Monday Morning Coffee: Breakfast
The first of what I hope to be weekly extemporaneous posts. It’s a style of writing that is conversational and personal, but is also a good way to start off the writing workweek, to get in the flow again.
A Cuppa Coffee in the Morning Light
Good Morning, Bloglandia! It’s sunny and 47F here at Chez MW, where the peanut butter is natural and the rice cakes are lightly salted. That’s what I’m scarfing down at the moment, and in fact it’s my usual breakfast. It used to be oatmeal, but by the time I added the fun stuff to make it tasty, the caloric count was nearly half my daily allowance. Even when fairly plain, it disagreed with me, likely some gluteny trigger. Recently we tried some gluten-free steel-cut oats (twelve times as expensive as the regular stuff), and it was, um, interesting, sorta barley-like, and bearing little resemblance to the old comfort standby. I think I’ll stick to PB on rice cakes, and Steve has expressed preference for the regular stuff for himself.
Rice cakes are my personal staple, and I only eat the plain, lightly salted ones. I’ve noticed that they are salted on only one side, and I do a quick taste test to confirm which side it is and make sure it’s the side that touches my tongue when I eat, otherwise the resemblance to styrofoam is distracting. I like to top them with hummus and sliced black olives when I have it for lunch, and with a spoonful of low-sugar raspberry jam to make a “cookie” to enjoy with afternoon tea.
But, damn it all, I miss bread, I really, really miss bread. I miss bagels, toast, a warm chunk of baguette drizzled with honey, I miss fluffy muffins, scones, and my secret-recipe vegan cinnamon buns. I don’t miss the seventeen pounds and digestive misery that came with them, but baking and eating wheat flour-based goodies was one of the things I enjoyed most in life. Since now I pretty much eat to live rather than live to eat, cooking, too, is more perfunctory than creative.
Okay, end of whine, on to Almond Milk. We just started drinking this a couple of weeks ago, and we both LOVE IT. I’d tried soy milk, but it was meh. Almond milk, however, tastes good, especially the vanilla, OMG, and it’s been a real lift for this lactose-intolerant household. I also deeply appreciate the fact that it is plant-based, so it doesn’t have to go into the “bad fats” category. Right now I’m sipping a latte of half vanilla almond milk and half hearty coffee. I pour in the milk first, zap it in the microwave for 45 seconds, then add the coffee, which keeps it nicely warm and tasty for a good fifteen minutes longer. But I just have one coffee like that. The first and third cups are black. I’m a writer–I drink half a pot of coffee every morning, that’s what we do 
The blog header has undergone another tweak, and Steve took the crazy photo of me plus a few others from which I will choose when I update my About page. Yes, the Harry Potter glasses arrived and they are perfect. Thumbs up for Zenni Optical! The only problem was the clip-ons that I ordered, which were slightly bent. I took needlenose pliers to them and re-bent the clips to make the shades fit better over the glasses, and now they’re good to go. The sweater in the photo is one of the repurposed yarn ones I did this past winter.
There will likely be a few more blog design tweaks here and there, but I’m pleased with the overall appearance. The logo has been tamed down from a sports-team aggressiveness to a more streamlined assertiveness. Didja notice that Minimalist Woman has the same initials as my name? Would you believe I didn’t even notice that until a couple of weeks ago??? Duh.
The other day I bumped up the price of Spirits of Place to $2.99, as encouraged by a lot of other writerly types, but after thinking about it, I’m pushing my luck at this stage of the game. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a self-esteem problem–I’d price that sucker at $25 if I thought the market could bear it ;D The ebook publishing world is still in its infancy, as is my fiction publishing career, and we’re all still finding our sea legs. So the book remains at $.99 until further notice.
Other writing projects are plugging along, and I’ve set my cap to publish another work of fiction by the end of June. I’m also working on a post about creativity, which was triggered by those who think of it as a sort of chorus of angels. Look for it here later this week.
Onwards and Upwards!
M.
