Struggling with the morning routine

[ChickenNoodle]

I am struggling with my morning routine.

Mornings suck with out my coffee but I can get thru that, I am learning to appreciate black coffee.

Here is my real challenge: I am not an egg lover and my mornings are too full to make my breakfast before I am starved, I am up at 5 and don't slow down enough to eat until 8. This is a struggle with out coffee/cream/ sugar to tide me over. Plus, 4 mornings I go straight to run after dropping off Dd at school and need to have something in my system. Coffee followed by a string cheese used to work just fine but now that is off the menu. Would it really be that terrible to go against advice here and have my morning (compliant- frozen 2/3c spinach and 1/3c blueberries, coconut milk and 1/4 banana) smoothie along with some sausage or other protein? I can make this early and sip it as I get my kiddos going and or finish it in the car.

I am getting the sense that my smoothie would = a fail! but I don't think it should if it is compliant. I understand that breaking old habits is hard for everyone but I don't understand why a morning smoothie is a big no no. It is not the typical "sweet" smoothie, heavy on fruit. Any feedback would be welcome!

[Tom Denham]

You want to keep doing what you have always done when the issue calls for you to do some things differently.

 

So you don't want to eat eggs in the morning. Okay. Prepare something to eat for breakfast the night before and then just heat it up in the morning. I had pork ribs with collards and chopped broccoli stems for breakfast recently because I had a container of it waiting in my refrigerator when I got up and thought it would be neat to just heat it in the microwave 4 minutes and eat. I was right. It made a great breakfast. 

 

The Whole30 is a time for you to learn how good things can be if you follow best practices. And a time to figure out how to reorganize your life to take care of yourself properly while you take care of your family. If you cut corners by drinking a smoothie now, it really is a fail. 

[Renee Lee]

A smoothie isn't a fail, it's just discouraged. In our experience, people that stick to their smoothies aren't as successful long term as those that give them up and try to rethink their food and fueling methods.

 

I LOVE eggs, so I don't share your morning struggles, but there are still some good "grab and go" options that you're probably overlooking. If Tom's suggestion of leftovers doesn't work for you (this is really the easiest route), I've been a fan of "meat cookies," or previously cooked hamburger patties, to eat on the go. Grab that, some guacamole and a banana? Easy stuff to eat on the road.

 

To be honest, the best change here would be to modify your routine so that you HAVE the extra time to sit down at the breakfast table with the fam and eat, but that's not always a reality for folks. If you've gotta eat on the road, you gotta eat on the road.

 

Some chicken/tuna salads are a good option as well.

[Mom2A&M]

Maybe a hearyt soup instead of a smoothie ( drink froma thermos?) and some protein.

[Mom2A&M]

Make that "hearty" soup!

[ChickenNoodle]

Ok, I am listening with an open mind. Sometimes it is hard to shake the 'but I know what works best for me' mindset, so I am really trying here and I do appreciate the feedback.

Morning routine can not be changed to include a sit down breakfast,,,unfortunately.

In the past when I played with lowering my carb intake I made a real effort to trade out my smoothie several days a week for solid food and it was a real struggle, not only with my timeline but also food, especially eggs and veggies, are just so unappealing that early.

Keep the suggestions coming...

[ChickenNoodle]

Soup does sound so much more appealing....maybe I need to make a pot of soup specifically for breakfast.

Chicken tortilla soup with Avo and a squeeze of line sounds like an awesome breakfast :-)

But isn't that too much fat for a PWO meal?

*edited to clarify Pre work out meal, not post

[pjena]

Some sort of butternut squash or sweet potato soup might work for breakfast.  My favorite recipe has coconut milk and cashews, so that might be too much fat for PWO, but you could play around to see if you can figure out a recipe that you like.  I really like mine cold and warm. 

[ChickenNoodle]

I do have a few great hearty soup recipes...ok, off to go digging thru my recipe pile.

Right now I have some chicken bones simmering and some pork in the crock. Both good for a breakfast soup!

[GFChris]

This is a great paleo meatloaf recipe that would work for breakfast. It makes 2 loaves, so I typically use one immediately and freeze one for later.

http://paleomg.com/paleo-savory-sweet-potato-meatloaf/

 

If you can't find compliant bacon, I would either substitute compliant pancetta, or skip it and cook the onions and raisins in a compliant fat.

[Guest Andria]

There was a thread almost exactly like this recently. Someone could not stomach the eggs for breakfast. I second pjena's suggestion of sweet potato or butternut squash, since the sweetness can help when it is difficult to find other food appealing in the morning( not implying you need something sweet; you had said meat/veg didn't sound appealing). But you need to add some protein (and fat of choice) and I think a compliant chicken apple sausage(Applegate Farms) goes great. You can sneak in some mild tasting veggies, spices and sautee a big batch once or twice a week.

