Healthy Breakfast Ideas & Exciting Outdoor Fitness Ops

Our August Fit 'N Healthy Time E-letter was void a featured recipe! OH NO! To make up for it, we've got a couple of great breakfast ideas we love!

But before that, we've got some great, AFFORDABLE, local fitness opportunities--all meeting at the scenic Norton Shores park, Lake Harbor Park. Here's the schedule and pricing.

MORNING SESSIONS
Monday through Thursday -- 10:30 to 11:30 am

EVENING SCHEDULE
Monday/Wednesday -- 6:00 to 7:00 pm
Tuesday/Thursday -- 7:15 to 8:15 pm

The rates per class are $5. However, if you plan on being there as much as possible, we have multiple weekly session discounts and a monthly unlimited sessions plan, too.

Speaking of kids, kids 17 and under work out for free! I want to lighten the load for parents and kids!

For more information contact me! Friend me on Facebook and you can get daily workout reminders and announcements too. Just search for me: Boualem Aggoune!

WHAT TO BRING??? While we're taking it in the water--the water temp has been PERFECT.... bring a towel, some sandals or flip-flops for after the class, plenty of water to drink and depending on the time of day, sunscreen. Otherwise that, just bring YOU and someone you want to get fit with! SEE YOU SOON.

FUN, FIT BREAKFAST IDEAS (Besides Oatmeal & Egg Whites!)

Nutritious eating is about deprivation and starvation?!? Au contraire! It's about eating, enjoying what you're eating and knowing that what you're eating has not only immediate benefits, but long-lasting benefits.

Eat! The body needs food. But eat well. A wholesome, well-rounded breakfast is an important key to a smooth-running metabolism.

1. YOUR OWN YOGURT PARFAIT! Place 1 cup of old fashioned oats in hot skillet. Stir and cook until oats brown. Mix with unsalted, roasted sunflowers and raisins. Store in container and use to sprinkle on PLAIN, REDUCED FAT YOGURT. Layer with blueberries or strawberries or a natural (and reduced sugar) fruit spread and it makes a great parfait.

2. WHOLE WHEAT CREPES: Who said French crepes have to be unhealthy?!? There's always a healthier twist... But you might want to skip the Nutella!

1 C whole wheat flour
3 eggs
2 cups of fat-free milk
2 T of canola oil or walnut oil
1/4 salt - optional
1 t sugar - totally optional

Mix batter. (It will be runny.) Let stand overnight for best results. Place 1/4 C of batter in hot griddle and spread batter by tilting griddle. It will take a little longer than regular pancakes on each side, maybe about 2 minutes--until a little browned. If you're not used to making crepes it takes practice to get a nice rounded crepe, but the taste is what counts. Healthy fillers are naturally sweetened jam or grilled/baked fruit. Low-fat cheeses also work nice in a crepe.

Just remember--save some room for protein. Don't fill up on carbs.

3.) WHOLE WHEAT PROTEIN PANCAKES - A meal in one. For best results, avoid the temptation of drowning your pancake in syrup. Choose a fruit spread instead.

2 scoops whey protein (preferably the pure kind--unsweetened, etc.)
1 c whole wheat flour (red wheat flour)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt--dissolved in buttermilk
1 large egg
1/2 c canola oil

Mix all dry ingredients, except the sea salt. Whisk the wet ingredients including the sea salt and combine with dry ingredients. Use 1/4 c of batter per pancake and cook in non-stick skillet or skillet until it bubbles and flip.

4. THE JUICIEST IDEA -- We don't drink juice. That makes it simple. But for all those juice people, here's a great idea to cut down on fast carb calories. Instead of drinking a full glass of juice, use half juice and half carbonated water. That's what the French do... Errr, well, that's what author of French Women Don't Get Fat says. (Which by the way--kind of snobby and kind of right on the money, but French people don't really know a whole lot about nutrition. (And that's coming from a French guy!)

BACK-TO-SCHOOL ADVERTISEMENTS AND MY CEREAL TANGENT

Oh, you've seen those ads for Frosted Mini Wheats, right? Kids going off to school full of fiber and full of focus. Hmmm. Focus? For how long? I love Frosted Mini Wheats, and considering some cereals, they probably do keep kids fuller longer, but have you taken a look at the sugar in those cereals? Unless your kids aren't eating anything else with sugar for the rest of the day, it's too much per serving!

If you or your children must eat cereal, choose the unsweetened brands. And some nutritionists recommend putting sugar bowls back on the breakfast table. Most likely the kids (or the grown-up) will add less sugar than what the sweetened cereals contain or it will remain at the bottom of the bowl with the leftover milk!

One more breakfast note--don't forget the protein. It takes more than whole grains and carbohydrates to keep your brain fresh and focused. Choose an egg, natural peanut butter (think NO extra ingredients, like the KREMA brand), PLAIN yogurt and even REDUCED-FAT cheese--stop worrying about fat myths and calories and think about balanced health! Most kids and working adults won't eat for hours after their first meal.

Hope you enjoyed this mid-month morsel. Bon appetit, and see you at the park! We've got a few more day of WATER WORKOUTS. Let's not miss out before the fall chill.

Did you miss out on August's E-letter? Take a look right here: http://boualem-aggoune.blogspot.com/2010/08/rethinking-exercise-part-2-time.html