33.DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST

I need to encourage Carley to eat breakfast. She has been homeschooled and is used to starting her days much later than 7:30, which is the first class at school. She sleeps until she has only enough time to dress and go to school. When she comes home, she is so tired she takes a nap.

The answer is simple. Carley needs to go to bed earlier, get up earlier and eat breakfast. I think the need for naps would disappear if she would change her schedule. I know times are very different for young people today compared to my youth, but I will use myself for an example.

Mom called us three kids out of bed every morning about 6:00. We had to get dressed, and go to the barn to milk the cows. After the milking was done, the milk was put through a separator, which we turned by hand. The cream went into a special can to be sold, and the milk ran into containers with nipples to feed the calves. After the animals were completely cared for, we were free to go to the house.

Can you imagine that any one of us passed by the table to go to our rooms to get ready for school? Mother prepared a big meal every morning and we ate with healthy appetites.

I believe Carley will eat with relish also if she will set bedtime an hour earlier, then arise an hour earlier. That will give time to not only get ready for school, but to do a few chores her mother could assign. A little activity will spark an appetite.   

I didn’t think about it at the time, but the fact that we had a nutritious breakfast certainly contributed to our ability to do well on our schoolwork. Today I realize that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is a proven fact that students perform more efficiently and make better grades when they eat breakfast. Even if Carley is doing well in class, food in her tummy will help her do better. 

Mornings on the farm were very busy, but I do remember that my family members were pleasant. That is another benefit of eating breakfast, plus having jobs. A sense of self-confidence comes with accomplishment, plus with breakfast under her belt, Carley will have better control of her emotions.

In my school, there was no opportunity to eat a snack before lunch, which can be a real problem for young people today. I hope Carley isn’t doing this, but those who skip breakfast usually get hungry about 10:00, and some students may have a candy bar tucked away because of that. Junk food does not help thinking ability.

One more advantage—breakfast eaters have more energy. That was true of my siblings and me at the farm. We did our chores; we ate breakfast; we were off to school on the bus, and I can assure you that we were loaded with energy. If Carley requires a nap every day, it is a sign that she is tired. She must make a new schedule, which will set bedtime earlier and give more hours of sleep at night. 

Another step that would encourage Carley to eat breakfast is for her to prepare the meal the night before. The recipes below are easy to prepare, tasty and nutritious. Carley can find many more recipes on the Internet. A good breakfast should include whole-grain cereal and/or whole grain bread and at least two pieces of fruit, one of which should be citrus.

EAT BREAKFAST LIKE A KING!  EAT LUNCH LIKE A QUEEN! EAT THE EVENING MEAL LIKE A PAUPER! 

OATMEAL BAKE
2 c rolled oats
1 large apple chopped
1 c unsweetened crushed pineapple
1/4 c raisins
1 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
1 c coconut milk
2 c water
Mix ingredients together and pour into the crock pot.
Cook about 8 hours on low.

BREAKFAST APPLE BURRITO
5 apples chopped
1/2 c apple juice concentrate
1/4 c water
1 T honey
1 1/2 T cornstarch
8 whole-wheat tortillas
Cook first 5 ingredients until thick. Warm each tortilla
and place 1/4 cup filling in each. Fold in sides and roll
up like burritos. Place on sprayed cookie sheet and put
in refrigerator. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes the next morning.