As for coffee You can add coconut milk or better yet coconut butter( have to blend the coconut blender in with an immersion blender) to your coffee. The coconut butter blended in coffee is very smooth and creamy with a little foam on top. Yum! I go to bed looking forward to it in the morning!!

[GFChris]

There was a thread almost exactly like this recently. Someone could not stomach the eggs for breakfast. I second pjena's suggestion of sweet potato or butternut squash, since the sweetness can help when it is difficult to find other food appealing in the morning( not implying you need something sweet; you had said meat/veg didn't sound appealing). But you need to add some protein (and fat of choice) and I think a compliant chicken apple sausage(Applegate Farms) goes great. You can sneak in some mild tasting veggies, spices and sautee a big batch once or twice a week.

As for coffee You can add coconut milk or better yet coconut butter( have to blend the coconut blender in with an immersion blender) to your coffee. The coconut butter blended in coffee is very smooth and creamy with a little foam on top. Yum! I go to bed looking forward to it in the morning!!

Here's the thread that Andria was referring to: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/13365-needing-breakfast-inspiration/

Also, as a result of my Whole30, I now have my coffee blended with coconut oil and clarified butter using my immersion blender. Yum.

 

 

 

[Sierra Sue]

I am on my 10th day of my first Whole30. I am a former breakfast LOVER and struggle with eating my Meal 1. I have found that eating a typical dinner for breakfast is getting easier. The cauliflower mash and some stew with broth is good and tolerable. Also find the tuna salad on apple slices is acceptable. It does get easier every day especially now that my pants are getting too big! It's a great incentive to keep going. I also have decided that it is worth it to take 5 extra minutes to eat and not "eat while doing". My kid is grown so it's easier for me but we do sometimes have to look at what we "have been doing" and see if we can't tweak it to fit our health better. Hope you find something that works for you!

[SharynF]

The turkey mince with apple and cinnamon in ISWF is awesome. Good hot or cold. A box of that with some avo slices and spinach would be a great take away breakfast. Don't forget the fork

[amberino21]

Soup does sound so much more appealing....maybe I need to make a pot of soup specifically for breakfast.

Chicken tortilla soup with Avo and a squeeze of line sounds like an awesome breakfast :-)

But isn't that too much fat for a PWO meal?

*edited to clarify Pre work out meal, not post

PreWO should be fat and protein, but it sounds like you'd be working out later? You could maybe have both meal 1 and a preWO.

There are plenty of things that could be eaten on the run if that's what you need to do (although I second the suggestion to sit down to eat - coming from someone who used to eat on the run constantly, making the effort to sit down and eat mindfully has many benefits!)

Meatballs, chicken nuggets, lamb cutlets, fish cakes/balls could be eaten cold. Take some vegie sticks and a dip (mayo based, avo based) or some nuts and you're set!

[jillian]

At the beginning of the week, I shred a bunch of sweet potatoes with my new nifty food processor and store them in containers in the fridge. When I wake up, I throw some olive oil in a pan, toss in a generous handful of the shredded sweet potato and several compliant sausage links. Let it cook while I drink my coffee. End of story.

[Mom2A&M]

PaleOMG has a wonderful puréed carrot ginger soup. It's is quite lovely, warm, comforting and delish! I can't link the recipe because I am tech challenged, but a google search "paleo carrot ginger soup" will bring right there.

[ABS32013]

At the beginning of the week, I shred a bunch of sweet potatoes with my new nifty food processor and store them in containers in the fridge. When I wake up, I throw some olive oil in a pan, toss in a generous handful of the shredded sweet potato and several compliant sausage links. Let it cook while I drink my coffee. End of story.

 

I'm curious - does the shredded sweet potato oxidize from sitting around in the fridge?  Even if it does, I'd imagine it doesn't affect the taste, just the appearance. 

 

I struggle with the morning routine, too. I'm already up quite early (~5:30), and from there it's a mad dash** of getting showered, coifed, made up, unloading dishwasher, making breakfasts and lunches (2 kids, 1 husband, me), getting dressed, giving hugs and kisses and running out the door.  It's not ideal, but I usually have a few bites of breakfast with my coffee and then the rest of my breakfast once I get to my office. 

 

** "mad dash" might make it sound like I'm quick at this.  Don't be fooled.  It takes me about 2 hours to do all that and get out of the house.  Then it's about a 40 minute commute.  So, waiting until I get to work would be way too long to go without food from wake-up time. 

