17 March 2009

Breakfasts and a Flax Giveaway!

This week, I'm opening my diet and exercise routine up to constructive criticism, in order to get me off of this plateau I have been on since christmas.

Today, it's time to talk food.

It seemed easier to organize based on meals, so today you get to learn about what I eat for breakfast.

Almost every morning I have 2-3 cups of strong black coffee.

Then, for my first breakfast I eat 1/2 cup of oatmeal made with water and a dash of salt. Then I add a packet of splenda and a sprinkle of Butter Buds. (2 points)

I am trying to cut how much I use artificial sweeteners. I mean, I used to put two packets of splenda in my oatmeal and I had a Diet Dr Pepper with it so I am doing some better... but realize there is much room for improvement. Like I said before, I am open to suggestions and constructive criticisms.

When I get home from the gym I usually make myself a Weight Watcher smoothie. I mix 1 cup light vanilla soy milk (1 pt) with a WW smoothie packet (1 pt) and sometimes some frozen fruit, other times just ice.

On Wednesdays and Saturdays we usually have a "special" breakfast. This last week we tried a new recipe for Baked Oatmeal and I think it is our all time favorite. We liked it as much or more than our Happy Pancakes! The other popular one around our house is Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins.

Baked Oatmeal
combine the following:
1.5 cups oatmeal
1 cup fruit (your choice but we use a frozen blend of strawberries, peaches, pineapple, mango, and blueberries)
1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup organic honey
1 tbs organic ground flax
1/4 tsp sea salt
spread into 8X8 dish and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes.
Serves 4 at 4pts each.

I may try cutting the honey by a tablespoon and changing the soy milk to unsweetened almond breeze to see if I can get the points down to 3 pts per serving.

Oh and did you follow the link over to FlaxUSA to check out their products? No? Go ahead, I'll wait. I love their ground flax because it is super easy to use and I add it to everything.

Did you know that 1 tbs of ground flax plus 2 tbs of water is a perfect egg substitute (especially since Kirstyn is allergic) but I think I would use it anyway since it is so good for us.

I bought my last container of ground flaxseed at Costco for a fraction of the cost I was paying at Whole Foods for bulk flax seed and it is so much easier to use! Guess what!?!?! Today is your lucky day because the generous people behind FlaxUSA are giving one of my readers flax sprinkles and a roasted snack!

David is sad that he can't enter to win because he really wants to try the packet of roasted flax seeds!

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me if you currently add flax seed to any of your food and if you don't already, to what recipes would you add it? Oh and I want to know what you eat for breakfast!

Fine print:
I will announce the winner of the giveaway on Friday in my Fat Fighting Friday post (3/20).
I will use random.org to select a winner.
Giveaway only open to US. Sorry Canada readers...I still love you!
Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you.

Come back tomorrow to discuss Dinner. Then, Thursday we will talk about my easy lunches and snacks.

sign

31 comments:

Kati said...

I actually have or had.. not even sure.. flaxseed but I dont use it :(

I used to use it as an egg substitute and the ground on my salad.. because of the nutty taste it compliments it well.

I eat ALOT of fruit for breakfast. I love Multigrain Cheerios and yogurt.

I make scrambled eggs with 1 yolk and 3 egg whites.. I split those with my daughter.

When I want to splurge, I make multigrain bagels and lowfat cream cheese!

Colleen said...

Hi Natalie,
I don't use flaxseed - YET - but I really really want to start... both for me and for my children. I know its super healthy, but haven't had the chance to try it yet. :o)
I always eat a 3 or 4 point breakfast - but they're different every day. Some days its cereal with milk, some its a couple slices of WW bread toasted with some jam and 1/2 Cup of Milk, some its fruit and cottage cheese, etc.
If I should win this prize - which I would very much like (oh please Mr. Random Number Generator, pick me! Pick ME!!), you can reach me at trevorcolleen@gmail.com
That is if I'm allowed to win, even though I live in Canada...
:o)

Alicia said...

Blake is actually our flaxseed advocate in this house. I rarely ever use it... although I don't know why. I'm excited to try it as an egg substitute though- how cool is that?

Kamis Khlopchyk said...

I can't win? :(

We use flax around here a lot. We make all our own bread and it goes in there and lots of the snacks I bake too.

For breakfast I like toast. Good old homemade whole wheat bread with flax added toast. And on days I run I have 2/3 of a cup of oatmeal. I am going to try your baked oatmeal, that sounds yummy!

Claremont First Ward said...

The baked oatmeal recipe really looks delicious. Do you visit Octamom? She posted a flax seed chocolate chip cookie recipe a while back that looked great too.

Tammy Witter said...

Natalie, I use ground flax seed in EVERYTHING! I've put it in brownie mix to give it a "healthy" kick; I sprinkle it on salads; put it in pancake mix; and even put it in my smoothies. Most the time my kids don't even know it's in there. I also use unsweetened Almond milk because I'm allergic to cows milk. Plateau's are difficult and frustrated and the only suggestion I have for you is increase your vegetable servings. That usually helps me move past the plateau! Good luck....you're looking awesome and you've done a fabilous job so far!

Juice said...

Oooh - I've never tried flax but I want to...

My current breakfast obsession is Trader Joes High fiber Fruit and Nut Cereal. 2/3 cup is 1 point. That plus a half cup skim milk, splash of Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla and a small banana cut up. Yummy breakfast, 3 points.

Christie O. said...

Wow!! Ok, this might actually be the push I need to start using flax. I have never and I really know very little about it even, (blush) so that is why I have positively no idea what I would add it too. Does that count as an answer? I hope so.

For breakfast, I eat one of the following:

-2 nutragrain waffles and 1 turkey sausage patty and a cup of coffee (milk and 2 sugar).

