How To Create A Morning Routine
I love early mornings! I feel the most energetic and creative during the early morning hours. I model this trait after my Dad, as he was the same. I love the calm and quiet before the rest of the world gets started.
When we had our sweet little guy, while the sleepless nights were very challenging, the early mornings were something I knew I would embrace. I found out immediately, that I embrace them even more than I could have imagined. Rather than starting work immediately, I spend this time with Dylan and Regalo. We listen to Jazz and have breakfast together. We’ve had this tradition every single morning since we brought Regalo home. I think at this point he actually has a preference for which Jazz artist we’re listening to in the mornings!
Currently, a few of our favorites are Vince Guaraldi, Chet Baker, Gene Ammons, Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk. (Click the names to hear some of our favorites)
How we do it:
We start out with coffee, hence the title, “coffee, jazz guy time”. This is what I have “titled” our mornings since we had our sweet little guy. After we finish coffee, it’s time to move onto our morning oatmeal. I am re-sharing our absolute favorite oatmeal recipe, but, there are so many variations of it!
Favorite Oatmeal Recipe
Again, while this is our favorite, we do change it up from time to time, adding chia seeds, bananas, and seasonal fruit! Recently, we’ve been working on a savory oats recipe as well, which includes root vegetables and nutritional yeast (I will be sharing it with you soon!)
Getting Regalo to eat oatmeal is sometimes a yes, and sometimes a no. It really changes from day to day, but we can almost always rely on him enjoying his organic baby quinoa cereal by Nature’s One. I mix it with a fruit puree and he usually has a banana with it as well.
“Of course, not all mornings are easeful, but I can say with one hundred percent honesty, that all mornings are full of gratitude. I encourage you to focus on what you’re grateful for every morning.”
This week, I also want to revisit a recipe that I mentioned in the blog post about gestational diabetes. When I was diagnosed with this during pregnancy, quinoa porridge worked better to manage the condition and keep all levels where they needed to be.
Quinoa Porridge Recipe:
You probably know by now that I want to provide you with both the “how’s” and the “why’s” of adopting a plant based diet. So, let’s talk about the why’s of both of these breakfast options.
Why oat meal?
Oatmeal is definitely our go to most often right now. Oats are a gluten-free whole grain and a great source of vitamins and minerals, fiber and antioxidants!
During pregnancy and managing gestational diabetes, I learned that oatmeal was not the best option for me to manage my levels. Quinoa porridge was a much better option during this time, and I said, it’s a delicious option anytime!
Quinoa porridge is rich in antioxidants and fiber.
“The dietary fiber content in quinoa is also higher than the content for many other grains. This means that quinoa can be particularly beneficial for people with diabetes, since fiber and protein are considered important for keeping blood sugar under control.”
— Healthline
Also, did you know that cherries are helpful to manage blood sugar as well?!
In closing, I hope that you find inspiration in both breakfast recipes, and also feel inspired to start each morning with gratitude and music.