Breakfast Gift Baskets-Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast Gift Baskets – Great Breakfast Ideas!


. . . And Recipes for healthy and delicious Breakfast Gift Baskets!

For healthy let's start with fruit.

Why:

Our bodies love fruit.  Fruit is a natural food in its raw state that gives us energy.  It provides glucose in an easy form for you to digest and process into energy.  You don't have to work for it to turn it into its raw form – it already is, so the energy goes right to the places in your body that need it most – fast.

I've heard it said that if you are serious about losing weight and not losing energy then you are well advised to eat fruit in the morning and until the time that you have your lunch.  I know this works from experience, but you can try for yourself and see what I mean.

If you want to know whether drinking a glass of juice has the same effect as eating that same fruit, then the answer is, "No."

The store-bought juice sells pasteurized juice, not raw juice on its shelves, so that it stays 'fresh' on the shelf longer.

The heating process to extend the shelf life of the juice destroys all the good, raw stuff that you get in a raw fruit (or vegetable).  Plus the concentrates used in the juice have artificial sweeteners and preservatives included. A rare exception is 100 percent fruit juices-Not from concentrates.

Your body has to break those things down to process them – that's not the same for your body as having them already broken down in their raw form.  Fruits help prevent water weight gain because they are primarily low in sodium.

Tip - Keep fruit in its own dishes – separated from other fruits.  This is because each fruit has its own biology and does better on its own than it does combined with other fruits.

Be sure that if you cut, peel or cook your fruit that you refrigerate it after it has been out for two hours to help prevent the acceleration of harmful bacteria growth which could result in food poisoning.

Fruit Suggestions:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Banana – In moderation so you don't suffer constipation
• Berries
• Cantaloupe
• Cherries
• Coconuts
• Grapes
• Grapefruit
• Honey Dew Melon
• Kiwi
• Mango – Too much of any fruit is not so good and can have the reverse effects of adding fat instead of helping you lose fat – Mangos are one of those fruits.
• Nuts
• Oranges
• Papaya
• Peaches
• Plum
• Tomatoes (A true Berry)
• Watermelon

Eating fruit has the potential to help you lose weight and improve your health!  According to this quote from Wikipedia, "Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease (especially coronary heart disease), stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and some of the functional declines associated with aging."

TIP – Don't juice more fruit and vegetables than you eat in one day – For instance if you would only eat 2 oranges or 3 carrots in a day, don't juice more than that in your juicer.  The reason is because your body can only process so much 'stuff,' the rest will be expelled in your waste.  You'll see what we mean when your urine changes color to that raw food color.  It's a waste – No pun intended.

Add some vegetables to your fruit for more interesting and healthy tastes:

• Cucumber
• Lettuce
• Spinach Greens
• Sprouts

Essential Kitchen Accessories For Fruit Breakfast Gift Baskets:

 

Coffee Or Tea?

Coffee

Coffee has taken a bad rap over the years.  It's only been recently that experts have come out with the information, that coffee-black coffee is good for you.

Here is why -

Experts have revealed that a Daily dose of coffee has been associated more and more with a reduced risk of gallstones, liver cancer, type two diabetes, and Parkinson's disease (Source: "Good Morning America" Medical Contributor David Katz).  They also suggest that green tea and white tea also have health benefits.

This is good news for you coffee drinkers (that's us too!).  Although several factors are taken into consideration – height, weight, blood pressure issues, etc . . . , recommendations for how many cups a day vary among experts of between three and four eight-ounce cups per day.  But they all agree that over four cups a day is too many for most all people.

Caffeine causes your blood pressure to rise, which is why you may think that the people first in the office in the morning have ADD, it probably isn't true-they probably just have better coffee at the office and that's where those people may have had their first cup of coffee.

What is true though, is that those people also (in my opinion) get more done in the morning.  Because of the caffeine, those coffee drinkers are more alert, have increased productivity levels, have better driving concentration, and their athletic ability is enhanced – No more excuses for poor driving from morning coffee and tea drinkers!