-1/2 cup oatmeal and 1 turkey sausage patty and a cup of coffee (milk and 2 sugar.)

-1/4 cup eggbeaters, 1 slice cheese and 1 slice whole wheat toast. (cup of coffee as always).

whatever I do, i keep it lowfat and i pair a protein with a carb, but the carb has to be lowfat and/or whole grain. (it's kind of a body for life thing, but it works for me).

Christina said...

That baked oatmeal sounds delish! I love to add flax seeds to smoothies, but I've never really used them in anything else. Guess I need to start experimenting!

Christina said...

Oh yeah, and I'm a cold cereal, oatmeal, or smoothie for breakfast kinda girl!

orneryswife said...

Thanks for the heads up on your giveaway. We do use flaxseed, mostly in smoothies and sometimes when I cook amaranth.

As for how to get off your plateau, I have a bundle of info, but it doesn't really mesh well with your Weight Watchers plan. email me if you are interested, and I'll let you know some great fat burning techniques! But believe me, it will rattle your cage!
tm
(I am at my lowest weight since I was pregnant with my son, 23 years ago! In the process I have gotten a lot smarter about food, and I'd love to visit with you!)

Unknown said...

The baked oatmeal sounds good! I do put flaxseed in my oatmeal every now and again and we've also done the recipe out of Deceptively Delicious where you put it in rice crispy treats. It's pretty good too!

Jessica @ Pudget: Losing Weight On A Budget said...

I just found your blog today. I been enjoying reading it. I have never tried flax seed before but I have wanted to for a while I just wasn't sure what to do with it.

My breakfast is ussually a double fiber Thomas English Muffin with 1 tbsp of peanut butter. You would think I would get sick of it but I don't. I guess it is because that is ussually the only time I allow myself peanut butter. It is one of the few things I have found that keep me full until lunch.

Anonymous said...

I should be adding it to our bread, but I always forget. I do add it to our smoothies though. The Vita-Mix grinds that stuff up so well you wouldn't even know you were drinking it.
Toni

tiarastantrums said...

I have never used flax / flax seed or flax anything ever ?? I don't ever eat breakfast - I hate breakfast and am never hungry in the am

Natalie said...

I honestly haven't used flax seeds. I've wanted to. I've been told so much about these green smoothies you make with them, spinach and fruit. But haven't done it yet.

For breakfast I usually have a bowl of cereal with skim milk. Pretty boring, but I hate breakfast.

scblog at hotmail dot com

Amy said...

I add flax to anything I would add flour to. Muffins, pancakes, waffles, cookies, etc.
Thanks for doing a giveaway!

Unknown said...

I haven't used it before, but I have been wanting to add it to my smoothies--the ones I have every morning for breakfast!

Sara said...

I use flax in my homemade pancakes. As for breakfast, I alternate between a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter on half and 2 thin slices of cheese on the other, with 1/4 of an apple and Kashi oatmeal with 1/4 apple and 2 slices of cheese.

Shannon said...

I love flax! I grind it and put it in everything that I can - bread, muffins, pancakes, oatmeal, smoothies,etc - if I remember! For breakfast it's usually oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, smoothies, toast or something similar.

Emily said...

I put it in banana bread, oatmeal, and cookies. I need to try and remember to put it in smoothies. Check out the website katheats.com
She has amazing recipes for oatmeal!

Anonymous said...

Have never tried flax other that flaxseed pills instead of fish oil (vegetarian), so I am excited to try these. Breakfast usually just consists of coffee, I know, that's horrible.

Tati said...

I use flax seed in muffin and bread recipes. I sometimes it a fiber one bar, cereal or whole wheat pancakes! I hope I get some! I want to use flax seed more!

Anonymous said...

What?? You can use flax as an egg sub.?? I never knew that!

I add flax to my smoothies (my green smoothies) and I think it adds a nice flavor :)

I had never even heard of it before except in like a pill form, soI had no idea about it at all.

For breakfast I usually eat a green smoothie or a bowl of Fiber One Caramel Delight cereal :)

Or on a bad day: nothin'

What a cool giveaway! :)

Paige said...

I add flaxseed to a LOT of things. Smoothies, pasta sauces, muffins, tuna, granola. pretty much anywhere--I love the taste of them.

Paige said...

Oh, I forgot: breakfast. For breakfast we eat oatmeal (often with cut apples in it), or homeground wheat pancakes, or cold cereal like T. Joes high fiber o's. Or sometimes toast and eggs.

3 Girls and a Daddy said...

I bought a thing of flax seed like a year ago after watching Dr Oz rave about it, but I still haven't used it. Maybe now that I have some ideas of what to add it to I will try it!

Aaron Alfrey Mandlak said...

I love flax. I used to use it in my smoothies all the time. Mmm, good stuff. I haven't bought it in a while though. Would love to begin again (wink!).

My breakfast usually consists of a bowl of oatmeal with some time of fruit (bananas, blueberries, strawberries, etc.) Try your oatmeal with some frozen blackberries, though. That my be my fave.

Aaron Alfrey Mandlak said...

...some type of fruit, not some time of fruit. Sorry, it's getting late.

Unknown said...

I put flaxseed in absolutely everything I can think of! I put it in spaghetti sauces, my kids mac n' cheese, cereals, pancakes, yogurt...almost anything can handle a little flaxseed.

My husband had a high cholesterol result once and I am heart 'terrified' ever since:) Plus I love all the fiber and omega-3's my family is getting!

Rose said...

Hello
I hve purchased Flaxseed but was not sure how to incorporate the seed in cooking. Most receipes I found used ground flaxseed. I came across your site by accident, I was looking for a receipe for Multigrain bagels and it led me to your site.