Monday, January 12, 2009

Resolution time

What with the 11 inches of snow that fell last week and half inch of ice that has formed on the inside of our weather-stripped, storm-proofed windows, you probably don't want to hear about virtuous New Year's resolutions. You probably would rather read Maggie's recipe for Candy Cane Cocoa that I'll get the critters to make today since it is too cold for school and I need a good bribe (ahem, "reward") for decent behavior for stir crazy kids. A mug of that delicious stuff would help you stay warm and comfort yourself from the hostility of the world.

So, sorry for the timing, but I have actually made a few modest food resolutions and dare I say, I think I might even be able to keep them.

1. My first resolution might comfort you if you are a certain type of person. I have some blood sugar and cholesterol issues so my first resolution is to eat a bowl of this every morning:
This is a bowl of virtue. Oatmeal, ground flax seeds, frozen wild blueberries, walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup. All good for both cholesterol and/or blood sugar stabilization. Add a splash of milk and it turns into gray mush, but if I don't look too closely, it's fine. I'm more of a savory breakfast type so I need the resolution to nudge me to choose to eat this every morning instead of a bagel with cream cheese, cayenne pepper and raw onion. So far so good. I'm not ravenous for my second breakfast by 9:30 am and I'll get the cholesterol tested next month and see if it makes a whit of difference. And my kids don't flinch from the smell of my breath anymore! My plan is to switch to homemade granola come summer.

2. No seconds, except for salad. This resolution just requires a little self-control. And it really only applies when I make something so tasty (which, let's face it, is not a daily occurrence) that I am tempted to keep eating it even though I'm no longer hungry.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have frost inside of our doors, too, so I hear you on that one. I have to calm myself down whenever I get an email from Dad in FL b/c the subject line always says "Hi from sunny Florida!" The man worked hard all of his life, took care of me, sent me to school and he deserves this. I just wish he would call his subject "to the greatest daughter ever" or "one day this house will be yours" or anything else!!! :)

Cynthia said...

I am hypoglycemic myself, but if I ate that for breakfast, it would be bad. I'd be starving by 9 am and cranky shortly thereafter. I'd do much better with the bagel/cream cheese. I need protein in the morning or just some high fiber bread toast and coffee. I would be in deep trouble My cholesterol is good though. Let me know how it works for you.

Anonymous said...

Hey, mom, that's interesting. I always find oatmeal leaves me hungry, too. I tend to have it for dessert. For years, I've had corn tortillas with refried beans and salsa, toasted in the toaster oven, and a raw carrot for breakfast. Seems to stick with me pretty well.

Maggie said...

I hope your kids liked making the cocoa. Did you go deaf from the candy canes in the processor?

Good luck with the resolutions. I'm a savory breakfast person myself. I really like Bob's Red Mill High Fiber hot cereal. I season it with salt and cayenne before cooking and eat it with a tiny sprinkle of cheese and chopped turkey pepperoni.