Oat Bran

I was driving to school. The light turned from green, to yellow, to red. I stopped. The box of cereal sitting next to me tumbled to the car floor - lucky charms and all their marshmallowey goodness flew in the air, falling to the car floor, and rolled into the hidden spaces and crevices of the passenger side, where they will rest for a few months until a marshmallow decides to crawl out to give you a surprise one morning. That's when I ended my relationship with cold cereal. I realized I was using it as a dry snack to eat as I raced to school in the morning. It was a bad excuse of a breakfast. I decided that if I couldn't even spare some time for breakfast, I needed to wake up earlier and make myself a good meal. I was majoring in Health Promotion - every one of my classes talked about the importance of this very meal, yet I was ignoring it. I made the change and now life is bliss. No more boxes to worry for and no more starved mornings.

This, my friends, is Oat Bran. Do you know what it is? It's happiness in a measuring cup. It's better than oatmeal because it doesn't make a yucky slime when it sits in a bowl. And it's better for you, just look:
Nutritional Value: Oatmeal___ Oat Bran
Carbohydrates_____ 27 grams____ 25 grams
Fiber_____________4 grams_____ 6 grams
Soluble Fiber_______ 2 grams_____ 3 grams
Protein___________ 5 grams_____ 7 grams
Calcium__________ 0 %________ 2 %
Iron____________ 10 %_______ 20 %
Thiamin__________ 2 %_______ 25 %
Phosphorus________ 0 %______ 25 %
Riboflavin_________ 2 %_______ 6 %
Magnesium________ 0 %______ 20 %
Zinc______________ 0 %______ 10 %


Put 1/3 Cup in 1 Cup of boiling water.

Boil till thick.

You can add almond butter, peanut butter or whatever you like. I like to add honey

and milk. Then I eat it up cause it's real good!

My Favorite Breakfast Smoothie

My friend told me about this amazing smoothie she has been whipping up for the past few years every morning for breakfast. I loved getting her little educational lesson on why each ingredient is important, especially for womens health:


Ingredients: 100% Pure Cranberry Juice (or whatever you can find), Flax, Soy Milk, Echinacea, Blackberries, Banana, Orange, Frozen Strawberries or any type of frozen berry. Ooh, and plain yogurt - I was all!

The banana is for potassium which regulates water balance, regulates levels of acidity, and blood pressure. The adequate intake for potassium for adults is 4700 milligrams per day. Normally you probably get around 2000 to 3000 milligrams per day, unless you are on a very low-calorie diet or are an athlete who exercises heavily, then it is even lower. So eat your bananas. You can also get potassium in kidney beans, yogurt, orange juice, zucchini, baked potatoes, tomatoes and cantaloupe. Interesting fact: kidney beans and winter squash actually have more potassium than bananas.

Bananas also contain vitamin B6, along with Salmon, baked potatoes, and avocados. It's important for metabolism, immunity because it helps white blood cells and oxygen in the blood. I think i'll have salmon for lunch tomorrow!

The orange is for vitamin C. Most animals can physically create their own vitamin C just by being alive. We on the other hand are unable to do so on our own. It is necessary for protein collagen which is what makes up most of our connective tissue, bone, teeth, tendons and blood vessels. So it would help your wounds heal and prevent your skin from dripping off your body. I'm reading a book right now called "Napoleons Buttons" and it goes into detail on the sea voyages and the sufferings of those who had scurvy. Basically, it sucked for them - their teeth feel out, bones became soft and it sounded pretty gory. No wonder why pirates always have that sickly look to them. Anyways...back to the vitamin C: has antioxidants properties which helps prevent the formation of cancer and prevents cataracts in the eyes. If you are low on iron it also increases iron absorption and builds your immunity. You can also get vitamin C in Brussels sprouts, strawberries, red peppers, and kiwis.

Notice this handy orange peeler - you don't get your hands all messy and it makes it so easy to peel an orange.

You can buy one from you local pampered chef lady for under a dollar and it's like having a piece of heaven in your kitchen.

Frozen Berries - make the smoothie cold, as a smoothie should be.

Strawberries contain vitamin C and flavanoids, which are known for their antioxidant activity.

Blackberries contain vitamin C, fiber, vitamin K and folic acid. Vitamin K helps your blood to clot and folic acid produces DNA and can also be found in Sunflower seeds and green veggies. Fiber....well let's just say this adds bulk to the brown stuff.

Flax is for omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid, which is an essential fatty acid. You can also get this in salmon and other fish, walnuts, mussels, crab, shrimp and canola and soybean oils. This fatty acid lowers your risk for heart attacks and helps your heart rhythm, lowers your triglyceride levels, and helps for those in pain from the inflammation that happens with rheumatoid arthritis. If you are using flax, you need to grind it up, because if not it will just go in one end and come out the other, not giving you any benefits. I use a coffee grinder to grind it up real good and put in about 2 tablespoons.

I have been adding two capsules of Echinacea since I have been fighting a cold this week. I just open the little capsules and dump in the powdery goodness. This stimulates the immune system and prevents and treats colds. It's just a mild affect, but if I'm fighting a cold, I will take what I can get.

Cranberry juice is for the prevention of UTI's. Cranberries have phytochemicals which help the cardiovascular and immune systems and may be an anti-cancer agent. They also prevent tooth decay and help with gingivitis.

Soy Milk is for possible protection from cancer and contains antioxidants. I'm beginning to think that this isn't really a big necessity in my smoothie as most of the health benefits contained in soy milk are found in larger quantities in my 2 small tablespoons of flax seed. Sorry, I just couldn't find enough research and information that justifies the supposed health benefits of soy milk - although I do think it is tasty!

Next is the poor yogurt that I left out because I used it all up! The plain yogurt is for potassium, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and B12. Be sure that your yogurt has L. Acidophilus in it to help your tummy. Riboflavin acts as an antioxidant and aids metabolism. Vitamin B12 helps metabolism and aids nerve function.

Put all of this in a blender and blend away - and there you have it, the amazing breakfast smoothie. As for the measurements, put in however much you want - have fun with it! After making a few of them for a few days in a row, you will get down pat what suits you!

Here's the recipe:

Breakfast Smoothie

1/2 cup cranberry juice

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 cup yogurt

1 orange

1/2 banana

1 Tbsp wheat germ

1 Tbsp flax

Any other frozen fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)

Blend

Drink

Smile