Today's Breakfast

More often than not, I feel better if I have something with a lot of carbohydrates for breakfast. I've tried oatmeal, and it gives me an upset stomach. I've had yogurt and fruit, and they leave me starving in under two hours. Having a whole grain piece of toast or quick bread does a much better job of tiding me over for about 3-4 hours until I can have an early snack (usually some fruit or vegetable-based soup) or lunch. I know that this doesn't work very well for many people, but my body chemistry just likes having something with a lot of carbs in the morning.

In my limited repertoire of sugar-free, whole grain quick breads, this is actually my favorite. It's immensely flavorful and full of fruit. I can have it either plain or toasted, though I rather like it toasted for the crispy edges and the added fat of the spread improves satiety.

Blueberry bread:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (79 calories)
• 1 medium egg (63 calories)
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (77 calories)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice (5 calories)
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil (120 calories)
• 1 1/2 cups regular (not pastry) whole wheat flour (742 calories)
• 1 cup granular Splenda
• 1 tbsp. baking powder (15 calories)
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened frozen blueberries (119 calories)

Total for entire loaf: 1220 calories

Whisk the applesauce, yogurt, egg, oil, lemon juice, salt and Splenda together until thoroughly mixed. Add the whole wheat flour and gently moisten it by pressing it down into the liquid with a spoon. Do not overmix it or the bread will be tough. Allow the flour to rest for 30 minutes and absorb moisture. While the dough is resting, spray a loaf pan with baking spray (or grease and flour it). After the 30 minutes is up, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the baking powder over the flour and mix it well, but only as much as necessary to incorporate it. Gently fold in the frozen blueberries. You want to add the blueberries at the last minute so the bread doesn't turn purple from thawing juices. Bake for 45-60 minutes until a tester comes out without any unbaked batter. There may be blueberry juice on the skewer so it won't come out dry.

In this recipe, one could conceivably leave out the Splenda and just make this as an actual fruit bread, though obviously it wouldn't be very sweet. If you try it as toast, it would certainly work without the Splenda.

tea with skim milk and Splenda = 5 calories
blueberry bread (1/8 of loaf) = 152 calories
total: 157 calories

Today's Breakfast

I don't generally eat a big breakfast. I wake up hungry, but not ravenous. Something small usually does it for me, and since I often have stiffness and pain in the morning, it's all the nicer to have something simple.

One of my favorites when I don't happen to have whole wheat bread on hand (which I make myself) is banana toast. That's not toast with bananas on it, but rather sugar-free (and whole wheat) banana bread which has been toasted and spread with 50% calorie-reduced fat spread. I love this with 8 or 10 oz. of coffee with 1/3 of a cup of whole milk and one packet of Splenda. Toasting this makes it slightly crispy on the edges and tender in the center.

I adapted this recipe from a link I was given on Tea at Dusk.

Bread for Banana Toast:

• 3 medium bananas (315 calories)
• 1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt (77 calories)
  
• 1 medium egg (63 calories)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (52 calories)
  
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil (120 calories)
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla (12 calories)
• 3/4 cup granular Splenda
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups of (regular, not pastry) whole wheat flour (742 calories)
  
• 1 tbsp. baking powder (12 calories)

total for entire loaf: 1393 calories

Place the bananas in a food processor or blender and blend them until liquefied. If you don't have either of these appliances, mash the bananas well with a fork. Add the yogurt, egg, vanilla, oil, and vegetable oil and blend again (or mix with a whisk) until everything is evenly mixed. Transfer the liquid ingredients to a large bowl and whisk in the Splenda granular, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Add the whole wheat flour and gently moisten it with a spoon. Do not mix it well at this point. You only want to get it wet and then allow it to rest for 15 minutes to a half hour. You want to allow the flour to absorb the moisture more fully before baking. This is not essential, but it improves the texture of whole wheat baked goods made with relatively coarse flour.

While the batter is resting, prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with non-stick spray or greasing and flouring it. After the batter has rested, add the baking powder and stir sufficiently to mix it in. Don't stir more than necessary as you will work the gluten in the flour too much and the bread will be tough. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for between 45 minutes and an hour. When a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, it is done. Remove it from the oven and allow it to sit for 15 minutes in the pan. It will easily flip out of the loaf pan after this rest.

I also recommend allowing the bread to sit uncut overnight. This will make it easier to slice evenly as well as improve the texture. Whole wheat baked goods are often better after the moisture settles overnight.

The number of calories per serving depends on how many pieces you cut it into. I usually cut it into 10 (146 calories per slice), but some may find 8 to be a more satisfying serving size (183 calories per slice). I tend to decide based on how big the overall loaf seems to come out. If it feels small, I'll go for 8 slices. If it feels big, I'll go for 10.

coffee with whole milk = 44 calories
banana toast (8 cut) = 174 calories
fat spread = 20 calories
total: 238 calories

I took a Vitamin C supplement with this breakfast because I've been feeling tired. When I suddenly start to feel more tired than usual, it's generally because my body is trying to fight off a cold or virus. I don't take Vitamin C (in the morning) in addition to my daily multivitamin (at night) unless I'm feeling more fatigued than usual because I don't want to overload on C (as it can cause diarrhea and is a water-soluble vitamin that is wasted if you body can't use it).