In my original introduction post, I mentioned that I haven’t spent much time thinking about who I am. This doesn’t mean that I don’t make my own choices; it just means I have been basing what I think is best on the opinions of those around me, both my family and cultural influences. It’s amazing how trying to do what you think is best can be the worst decision ever.
I enjoy health and fitness, and working out is a great way to keep myself sane; I don’t prioritize this as much as I used to. For years, I worked as a kindergarten teacher – I was the kind of teacher who was the first one to the school and the last one to leave. Regardless of how early I had to arrive, I made it a priority to wake up early (4:30 am) so I could get a workout in, get myself ready, and make my family a traditional breakfast. I don’t know who gets to define traditional or why I thought a traditional breakfast meant something like bacon, eggs, and toast. Mind you, my children were about four and six when this morning routine began. I did this when I stayed at home too, but there was more flexibility.
Let’s just say that although I was working my heart out to make this traditional breakfast routine a thing in my home, not everyone was impressed. My youngest, to this day, thinks it’s crazy that we distinguish breakfast food from any other food – he would prefer to have a hamburger for every meal. My oldest and my husband, however, are very happy with a traditional breakfast. I could have cared less, except for the fact that I felt like the culture we lived in would have judged me for not feeding my family well before a big long day at school/work; the guilt would have been too great. But then again, the guilt of forcing my youngest to “just try to eat your breakfast” every school morning for over a decade caused a bit of mom guilt too.
As the kids got older and I transitioned into an administration position at a different school from them, our morning routine began to change. I left the house before they did, which meant I was losing control of what happened after I left the house. This meant that if I made a traditional breakfast and everyone wasn’t finished, I came home to dirty dishes – yuck! I, myself, am a protein shake in the morning kind of girl; I just grab my handy shaker bottle complete with a powder container and go. Or I use my little milk frother to mix up my shake. As my oldest started lifting weights and bulking for football, he joined me in this breakfast routine. My youngest was happy not to eat anything or just have a glass of milk. However, my husband, the rancher, is a meat and potato guy. He likes his breakfast cooked with as much butter as possible. This meant a few dirty dishes left when I got home, nothing unbearable.
Our routine was much the same for quite a while, and I’m not sure what changed, but my husband began jumping on the shake wagon. I think it was when I tried a new shake recipe and then began making several in our large Ninja blender for me and both the kids. We have had this blender since 2014, and I love it, except for the fact that it doesn’t allow you to use the individual blender cups like the Ninja BL660. As I continued to use my shaker bottle, the boys took to using the immersion blender similar to this Cuisinart Hand Blender. This allows them to individualize their ingredients. My husband likes to add bananas and blueberries to his, while my youngest adds a ton of peanut butter. Neither of them washes their cup after they are done, so someone is always frustrated or looking for a cup large enough for their shake contents. My back-to-school purchase this year was the Sylvio Blender for Shakes and Smoothies. This little gem comes with two cups, so they can both blend and go. Now I just have to teach them to get their cups in the dishwasher, and we will be golden.
My husband still cooks his occasional traditional breakfast and leaves me some cast iron dishes. We tend to cook more traditional breakfasts on the weekends and when we have company, which is a lot! However, for the most part, we are a protein shake breakfast family, and everyone seems to be happy. I feel less guilty every day and am beginning to realize that shakes are our “traditional,” and we don’t have to fit into some mold. I hope this helps you and your family find your breakfast groove; just do what is right for you. The less stress in the morning, the better.
