I do not like getting up in the morning. Over the years, I have worked my morning routine down to the millisecond so that I can spend every possible minute in bed. I also do not like eating as soon as I get up, so I usually eat at my desk as I am planning my day.
My building has a cafeteria. They struggle with toast, so the less said about it the better. And buying meals daily adds up, and takes my valuable eating out dollars away from better fare. So, today, I would like to share some thoughts on things I bring from home.
Breakfast
I detest cereal. In my memory, I have never once eaten it - at least, not in a bowl with milk poured over it the way many do. I can't even be near people when they're eating cereal. The smell, the sound, and the look of it turn me off completely. So this aversion of mine has always made quick, week day breakfasts more of a challenge for me. Beyond the obvious - dinner leftovers - I have several standbys I like.
Greek yogurt, walnuts and honey. I discovered this a few years ago travelling in Greece. You get protein from the yogurt and nuts, dairy, a little sweetness from the honey. You can add fruit or berries as well. Granola would work instead of nuts. Or in addition to it. When I get to work, I actually pop it in the freezer for a bit (I like my yogurt really cold, so this addresses any warming issues that happened on my commute). Sometimes, I leave it a little long and it freezes a little, so I have nutty frozen yogurt for breakfast, which is awesome.
Another thing I discovered recently that is really easy to do at work is miso soup. A savoury soup for breakfast sounds strange to many Canadians, but it is quite common elsewhere, and in the winter, it is lovely. It is as easy as bringing a chink of miso paste in tupperware, and pouring hot water over it and stirring. You can get fancier, with chopped scallions and tofu, and use dashi instead of plain water. But the plain water really does the trick. Pictured below is a my first homemade miso. Here I had made the dashi from scratch, but after that was gone, I reverted to water, and at work it was just fine.
I have recently heard about baked oatmeal. And I decided I wanted to try. It can be made individually and frozen for weekday breakfasts, or in a larger cake pan for a communal weekend option. I started researching, and found a lot of recipes. Many of them gluten free and/or vegan, calling for things like applesauce or mashed bananas. Stuff that I am not going to do. So, having an idea what I wanted, what I have in my fridge, and what the batter and the finished product should look like, I set out to tailor the concept to me.
Combine:
2 c rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/4 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Walnut pieces to taste, so they're well distributed (or pecan, or almond, or....)
Add:
1/4 c maple syrup (or a little more - I was using a 1/3 measure that I didn't fill all the way)
1 c milk
1 egg
1/2 of sour cream
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Mix until combined.
Spoon into paper lined muffin tin, top with mixed berries (or more nuts, or chocolate chips, or....) and bake at 375 for 40 minutes.
All in all, not bad. Fibre, a bit of protein from the nuts. Some fruit. One flaw is they kind of stick to the wrappers. I shall update when I find a way around that. I may tinker with the recipe a bit - and you can too = it is very forgiving.
For updates, follow me on twitter! @culinarykira
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