TIP  – Too much sugar and cream in your coffee and the 'fluffy drinks' with lots of syrup are not what we are talking about here, even though they are great tasting.  Try your coffee black with a splash of honey instead of cream and sugar.  Honey – raw honey.  It may take a little getting used to, but the benefits are worth getting used to.  Plus it is an easy way to cut back on your sugar intake – For instance if you used syrup and cream, start out with a teaspoon of honey instead.  It may take some getting used to, but well worth your time to experiment.

TEA

Tea is considered a better choice than coffee by medical professionals and consultants.  Caffeine is highest in these drinks in this order:  1) Coffee, 2) Black (tea), 3) Green (tea), 4) White (tea).

It's not the tea itself, but the antioxidants that are linked to the increased health benefits of tea.   Printed  information states that: "Antioxidants can prevent the inflammation of blood vessels, and has been linked to reduced risk for cancer."

Which is the highest in antioxidants – 1) White (tea), 2) Green (tea), 3)Black (tea), 4) Coffee

White and green tea require minimum time to process, which lessens the effects of fermentation, plus each are derived from a different piece of the tea leaf.  the black teas and coffee are processed longer, which increases the effects of fermentation – It seems that the fermentation process is the real bully because it will reduce the final product antioxidant level.

TIP - Watch out for high levels of sugar in store-bought tea products.  Best policy – Check the ingredients on the labels.  46 grams of sugar (that's approximately 11 cubes of sugar) listed as the primary ingredient and tea products listed as the last ingredient make that tea drink a poor choice for quick consumption.  Labels can be deceiving when you are looking for healthy products. *

So What Is It Going To Be – Coffee or Tea?

*  This information is for informational purposes only and not meant to be designed as medical advice.  If you have questions or want and need additional information on health benefits consult with your medical doctor.

Coffee AND Tea Preparation Essentials

How To Make PERFECT Home Potatoes Every Time:

Our favorite potatoes for Breakfast Gift Baskets can easily be made by following this simple recipe.

Perfect Home Potatoes For 2-4 People:

• 3-4 Potatoes washed and cut into bite-size pieces (red potatoes can be substituted)

• 1 small chopped onion (use more if you like onions a lot, less if you don't like onions . . . taste to know what you prefer)

• 1 small green onion for flavor and color – diced

• 2-3 pieces chopped, cooked bacon (Vegetarian substitute: Dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes – not packed in oil – in place of bacon. Sun-dried tomatoes have a close salty, concentrated flavor, with less calories and zero fat. If you don't mind the flavor then you may also substitute Halloumi cheese for bacon bits instead, but you may be compromising taste. Halloumi is a salty cheese that can be grilled or pan fried – Source for Halloumi cheese definition is Wikipedia)

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

• 3 T Olive oil (Use 2 T for sauce pan to fry potatoes in)

• 1/4 C Fresh Parsley

• * Optional – One Green Pepper, chopped, seeded – Adds a little 'zing' to the flavor.

• * Optional - 1 T (Heaping Tablespoon) Sour cream – on the side for extra flavor once potatoes are prepared.

—  Boil potatoes in salted water until cooked – Just under cooked is best (tender, but still firm)

—  Heat your stove pan on a high heat and grease with 2 T olive oil
Fry cook your potatoes on the stove on a hot burner – Not crispy – still soft and browned, not crispy (approx. ten minutes or less).

—  Add onions, turn heat down and cook for 2-3 minutes. You don't want the onions to burn or you get a burnt onion crispy taste that takes away from the great flavor.

—  Add all other ingredients parsley, bacon bits, Olive oil, Green Pepper, salt, pepper, and cook until onions and seasoning blend on lower heat – about ten minutes.

—  Serve with a dollop of sour cream on the side (Optional-for dipping potatoes).

This is how our Breakfast Gift Baskets meal cooked from home begins.