The house is still, my bed so cozy, and all of a sudden this song stuck in my head. God’s way of greeting me to a new day. This is my wake up call, and before I even realize it, I am quietly exiting my pillowtop bed to start my morning routine. You could say I am a morning person.
Like clockwork, I slide on my slippers, feel my way through the darkness to the hallway and shuffle quietly to the kitchen, headed straight for the tea kettle. Even the tea pot is slow to boil in this early morning hour, so I reach for a glass in the cupboard, squeeze the juice of one lemon into my oversized glass, and have already chugged my first glass of water before I have my first cup of tea...sleeping makes me thirsty!
Tiptoeing to the library, I flip on the light and slip on my lap blanket in the cold morning hours of winter, to carefully select several findings from my book basket sitting at the side of my overstuffed chair. Already five minutes have passed and the tea pot exhales the last drop of caffeinated courage I will partake in to start my day off right.
As I take that first warm sip of strong English tea, pre-dawn conversations, petitions, prayers, and reflections are all awaiting me this morning. Did I mention how much of a morning person I am? Not everyone is. In fact, I am not sure anyone else in under this roof is! God blesses me with mornings to get my attitude aligned with His because I need it and He knows it.
Now more than ever I listen, I prepare, and then I decide what kind of Mama I want to be, over and over, each and every day.
Time flies by...I hear the shuffling of feet into the kitchen and down the hallway.
This is about the time the growls from deep within interrupt the preparation of a new day, and breakfast suddenly comes to mind.
One thing I love more than oatmeal is quinoa! It is one of my go-to breakfast when the temperature drops and I want a healthy and delicious breakfast. If you make your quinoa ahead of time, you can store it in a quart size ziplock bag and take a cup at a time. This is a real time saver, and you will only spend 2 minutes cooking up breakfast instead of 20 minutes waiting for your quinoa to cook! Add a tablespoon of chia seed or ground flax and you will have your omega 3’s without even knowing!
Quinoa, Spinach and Eggs
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa (cooked) 1 cup fresh spinach (or your favorite greens/veggies) 1 egg, poached or over easy - sunny side up! Salt/pepper to taste 1 tbsp chia seed or ground flax (optional)
Directions: In a small bowl, reheat quinoa for 30 seconds in microwave or on the stove top. Add spinach on top and set aside. The heat from quinoa will steam your spinach (nothing like a meal that cooks itself)! Cook your egg according to your liking. While waiting 2 minutes on your egg, sprinkle in your chia or flax for good measure! Place your egg in bowl, break egg yolk and mix through quinoa. Enjoy, it’s amazing!
Make this morning a good morning. Spend time with God, take the time to pray, ponder what kind of mother you aspire to be, and enjoy a healthy, delicious breakfast. Give yourself the spiritual and physical fuel that motherhood requires!