"No, young man, you can't have cake for breakfast. You get fried cake with syrup for breakfast! Now, load up on that and try not to nap."
-J. Gaffigan
-J. Gaffigan
Ever notice how much we love sweet things in the morning? Why on earth is that? Growing up, I was never really a fan of syrups on my pancakes or waffles, but I sure could polish off a bagel slicked with sugar-laden cream cheese or a plate of spam drizzled in honey (one of my favorite youthful treats - don't laugh!). Now, with a little more wisdom and will-power, I avoid most sugars because I know that an hour or two after the deliciousness will come the uncomfortable lethargy that always seizes me after a bout with a sweet treat. Still, I have a sweet tooth - I think it runs in my family - and the way I tame it?
Dessert for breakfast - three times a week. Now, I know what you're thinking. Whaaaaat? No!! Don't fall off the wagon! Not after all this talk of health and happy wholesomeness!
Trust me.
So let me take you through one of my "dessert for breakfast" mornings. I wake up at 6:40am, I go to the gym and I run for thirty minutes, then I run through the list (squats, leg lifts, dumbbell press, pushups, crunches, side bends, side squats... I won't scare you with the rest.) In short, it's a little past 8am when I get back to my apartment and start this short and sweet ritual. Protein, vitamins, calcium, probiotics - it's all in here. And it tastes like strawberry ice cream.
Sinless strawberry ice cream-in-a-glass
(serves 1)
1/2 banana, sliced
1 large spoonful nonfat plain yogurt*
1 scoop whey protein* (I use GNC's Pro Performance 100% Whey Protein)
1/4 cup orange juice (not from concentrate)
5 strawberries, frozen
[*You can make this a vegan recipe easily with simple substitutions. Soy protein, for instance. And there are some yummy vegan yogurts out there. Whole Soy and Silk, if you want a soy alternative. Nogurt, if you want something non-dairy and non-soy.]
Take your strawberries, put them in a freezer bag and drop them in the freezer the night before.
The next morning... Place all ingredients in blender. (I use my Cuisinart Immersion Blender because the cleanup is ridiculously easy and quick, but any blender will do.) Blend. Enjoy.
If you want a thicker, more ice creamy texture, try freezing the banana overnight as well. Or cut the orange juice down to 1/8 cup. Find your own style. You can replace the strawberries with any other berry - so long as you make sure they're nice and hard-frozen when you blend them, you'll get that cold, desserty experience.
Cheers!
For a few more dessert for breakfast ideas, follow these links:
Homemade Pop Tarts
Amazake Carrot Muffins
Easy Jam Tart
The strawberry recipe looks delish but Spam with honey?
ReplyDeleteI have to try this! (The strawberry , not the spam). A good string of recipes today.
ReplyDeleteHow come no new recipes?
ReplyDeleteThat was a new recipe... as was the chicken and potato dish. Look out for a dish I invented for my mother on Mother's Day - this coming Sunday. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes. Spam with honey. I didn't say I ate it now all the time. But it was my fave growing up. That and Kraft Mac and Cheese. Spam's good enough for Monty Python and Hawaii; it's good enough for me. [BTW, did you know that the word "spam" used to refer to unwanted emails is considered a result of the redundant use of the food in the Monty Python spam skit? Fun, huh?]
ReplyDeleteI didn't connect Spam food with Spam Internet. I guess dipping spam in honey isn't worse that fried ham with biscuits and honey or a sweet sauce. Both sound delicious and calorific.
ReplyDelete