Morning Glory

My iron skillet loves ANYTHING for breakfast as long as there's an egg on top.

Whether we are intentional about it or not, each of us has a personal morning routine. I believe that our morning routines help define us and give us direction. I'm going to share mine, with emphasis on the morning meal, and hope that it inspires you to consider yours.

At my house, my husband and I wake up at six. I stretch like a cat in bed so that there is sensation enough in my body to inspire movement toward the floor. My dog, Izzy, is the size of a walnut so she immediately follows me outside to relieve her tiny bladder. This is my opportunity to take a sun salutation under the stars, look for the moon, and get a couple of deep breaths in my lungs. This moment with nature (including my natural self), while I wait for Izzy, is less than a minute or two. Yet, it is as important to me as the 8 hours of sleep that precedes it.

Back in the house I drink a full glass of water with a splash of lemon juice to hydrate and cleanse. I've done this for many years now, and it's a compulsive habit like brushing my teeth after a meal. Meanwhile we boil water for tea time, which used to be coffee time, to share on the couch.

This has been a ritual of ours since our very first mornings together, and it is very precious to both of us. As the saying goes, we enjoy it sip by sip rather than gulp by gulp. In other words, we start slow by lighting a candle, facing each other on the couch with our feet in each others' laps, and listening...and talking for at about half an hour. These discussions are the lifeblood of our relationship. Sometimes they are about the weather, coordinating events of the day, or the to-do list. Often they are about the kids. Sometimes they are about our dreams from the night before, our struggles, how we feel the relationship is going, and what we want to improve in our lives. Sometimes they are silent communications. Sometimes they are arguments. But always, they are eye to eye, hand to feet, and heart to heart.

By 6:45 we wake the rest of the house and get moving on breakfast making, lunch packing, and dressing for the day. My first move in the kitchen is to wash out our tea cups while warming my iron skillet on the stovetop. If I'm baking bread that day, I also preheat the oven and get the dough on its last rise (See my previous post entitled Baking Old-World Style Bread for how this works.)

From Ayurveda we learn that when diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need. I find that the time of day easiest for me to heed this wisdom is morning when all is fresh and possibilities are most open. If I am treating an ailment (with food), or I am experimenting with a dietary refinement, the breakfast meal is my first canvas.

While my iron skillet is heating, I survey the fridge for any veggies or leftovers that need to be eaten. I always include a leafy green, usually kale or spinach, and onions. Scallions are my favorite for breakfast. But really, any veggies work for me and I like to use up what might be most perishable on any given day. Once the skillet is hot, I add an oil. My current favorite is ghee. I often use olive or coconut, though. When the oil is hot, the porous skillet is sealed and I then lay a small hunk of my sourdough bread in the oil and simultaneously saute the veggies until they look and smell almost ready to eat. Next I move the veggies and bread to the side of the skillet and crack an egg into the same skillet. I love the simplicity of my single pan breakfast clean-up. I take my pick of how I want my egg...sometimes runny, sometimes scrambled. All on a plate with a sprinkle of powdered turmeric, course sea salt, powdered maca root...or just whatever herb/spice is the tonic of the week for flavor and health and I'm ready to roll. I like a bit of honey on my bread. I like to sip my daughter's blueberry smoothie when she's not looking. I do what I like. These pleasures are pleasures because they are not a part of some strict diet plan. I eat well. This daily act is purely out of self-respect. I deserve it. On the rare morning that I don't treat myself well in the morning, I feel off-centered all day. As it is, my family and I are ready and strong for the day...leaving the house by 7:45.

I am truly fascinated by what happens in people's kitchens...routines, foods and how things are experienced and shared. If I could voyeur one thing, it would be your morning time in the kitchen. Wink Wink!

Next up...smoothies bring out the kiddo in all of us!