Mediterranean Diet Breakfast

My go to breakfast for a long time has either been yogurt with fruit, oatmeal, or a pop-tart. John makes fun of my pop-tart love, but its a total childhood comfort food.  95% of the time I also have hot tea.  The other 5% is coffee.  Because I don't like much sweetner or milk in my tea, I've decided to stick to only tea.  I have to doctor up my coffee, making it unhealthy.

The Mediterranean Diet is about healthy choices and moderation.

Its important to note that you can have any kind of a healthy meal as breakfast.  You can have chicken with rice and veggies, a bit of Naan bread with some hummus, or you can stick to the more traditional breakfast foods.  No joke- when I was a kid, I ate a can of Chef Boyardee Ravioli for breakfast.  Grossed my mother out, but at least I had something in my stomach before heading out to school. I've decided to stick to breakfast type foods with this 2020 adventure into the Mediterranean.

Try non-fat, plain, Greek style yogurt topped with fruit and then a sprinkling of seeds and/or nuts.

Overnight Oats is a new food adventure for me. I generally eat my oats hot with some dried fruit and a bit of sugar and butter.  But with Overnight Oats, it can be eaten cold with the same toppings.  The biggest difference other than the temperature is the texture.  I like my oats to be rather thick and of a creamy texture.  With Overnight Oats, I can get a crazy good creamy texture.  My bowl from this morning is in the picture above. Oats are part of the good grains category.   And of course the Chia seeds are seeds.  Duh.

Here is the basic recipe for Overnight Oats:

Mix together 1/2 cup of rolled and/or steel cut oats with 1/4 cup of chia seeds. (I use a mix of the two kinds of oats) Add a pinch of salt and then pour enough milk into the mixture to cover it.  Stir well and add a bit more milk if needed.  Let sit in the fridge overnight. (hence the name)

It will last up to 3 days in the fridge.  The thing to remember is that the completed oat mixture is the base of the dish. It will taste very bland.  But that's where the fun comes in.  Top the oats with yummy fruits and even a wee tiny drizzle of honey or maple syrup.  I had mine this morning with a drizzle of some pomegranate syrup we bought in California and fresh raspberries.  I could have also added in some nuts and/or seeds, but I forgot.  I was too excited to get eating! With this breakfast, I'm getting a ton of fiber!

Most diets cut out food groups.  With the this diet, its about moderation.  While difficult sometimes, it works.