In recent years, I have been a huge advocate of eating a big breakfast. Somewhere I read how important it was. A diagnoses of hypoglycemia, ions ago, added to my need to have protein often. I would insist my dear hubby eat his 3 eggs & big bowl of oatmeal before he went to work. Or I'd take it personally and worry about him when he didn't. I insisted and then drank my cups of coffee and tried to produce the energy it took to motivate my 6 children to get going in their day. It was not working!
The past month or so, I heard that a light breakfast may be better, that our bodies do not digest protein well early in the day. Now, admittedly, I didn't check into this. I just wanted to experiment. Would a smoothie for breakfast be better for us? Would we have more energy, feel better, make mornings a little easier? With the blessing from Daniel, we started our smoothie adventure. We started out with yogurt, juice, fruit... You know, the typical "smoothie recipe" sweetness. Although delicious, very expensive for our family of 9. Today, our smoothie consisted of homemade kefir, kombucha, carrots, bananas, frozen berries, fresh rhubarb, 1/2 lemon (peel & all), fennel seed, flax seed, chia seed and our homemade green smoothie mix consisting of things like alfalfa, oat straw, dandelion root, cayenne pepper, etc. Although not in any recipe book, it was fabulous. We've thrown in beets, celery, cabbage, apples, pear sauce... Just about everything we could think of.
The results have been astounding! I am 32 weeks pregnant and most days do not feel the need to take a nap. If I go to bed at a decent hour, I am up by 6:30 am without a problem. The kids seem to have a lot more energy, but not the nervous, distracted kind, just good, productive energy. Daniel & Ryan take an extra one for their afternoon snack while at work. Every one has good, healthy bowels, making for a healthier family. I am amazed! I am elated! I am so thankful to the Lord for answering our prayers and changing the way we eat a little bit at a time! He's always teaching and showing us the way, if I'll stay alert and pay attention.
A little warning: A smoothie like the one we had this morning could keep you in the bathroom 1/2 the day if you were not used to eating this way to begin with. The kefir, kombucha, lemon & "greens" are all detoxifiers in one form or another and a little can go a long way. For me, I watch how I feel and I make sure I drink lots of herbal tea and water to make sure I'm flushin' the junk out. If I were to feel nauseated or really run down, I would back off on how big a glass of smoothie I drank.
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| Kefir Grains |
A note about homemade kefir: There is nothing easier! Fill a quart size canning jar with milk. Put in about 1 T kefir grains. Cover with some sort of breathable material. I use coffee filters. Attach with rubber band. Let it sit out on your counter for 12 - 24 hours, shaking occasionally. Pour the finished kefir into a bowl and "fish" out the grains with your clean hands. Put them in another jar and start all over again. I will never make yogurt again! It is amazing stuff, full of good bacteria to heal & strengthen your immune system.
http://www.kefir.net/ and
Dom's About Kefir both have a lot of good information about it. I must state that the kefir that we would pay $4 for a small jug in the store tastes much better, but is full of garbage and NOT the same. That's why we put it in our smoothies. Although, several of our children and dear hubby love it plain. Maybe when I'm not pregnant.
Note about green smoothie mix and herbs: I absolutely love
for all their information on herbs, their uses, cautions, remedies for every day maladies & very high quality herbs, teas & great books, too!
We still have our eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, omelets, and other yummy breakfast foods. We just have them for at lunch or dinner time, which makes for happy campers around here. They love their pancakes and eggs. Gabriel would eat a whole pan of oatmeal if I let him!
Maybe next time, I'll write about all our latest gardening activities and small farming adventures. 6 days and counting until we pick up our baby chicks, all 277 of them. Praise the Lord!
In The Name of Jesus, the Author & Finisher of our Faith,
Daniel & Laura
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