Breakfast of Champions

Did you know that skipping breakfast can turn your body from a fat burning machine to a fat storing machine? You didn't? Well it's true; the word "breakfast" is actually a compound word, break-fast...do you see what just happened there? Eating within 30 minutes of waking is essential to "breaking the fast". Your body was hard at work while you slept restoring and repairing various cells and organs. It is vital to fast during this period because when there is food in your stomach, your body must focus on digesting food when it's supposed to be focusing on keeping you healthy. One more point and I'll step off my soapbox; imagine you just ran a marathon' you're hungry, thirsty, etc. The cells of your body have been hard at work; they've just run a marathon, and they need nourishment. I know, I know, but you aren't hungry when you first wake up, right, or maybe you're STARVING! Either way, you need to eat. If you aren't very hungry, have a handful of berries, or a banana; something simple. For those of you who want to carb load, and get some high quality protein in your body before you do your morning workout, here's a great meal for you.

Tofu scramble is something I hadn't ever considered. I never really liked the texture, and whenever anyone would offer me tofu anything, I'd do my BEST not to frown and turn my nose up at them. Then, I discovered tofu scramble. Tofu scramble works for me for several reasons:

1. It's very close to the texture of scrambled eggs, so my brain accepts this and doesn't send down the gag reflex when it hits my mouth. lol, I know it's dramatic, but it's true.

2. The color is perfect. What the eyes see, the brain will interpret and prepare to receive.

3. It's full of protein just like eggs, except there's no cholesterol.

While the tofu provides the protein, the whole wheat bagel and fresh fruit provides complex carbs, and a antioxidants to help protect against cancer. Quick note, when you think about your meals, envision that you should have three things, a lean protein, a healthy fat, and carbohydrates, with healthy carbs accounting for about 80% of the calories you take in. Contrary to what you've heard and/or read, carbohydrates are NOT the enemy, in fact, they are what your body uses as fuel. Eat carbs; just make sure they are high quality carbs like apples, pears, berries, or any non starchy fresh fruit (bananas are the exception here) or vegetable, as well as whole grains. Oh I know you're frowning at me right now because everything you've heard up until this point all you've heard is protein, protein, PROTEIN, but consider the source; this information usually comes from companies trying to sell you... let's say it together...PROTEIN :). Okay, you get it now. I'm stepping off of my soapbox and getting back to lesson at hand; tofu scramble. Enjoy :)

TOFU SCRAMBLE

Ingredients

1 - 16oz container of non-gmo, organic firm tofu, cut into small blocks

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp granulated onion

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced bell pepper (red or green, or a combination of both)

Directions

Open tofu and drain off excess water, then cut into 1/4 inch cubes. Do not spend too much time on this, as you will use your spoon to break it down as it cooks. In a small bowl, combine seasonings with water to create a "sauce", and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and add onions and bell pepper, cook until onions are soft, add tofu, and "sauce" and cook over medium to high heat. Use wooden spoon to break tofu down as it cooks until it resembles the texture of eggs. Stir the mixture until it is evenly coated with sauce and most of the water has evaporated, approximately 7 minutes. Serve warm!