The First Meal

Let's talk breakfast.  My absolute favorite meal of the day.  Eat the right thing and you feel balanced up until the time comes to wrap yourself in the covers before bed.  Eat the wrong thing and you're groggy, guilty, and uncomfortably queasy.  True story.

During the week I tend to split breakfast into two meals.  This helps me from feeling too full and it keeps me awake to snack during class :)

I'll start off with a yogurt or ricotta cheese with honey.  Then, about an hour later I might eat a little granola bar or half a banana.

Or some gorgeous grapefruit.  Grapefruit is one of my favorite things to have in the refrigerator.  It takes a while to peel and de-seed, but it's totally worth it because it has tons of Vitamin C, is hardly every sour, and fills me up during those times when I want a little more to eat but don't want to go back for seconds (i.e. around 9 at night when I know I'll be up for another 2 hours studying).



On the weekends I usually eat something a little more indulgent for breakfast...but I start eating much later in the day.  If I wake up at 9, I wait till 10 or 11 and have some granola or a breakfast burrito (filled with eggs and maybe a little cheese).  Nothing too sweet and nothing too strong (like a cinnamon bun or cilantro).

If I know I'll be eating a heavy meal in the morning - for instance, a brunch at Perly's - I have a small piece of fruit an hour before going and eat only half of the meal.  You can always eat more LATER.  Most of us are fortunate enough that we know the moment we get hungry, we can open the cupboards and find something to eat.  Why do so many people treat every meal like it's the last one they'll ever have?

Quick Energy on the GO!!!!

Classes have started and I'm already tired. But a good tired. Well, maybe a little bit of an anxious tired, too. Regardless, these four years are going to be tough, but in the end I'll be doing the only thing that can make me happy day in and day out. So that's a good motivating factors on the days I just want to flop on the bed and just reject studying anymore.

I wanted to share a recipe which has really helped me when I need to grab something on the go: date bars. I've loved dates since the beginning of time - especially with feta cheese - yum yum. My tastebuds are tickled just thinking about it. Dates have a lot of fiber, but also sugar so they are a really good pick-me-up in a pinch. I only use Majool dates because I think the flavor is better. They are also really fresh tasting and plump - I hate those small dry, crusty dates - not sure what they are called, but Persians can't stand them.

I make my date bars with oats so they are also filling. These bars are perfect to pack in your lunchbox or just stick in your backpack for a time when you're ravenous but still want a sweet treat. The worst feeling is grabbing lunch with friends and eyeing the candy bars, knowing you'll pay for it later.

I got the recipe from the Food Network website. My alterations are included.

What You Need for the Filling:

3 cups chopped dates

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups water

What You Need for the Bars:

3/4 cups brown sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups oats

1 1/2 sticks butter cut into small pieces

What You Do:

Cook down the filling ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is nice and thick. Let it cool completely - I put it in the fridge for faster results.

Mix the other ingredients and cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Press about 2/3 of this into a Pyrex dish, layer the date mix on top, then the rest of the butter/oatmeal mixture and pack down slightly.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

*I found the bars to be too sweet for me, and too crumbly. I think what I'll do next time is use my tried and true granola bar recipe and just add dates to it. I don't really like adding all the extra sugar and butter - honey and grapeseed oil is much healthier and gives a better texture.

Granola Bar Breakfast

As I said before: granola bars are a wonderful thing to have hanging around the house. Late night snacking, afternoon treat, or healthy and filling breakfast...they satisfy practically any occasion. I performed the following alterations to my previous recipe for granola bars:

2 cups oats

1/2 cup corn flakes

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp cardamon

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup banana chips, crushed

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar plus 2 or 3 tsp white sugar

1 egg

Mix all the "dries" together - minus the mix-ins. Then add the wet stuffs. The consistency should still be malleable but not too watery, so continue adding either oatmeal or corn flakes (bran flakes might be a nice addition instead) until you reach the right consistency.

Dates are one of my all-time favorite snacks/throw-in for...anything

The dough for these bars is pretty delish by itself

So pretty - I love banana chips

Bake the mixture - after pouring into a well-buttered Pyrex at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Take them out and before they cool completely, cut into squares. Take out of the dish and let them cool completely before wrapping and they'll keep for two weeks.

Homemade Granola Bars with a Twist

I'm hooked on granola bars. Anything in bar form, really. Bar cookies and cheesecakes are particular favorites of mine. But granola bars - oh, I could eat them like candy. Which is bad. Very bad. Because many of the ones you buy at the store are full of sugar and low in fiber, which goes against the whole draw of granola bars in general; they should be energy food! Good for your body, good for your mind. Now, there are a few brands out there which are excellent sources of protein, fiber, and good-for-you fats: Larabar, Trio, and Kashi are good choices. But man are they expensive! So this weekend, when I was rummaging around trying to pack my lunches for the week, I had a brilliant idea: why not make my own?

Now, I have made granola bars before from my favorite cookbook back in Michigan and they were delicious - but I didn't have that recipe and I only had a limited amount of ingredients. Why? Because I depend on the kindness of others to take me shopping since I don't have a car and due to this crazy-mad grad program, none of us have had any time for a leisurely trip to the supermarket. Not to worry - I think the best creations come from the stuff you have on hand. There is a certain security in knowing you can make something out of nothing.

After typing "granola bars" into Google, I clicked on the first link I found which turned out to be perfect for me - I had almost everything. I got the recipe here but made a few modifications which I HIGHLY suggest. They take these bars to the next level of yum.

What you need:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup crushed corn flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon (change the amount up or down depending on how much you want to taste this)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. I used a Pyrex dish and that worked really well to get the bars out.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients, make a well in the center, and add the wet. If the mixture looks too moist, you can add some more oats or corn flakes, but keep in mind that the moist mixture will soak into the dry ingredients over time. If the mixture looks too wet, add a bit more honey. I kept adding cardamom until I could smell it well - if you add too much it overpowers the flavor and too little will just taste like nothing.
3. Using your hands, press into the baking dish.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. I cut mine into nice large squares - don't try for thin strips because the dough is a bit crumbly when warm.

Tips from the Chef:

- When doing #2 above, pour the oil into the batter first, then the honey - this makes the honey super easy to pour out and doesn't leave you with a sticky mess.

- When performing #3 above, coat your hands with Pam spray or butter - this will assure the batter doesn't stick to you!

- I let the bars cook about 40 minutes because I wanted them to be a little more golden brown.

- Allow these to cool completely before storage or they will get soggy. Wrap individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place into a plastic freezer bag - now you're all set to go! A quick and healthy snack you can just grab and head out the door with. And it feels so good knowing exactly what you put in them and how good they are for you, right?

- Other tasty combos might be chocolate - with anything :) Cranberries and white chocolate, chopped dates or apricots, toasted nuts, or coconut. Whatever you like. You might add a bit of rosewater to give an extra something special if you decide on the cardamon and honey profile.

Like I said, I am completely hooked on granola bars. And now that I've found an awesome recipe, I intend to play with the multitude of flavor profiles at my disposal.

Got any favs? Send them my way!