32 Responses to “Monday Morning Coffee: Breakfast”
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Firstly, I’m sorry about the gluten issues! I think I would shrivel and die without baked goods as they generally make up a good 60+% of my diet (and I’m already on an eat to live mentality).
Secondly, almond milk is where it’s at. I once read that you can make your own easily by mixing almond butter with water and a dash of vanilla. I have yet to try it, but it seems logical.
Lastly, I’m excited to read your thoughts on creativity. I wrote about it awhile back and feel like creativity needs to be honed in other areas rather than just “stuff” creation. Looking forward to what’s to come!
Hi Megyn–the smell and texture of wheaty, gluteny, yeasty bread is incomparable, isn’t it? Almond butter is so pricey, we don’t buy it anymore, but I wonder how much of it would be needed to make a half-gallon carton of milk? Right now we can buy Silk for around $3 for a half-gallon. Six ounces of almond butter is around $9, and 2 lbs of Target’s Archer Farms raw almonds are about $12 (and sometimes more). Could probably get both of the latter cheaper online, though. Will check out your post on creativity. So far my next post sounds like a rant, so am thinking it through carefully!
$9 for 6oz of almond butter?! That sounds crazy! We pay that much for a Costco size thing of Maranatha almond butter (24 oz-ish). Here is a YouTube video for how to make it…just 1 Tbs per 1C of water, so not too much is used. Could you get almond butter freshly made from the bulk areas at like Sunflower Market or Whole Foods? I’m not sure where you live, but hopefully you can find a cheaper solution
Also, here is my creativity post, which is also very much a rant (as much of my posts are haha…I guess I’ve never fully outgrown my teenage angst): http://minimalistmommi.com/creativity-conundrum/418
Thanks for the post link–just read it, and very much after my own heart! Whole Foods and such like cost more in gas to get to than any savings found over local sources, I’m afraid. I live in the heart(attack)land, where they actually deep-fry sticks of butter and sell them :p
Just did a quick Amazon search…if you want raw, Woodstock Farms has a 16oz jar for $9.89 with free shipping. Amazon can be great for natural food items (especially in bulk) if you don’t have natural foods stores nearby
Just had to chime in, I know you are in Indiana – I don’t know how close the Amish are to you, but they usually have awesome prices on a lot of bulk type ingredients, including nut butters. I live an hour from Lancaster in PA and many, many people go out to their markets and stock up because the prices are so great! I’m assuming you live in the boonies – because I get 16 oz. almond butter at Trader Joe’s for under 5 bucks!
Love the new photo and glasses! Enjoy your writing too.
Juhli recently posted..Send potluck snack item ideas please!!!!
Hi Juhli–thanks so much! I really love these new glasses and still can’t get over the fact that they cost 1/10th of what I paid for my last pair. BTW–left a potluck snack idea on your post
Approval from here on the glasses
Re: almond milke. That’s what I use on my cereals and in my coffee I use 1/2 almond milk and 1/2 soy, both of them unflavored. I’m not lactose intolerant but am vegan.
I find it interesting that you used to be a chef and caterer and your attitude now about food is that you eat to live. I’d say that’s our attitude but we were never professional cooks. With me being plant based, our meals are a bit ‘boring’ to other people, but we don’t mind. I like knowing what I’ll be eating most of the time.
Hi Willow–I just knew you’d “get” the glasses ;D Re food: one of my most distinguishing traits since childhood is how much I enjoyed food, savoring well-made and garden-fresh dishes, basking in the aroma of anything baking, roasting, or frying. Food has always been a full-on sensory experience, and I’ve always said I had the soul of a very very fat and happy woman. But no more. It’s been long enough now that I’m sort of on the same page you are, knowing pretty much what I’ll be eating most of the time. Speaking of plant-based, I’m off meat now, but still have fish and eggs. The eggs are probably going to go next.
