Soup! It's what's for breakfast!

One of the biggest adjustments for me in this new way of eating has been what I eat for breakfast.  I have always loved breakfast.  As a kid I would eat two huge bowls of cereal every morning for breakfast.  On Saturdays, we had pancakes.  On Sundays we had waffles.   And, I would sometimes have another bowl of cereal at night for a snack.  Ah, yes - the glorious carb loaded, high sugar breakfast.  I loved it.  So, when I cut out grains and sugar from my diet, the big question was, "What on earth do I eat for breakfast?".

The first answer is:  eggs.  They are so good for you.  They've got plenty of protein, you can cook them a zillion different ways so you won't get bored.  My kids eat them every morning for breakfast.  Here is my problem.... I have never liked eggs.  No matter how you cook them, I just can't get past the taste and texture.

But, I recently decided it was time to grow up, put on my big girl pants, and eat some eggs.  So, one morning I made fried eggs.  About 30 minutes later my stomach was cramping and feeling sick.  I thought it was strange, but didn't know what was causing it yet.  Then next morning, I had the same breakfast, and the same thing happened.  I started to wonder if it was the eggs.  The next morning I didn't eat any eggs and my stomach felt fine.  Just to be sure, I tried eggs one more time and, sure enough, I felt sick until lunch time.  So, it turns out that my dislike for eggs wasn't just preference after all.  It seems that I can have them in limited amounts - like as an ingredient in something else when the amount of actual egg I consume is very minimal - but I can't have them as a main part of my meal.

That left me with a big, gaping hole in my breakfast menu.  What was I going to eat now?  I tried fruit, but there's no fat or protein, and hardly any calories in fruit.  By itself, it could barely hold me for an hour after I ate it.  Plus, once the sugar rush wore off, I was crashing big time.

Then, I read on a recipe blog that soup can make a good breakfast.  Soup?  At first it seemed so weird to me.  The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.  Something smooth and hot and flavorful to start my day?  Yes, please!  So, each Saturday, one of the things I make for the week is a big batch of soup to have for breakfast.  I really love the creamy soups - it's almost like having oatmeal or cream of wheat, but with broth and veggies instead of dairy and grains.  Sooooo good!

One of the first soups I made, and the one that I think might be my favorite is the Silky Gingered Zucchini soup.  It's seriously amazing.  The first time I had it, I literally let out a contented sigh when it hit my taste buds.

That's what I made for myself this week.  It was so cold here and there's a bit of heat to the flavor of this soup.  It was perfect!

By the way, that orange thing on the plate with the sausage is an orange that I managed to completely mangle while peeling it :)

Here are a couple of my other favorite soups that I will make for breakfast:  Sweet Potato Bacon soup,
Golden Cauliflower soup.

Breakfast is, once again, a wonderful, beautiful meal that I look forward to each day.  I know, I'm getting sentimental over a meal - but seriously - it's so good!!

Music of the week:  After the craziness of the holidays, I decided to cook in quietness this week.  (That is, until the kids got home).  It was very refreshing to work quietly in my kitchen - just me, my thoughts, and my food.

Until next time, my friends.... Live well

Becky