Breakfast of Champions

On a guided tour here in Israel, at around 10:30am, the tour-guide announced that we were stopping for breakfast.  Pandemonium and confusion quickly ensued. Breakfast?!?  We’d already been on the bus for two hours. We ate breakfast already, before we left the house!  Did he mean to say we were stopping for a snack? Brunch perhaps?  The tour-guide quickly clarified that we were stopping for aruchat esser, the Israeli national 10 o’clock meal, and we all sighed in relief.

I asked an Israeli social worker if, for most Israelis, aruchat esser was indeed breakfast.  She explained that the average Israeli starts the day with a cup of coffee or a bag of chocolate milk and a cookie or pastry, just to “get going”. They eat their “breakfast” at around 10am (aruchat esser), usually a sandwich, perhaps a raw fruit or veggie, and more coffee.  For kids, it’s often sugary cereal eaten dry out of a bag, or a chocolate-spread sandwich on white bread.

Oh, I said. And then : Oy.

Most of us know the importance of eating a healthy diet. The Rambam lays out basic principles of health and simple instructions for how to eat, relevant both at the time he wrote them and even more so today.  In addition to the physical ailments we can suffer, Gd forbid, when we don’t eat well, Rebbe Nachman also discusses the negative spiritual effects of improper eating: “Eating properly subdues the tendency towards folly, enhancing one’s intellectual and spiritual faculties.” (Likutei MoharanI, 263).

Nearly every nutritionist, dietician, and celebrity chef schools us on the importance of eating a good breakfast.  Eating a good breakfast revs up our metabolism, balances our blood sugar, and helps us focus on our life’s purpose.  Yet many of us fail to feed ourselves a healthy breakfast, and even worse, often we don’t do it for our kids.  We have a million excuses, some of them valid:  I don’t have time.  My kids are picky eaters. I don’t have time.  I’m not hungry in the morning.   I don’t have time.  I’m on a diet.  And, I don’t have time.

You get the point.

The truth is, you might not have time. But I know you can make the time if you really want to.  That’s a topic for another day.  Here, I present a practical solution for the breakfast dilemma, perfect for the wintery weather:  Oats, two ways. 

Oats are inexpensive, high in fiber, can help lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol (yes, that’s the “bad” kind), and have a high satiety rating (you’ll feel full for a while after eating them).

Option 1:  Oatmeal, upgraded.

Most of us are familiar with instant oatmeal.  You know how it goes:  open packet, pour in microwaved water or milk, eat, and then feel hungry 10 minutes later.  This upgraded version is different.  This oatmeal is satisfying, packed with nutrients, and customizable.

I like to start the night before, soaking the oats overnight, often with a dollop of yogurt.  This makes the oats more digestible and shortens the cooking time, but it’s completely optional.  You can start your oats in the morning with great results.

Basic Ingredients:  (double the amounts if serving a family or if you want to have leftovers)

1 cup whole rolled oats (not quick cooking oats)

3-4 cups water (depending on your cook top, climate and how creamy you like your oatmeal)

Pinch of sea salt

Optional “upgrade’ ingredients:

Milk or non-dairy milk (this works well to cool down the oatmeal for little ones)

Chopped fresh fruit or unsweetened dried fruit

Assorted seeds or nuts or shredded dried coconut

Honey, silan (date syrup), or other natural sweeteners

Ground flax seeds

Healthy oils such as flax, coconut, or butter

Directions:

1. If soaking the oats the night before, put oats and water in a pot and cover. Leave overnight.

2. When ready to cook, uncover, add pinch of salt, and bring to a boil.

3. After your oats reach boiling, lower the flame, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed to desired creaminess. If your oats look dry before they’re cooked, add more water. If it looks like there’s too much liquid, cook uncovered until the liquid evaporates to your desired consistency.

4. Spoon into bowls, top with desired upgrade ingredients, bless and enjoy!

Option 2: Groovy Granola.

Again, I’m not talking about the ready-made granola you’ll find in your local supermarket and even health food store. Those are very pricey and usually contain poor quality oils and excess sugar.

This homemade granola has gotten rave reviews from whole food skeptics. You can tailor the ingredients to your taste and budget, but either way, homemade granola is far more affordable than the store bought variety.  This recipe can be doubled to make a really big batch. The granola keeps well in air tight glass jars for up to a month.  It’s also great if you have limited time in the morning.

Basic Ingredients:  (double the amounts if serving a family or if you want to have leftovers)

1/2 kilo whole rolled oats (about 5 ½ cups)

1/2 cup coconut oil (or other neutral tasting oil, such as canola) *

Pinch of sea salt

2 tsp cinnamon and/or 1 tsp powdered ginger

½ cup total combined raw, unsalted chopped nuts or seeds

¼ cup honey, silan, or other liquid sweetener (can adjust more or less to taste)

*Coconut oil is preferred for its amazing health benefits and ability to withstand high   heat, but it’s expensive, so substitute other oils if need be.

Optional “upgrade’ ingredients, to be added AFTER baking:

1/3-1/2 cup unsweetened dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, currants, chopped dates)

Shredded dried coconut, to taste

Flax or sesame seeds, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 c.

2. Gently heat the coconut oil over a low flame (this is unnecessary in the summer, when your coconut oil will be liquid at room temperature.) Skip this step if using canola oil.

3. Turn off the flame and add liquid sweetener. Stir to combine.

4. Put oats, pinch of salt, cinnamon and/or ginger in a bowl.  Slowly pour the oil/sweetener mixture over the oats.  Stir until the oats are coated with the liquid.

5. Add nuts and seeds. Stir again to combine

6. Spread the mixture in a thin layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake until oats are golden.  Check your granola every 10 minutes or so to give it a stir and to prevent burning.  General total cooking time is 25-30 minutes, give or take.  If your  oven is very small, you might need to bake in batches.

7. When cool, add dried fruits, coconut, or flax seeds.  Stir to combine.

8. Store in air tight containers (preferable glass).

Enjoy your healthy granola plain, with milk, on top of yogurt, or even with fruit and tchina drizzled on top.

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Arlyn Boltax offers nutritional counseling and exercise programs for individuals and families. For more information or to schedule a session in person or on Skype, please email kislev17@gmail.com.