Meg, I seldom even notice not eating eggs or dairy. Once in a while I miss the sensory experience of how deviled eggs taste and feel inside my mouth. Same with cheese. But there are so many yummy foods I can eat that I just focus on them–oh how I love hummus! It’s rich and creamy just like cheese or whipped cream. Somewhere I was reading that most of our food choices are ‘learned behaviors’ from what we tasted and felt in our mouths as young children. I still love the feel of whipped cream, butter, ice cream, or cheese but look for substitutes with the same sensations. (Huh, now I’m starting to sound like a foodie, which I definitely am not)
“Substitutes with the same sensations” is a handy way of reconsidering food. I can see how hummus would make a good replacement for certain kinds of dairy and eggy things, and vow to make it more often!
Super easy: throw a can of drained and rinsed garbanzos into a blender. Add a bunch of kalamata olives and turn on the blender. Eat hummus with rice cakes, baked pita chips or cut up veggies
i got the book meg! will start reading it when it gets quiet in the evening then read it till the wee smalls.
got a recipe for almond milk from a registered dietitian. if it’s any good i’ll let you know. you can even not strain it and get more nutritional goodness out of it. it’s a simple process.
also made the baguette from your other book minimalist cooking for the first time. oh my i KNOW why it’s hard for you to give it up.
jan
Hi Jan–thank you so much for getting Spirits of Place, and hope you enjoy it. Isn’t that baguette recipe the cat’s pajamas? I miss it so much. Maybe someday I’ll find a way to make it with gluten-free flours, or at least something that will taste good in its own right. I’ve got a muffin recipe that isn’t too bad, but yeast doesn’t seem to do a thing for gluten-free goods.
Oh bread. We too, have cut out about 3/4 of our bread/wheat and while we’re feeling so much better, I sometimes feel like I’m having emotional withdrawal from bread! Spirulina, nut butter, and chia seeds do not provoke the same reaction from me, somehow. I grew up eating warm, crusty French bread, smeared with chocolate and dipped in tea for breakfast, snack and any other time we were hungry. It’s a little like Proust’s madeleines, you know?
The picture is great, those glasses are keepers!
Hi Terra–I’m on the verge of sobbing over “warm, crusty French bread, smeared with chocolate and dipped in tea for breakfast.” Trust me, Proust’s madeleines have nothing on it! That being said, I’m now inspired to come up with a gluten-free madeleine ;D
Glad you like the photo–was hoping it wasn’t too Home Alone!
I have a system of iron, so can tolerate wheat, but my hips don’t like it so much. My favorite rice cake trick is to toast it very lightly in the toaster–it burns quickly so you need to watch it, but it adds a satisfying crunch–add peanut butter and some banana slices and a tiny bit of salt–that’s my breakfast this morning!
Hi Sally–okay, now you’ve gone and done it, I’ve put bananas on the grocery list, and will try toasting my rice cake for breakfast tomorrow!
Hi Meg–
I’ve been gluten-free for about 2 months now. For the most part, I’ve given up substitutes and am focusing on discovering new things to love. (Linking to a post about that whole idea.) BUT, I will testify to the goodness of Udi’s bread. It really does taste like bread. Not awesome bread, but bread. And it really helps in the morning when I need something quick. I’ve discovered that gluten seems to be a player with my fibromyalgia and migraines, so like you, I’m now eating to live. It’s a good thing.
Rita@thissortaoldlife.com recently posted..If your diet’s got a hole in it…Fill it with something all-new
Hi Rita–I will check out Udi’s bread, and thanks for the link to your post. You’re right that replacing with something entirely new rather than a wannbe is often more satisfying. I have noted that wheat makes me retain water, which increases joint pain exponentially, and I can well believe it could affect fibro and migraines!
Hi Meg. Love the new logo, glasses and oh, that sweater! Would that I had the guts to knit a whole garment (still in the scarf and hat stage myself). The bread issue has come home to roost at my house, too. I feel much better eating very little of it, although there are cravings in moments of stress. It may be a menopause thing that I will get over in later years (hope springs eternal here). But unlike other forbidden fruit in life, I will not be denied an occasional freshly baked scone from time to time. And a good cup of coffee.
