or some form of potato on the side.

Hard boiled egg coarsely chopped with avocado, drizzled with olive oil, maybe with scallions or tomato if we've got it.

[gcgirl]

These are all very helpful posts, thanks. My recipe for miso soup is off a package of brown rice miso - just boil the miso, add nut butters if desired, add tofu, scallions, sea veggies, whatever a couple minutes before the end of cooking, and voila!

I figure I will eventually expand my repertoire to a three-week rotating schedule, but I want to start slowly and make sure I can even get UP in time to do this. Lol.

[jolenegreen]

I saw a recipe in a magazine for vegtable hash...looked soooo yummy...and added eggs over easy!!!

[anomaly13]

A note on miso, you should not be boiling it because that will kill all the good bacteria in it. Boil water or broth with whatever you want in the soup, once everything is cooked to your liking turn off the heat and add the miso making sure it dissolves, you can even remove a cup or so of liquid and dissolve the miso in that to be sure it all gets dissolved. We even sometimes just make miso soup with water or veggie broth and nothing else in it and drink it in a mug.

Enjoy!

[Holiztic]

I have not had tofu in years, so this might not be totally accurate, but worth a try!

I use Indian paneer cheese cubed like tofu in a bunch of recipes. It has a very similar texture when warm and pretty much no flavor. I think it would go very nicely in miso.

We currently buy paneer at the health food store, but its very pricey ($7 for 8 ounces), so I plan to start making it soon.

[gcgirl]

Originally Posted by Holiztic

I have not had tofu in years, so this might not be totally accurate, but worth a try!

I use Indian paneer cheese cubed like tofu in a bunch of recipes. It has a very similar texture when warm and pretty much no flavor. I think it would go very nicely in miso.

We currently buy paneer at the health food store, but its very pricey ($7 for 8 ounces), so I plan to start making it soon.

I could use that for the kids' soup, but I can't have dairy. Thanks for the tip.