Morning Breakfast Rituals

My writing is influenced by a range of variables, and greatly helped by my better lifestyle habits. My morning generally starts with my preparing the daily brew for three cups of Peets Coffee (typically Major Dickasons Blend, with a teaspoon of demerara sugar and a sprinkling of ½ & ½ per cup).

Before my first sip I generally start with a bowl of cereal.

My very satisfying and filling go-to in winter is frequently McCann’s Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. Good stuff I’ve been eating since my days as an “emancipated teen” living on my own in NYC (separate very long story…).  I prepare the oatmeal with a small bit of drinking water with a dash of salt, tiny bit of butter and a heaping teaspoon of Buckwheat honey, adding 1/3 ratio oatmeal (to 2/3 water) then cover and turning-off heat as soon as water begins to boil. Check several hours later, it should be perfect consistency. Portion mentioned generally enough for several people, or for several days if you’re solo (store refrigerated up to two days covered in glass or ceramic bowl). I add milk to preferred consistency, a teaspoon of demerara sugar, and a sprinkling of crushed candied pecans with the other fruit items mentioned below…

Alternately, throughout the other seasons I have a bowl of either Familia brand Swiss Müesli or Bear Naked Triple Berry Crunch.

My bowls of cereal are mighty with nutrition and satisfaction. Who says you can’t get no satisfaction? Oh yeah, that guy. Admittedly, Mssr Jagger unequivocally rocks the casbah, and then some…

This is my prep method: having dehydrated goji berries, toasted pumpkins seeds, and candied pecans (Trader Joe’s) kept in individual (reused) small olive jars, typically kept on my counter. In my fridge, I have small jars (not covered) individually with 2-3 day’s-worth of pre-washed organic blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Separately I have a quart-sized covered glass bowl with 3-day supply bowl of mixed fruit containing sliced/diced Hawaiian papaya, Envy apple, Granny Smith apple, Asian pear, peach (dehydrated out of season), Persimmon (dehydrated out of season) along with pomegranate arils (which are the only fruit I’ve found I can freeze without it turning to mush upon thawing). 

For each bowl of (dry) cereal I shake in a portion of toasted pumpkin seeds, dehydrated goji berries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries each. I add two heaping tablespoonfuls of fresh preferably organic fruit. I frequently add about an inch-long cut-up section of banana. I cover this with a tablespoon or so of Chia seeds, and enough milk (I love whole milk; always have…).

For the oatmeal, along with the aforementioned, I add a sprinkling of candied pecans.

My morning breakfast ritual, along with sleepily smiling at the inevitable hummingbirds hoovering at one of the feeders outside my kitchen windows, amid the shuffling activity of my three Cane Corsi canine kidlettes. A bowl of super-fortified cereal, followed by coffee, typically with a Lacey’s Dark Chocolate Almond cookie (Trader Joe’s…). Savored while reading my morning newspaper, for me it welcomes a daily Zen blessed experience and frame of mind…

And the grounded presence to commence writing what’s swirling within my cranial hemisphere.