Tamara recently posted..Toad on the Patio
Hi Tamara–I am working with my DIL (a professional knit and crochet pattern designer) to come up with the pattern or instructions for making that sweater, which isn’t much harder than making a scarf. I HATE trying to follow most patterns. It’s probably because I like to knit while watching tv in the evenings, and since I have to follow the closed captions, it means I don’t want to spend a lot of time looking at the knitting or the pattern. Give me rectangles or give me death!
I “slip up” on occasion with a scone or a wrap sandwich when eating out, which isn’t too destructive, because I’m not a full-blown celiac. But baking and having wheaty goods hanging around would be catastrophic. Do you think it could be menopausal? Oh, wouldn’t that be wonderful, knowing it’ll pass one day and then we could go batshit crazy on bread and cookies and cakes again? Oh rats, now I’m salivating at the prospect—
Bring on that sweater pattern — I will be one of your first customers! And let’s plan on the world’s biggest post-menopausal tea party. Scones and cakes for all!
Tamara recently posted..Toad on the Patio
Count me in! That leads me to wonder about forming an update of the Red Hat Society…Old Bats in Skinny Jeans Collective…Whaddever Widows…BTDTA (Been There Done That Association)…Come Into The Light Club…Bite Me Sisterhood…oh this could go on and on
I’m in!
Love the blog! Love Old Bats in Skinny Jeans–go for it. Everytime I put my skinny jeans on I wonder if I’m getting to old for this. I’m 56, 5’11″ with a 36″ inseam and can relate to the problems of finding long pants. Check out Long Elegant Legs, 36 and 39 inseams. I’m in heaven. First pair of jeans that was actually too long. HOw often does that happen?
Love the post and the new photo Meg (Steve aced it!).
I make almond milk every couple days. I buy 150 lbs. of (truly) raw, organic almonds yearly from a grower a couple counties away and keep them in our little chest freezer along with the 90 lbs. of organic dates I buy direct from another grower in CA. These are the base for my daily green smoothies. Do you like almond butter? MUCH better than peanuts for you. Peanuts are full of Aflatoxins because they’re stored and full of molds that we do not see . . . not good for the bod. Good quality raw, organic almond butter is typically $1.00 per once. If I don’t make my own I buy local or Artisana. Not cheap but it’s cheaper than medical bills for eating crappy food. I’m always surprised when people search for the cheapest deals on food and then buy a latte or some such thing. I NEVER scrimp on quality food. BTW, no need to add water to almond butter . . . I don’t understand why anyone would other than maybe having a blender that can’t ‘cut-the-mustard’. I also don’t skimp on blenders and have an 8 year-old Vita Mix that I use every bloody day.
I am so impressed with you knitting skills! I have the patience of a gnat so knitting would be torturous for me.
I like the blog header, sharp, catchy, and no, I didn’t realize that you shared the same initials . . . I need to tune up my observation skills.
Looking forward to your post on creativity.
And we love Zenni too!!
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Hi Darris–yep, livin’ in CA enables you to get those fresh raw almonds in bulk far cheaper than we can get them here in the Midwestern Sticks. We are seriously considering a move to CA sometime in the future, and I can totally see myself doing the all-almond thing. Love ‘em
Hey, I didn’t notice the same initials myself until a couple of weeks ago, so don’t feel bad, hahaha!
Thanks for dropping by, always good to see you.
Thanks Darris
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Oatmeal of any kind is always best if you add oats to boiling water. If keeps the gluey effect away.
Have you tried toasted oats? Soak whole oats overnight, drain in the morning, toast in a warm oven until more toasted than dry. Grind coarsely. Boil water with salt, add a handful of the toasted oat flour and cook for 5 minutes. Can also be used for baking.
Hi et–I’ve tasted toasted oats before, and they’re lovely, especially in baked goods like oatmeal cookies