 

Now, I could make this all easier on myself by doing more the night before, but there's plenty to be done then, too.

 

It may sound like it, but I'm not really complaining.  A lot of what takes up my time is preparing fresh food for my family and myself, and that's a really good thing.  Now, if I had a housekeeper to deal with the dishes and laundry and stuff, that would be cool ;-)

[jillian]

The shredded sweet potato is stored raw - and surprisingly it doesn't lose any taste or color. I've heard reports that chopped up veggies lose some of their nutritional value when not eaten right away - but it's a price I'm more than willing to pay for the convenience.

 

And can I just add that I don't skimp on the olive oil when I cook up my breakfast. I think the fat really helps hold me over until lunch.

[ChickenNoodle]

You all are such a wealth if information! Thank you for all of the great suggestions :-)

I ate a mini meal an hour after getting up when hunger struck, but frankly it made me feel ill. It was left over dinner of pork, squash and broc....not easy on the belly at 6 am but even the few bites that I had were well balanced and enough to tide me over.

Now I have just finished my first bulletproof coffee and feel more normal than I have in three days, woot! I will have a proper breakfast shortly, I think perhaps this mini meal at 6 followed by a proper breakfast at 8 may be the best approach for me.

Also I do sit down an enjoy most of my meals the trouble is getting up at 5 and not haveing the time to sit down and eat until 8...that is part of the challenge. Also despising eggs for breakfast ;-)

I greatly appreciate all of the ideas and suggestion!

[E_mo]

I am struggling with breakfast. I did start ok, I eat eggs normally, so the first few days were fine. However, I got to the point that I started feeling nauseated just thinking about eggs. Unfortunately, coming from being a vegetarian for a long time, I have a hard time with meat ( it started with ethical reasons, so the most I usually eat meat is 2-3 times a week). I have been eating pretty healthy for the past few years (no processed food, very occasional bread/pasta, tons of veggies but loved my chocolate-main reason why I am doing this) and I usually did oatmeal, fruit or a protein shake in the morning. With Whole30 I found that I just cannot stomach meat in the morning, except for here and there (max 3 times a week) and only sausage or bacon. I literally feel like I will get sick if I eat meat. Anything else I could eat, other than meat? 

I did Paleo for a couple of weeks and the option I had for breakfast were hemp hearts with chia seeds and almond/coconut, of course,  unsweetened milk. Can I use this as an alternative?

[ShannonM816]

Hi, @E_mo. Plant-based protein sources such as chia seeds and hemp hearts is not always as complete as what's in meat and eggs, which is why whole30 focuses on those sources. Nuts and seeds are also recommended to be limited to a small closed handful and not eaten every day, because they dont have a great omega=6 to omega-3 ratio. So could you have this breakfast? Sure. Should you have it every day? Probably not.

This article might have some useful tips about getting used to eating meat:  

http://whole9life.com/2013/02/eating-meat-a-primer-for-the-meat-challenged-2/

And here's some ideas for breakfast that might be less meaty and a change from standard eggs:

http://meljoulwan.com/2014/11/10/oven-fried-salmon-cakes/ (these freeze well. If you find you like them, you can double the recipe easily to have for later. And if dealing with the bones in canned salmon bothers you, you can buy it without bones, though you'll pay a bit more, or you could even use salmon fillets if that works better for you.)

http://meljoulwan.com/2011/08/18/comfort-noodles/

http://meljoulwan.com/2011/05/08/paleo-pad-thai/

http://meljoulwan.com/2010/08/08/paleo-egg-foo-yung/

[E_mo]

On 9/23/2013 at 1:07 PM, SharynF said:

The turkey mince with apple and cinnamon in ISWF is awesome. Good hot or cold. A box of that with some avo slices and spinach would be a great take away breakfast. Don't forget the fork

@sharynF Is there any way you could share the recipe? I think I could do this one. Apple and cinnamon sound great!

[E_mo]

@ShannonM816 Thank you for your quick response, I really appreciate it! I will definitely try some of those recipes. The noodles and pad thai sound amazing! I will try to do salmon however, I got a terrible food poisoning from salmon about 10 years ago and have not able to eat it since, but maybe it's time.:) I will definitely try to push more eggs and make my hemp hearts an occasional thing.  Thanks for the advice!

[SugarcubeOD]

46 minutes ago, E_mo said:

@sharynF Is there any way you could share the recipe? I think I could do this one. Apple and cinnamon sound great!

It is not permissible to share copywrited information on the forum.  I"m sure if you google you can find something similar or get the book out of the library.

Also, I'm going to remove your other post with the same concerns around meat as per forum rules, cross posting the same post into muliple threads is not allowed.