Chick Chat: Morning Glory

It's morning in the Bartlett house. I slept alone in the bed last night, as my poor husband is still sleeping in an upright position on the couch. Recovery day 3 has commenced with more pain than we had yesterday. I praise God for the dinner a precious friend brought us last night, and the Sprite refills another sweet church friend delivered. I'm learning to just accept and ask for help, rather than think I can do it all myself. A husband recovering from a MAJOR sinus surgery needs some special care.

I'm not going to work this morning. Kyle thought about it under clenched eyelids and then asked if I would stay home with him. OF COURSE I WILL! I have been reminded this past week (again) that my part-time job is not the biggest priority God has given me--my husband is. And we will certainly survive without my small pay for a few days while he is recovering and I am taking care of him.

While I was trying to convince my husband he needed some breakfast to counteract the hydrocodine, I decided to make a recent favorite of ours. A few days ago when I was grocery shopping, I discovered that raspberries and blackberries were on sale. This is a rarity in our grocery store and I decided to stock up. I added some "not-on-sale" fruit by buying a pomegranate, and threw in some cheap bananas. Ready to see a "Bartlett Breakfast" favorite??

1. You make sure you have granola on hand. I don't mean the nasty stuff with lots of corn syrup, but take something healthy. I got this for $2 at my local drug store and it is preservative free, with nearly half the sugar of most granolas. BEWARE buying granola without checking the ingredients and sugar content. Granola is very tasty, but while companies sell it under the guise of "health" it usually has much more sugar than your average cereal. This has 17g, which to me is still a lot, but is less than the 34-40 I have seen.

2. Make sure you have bananas. Mine have started to brown, which is a sign they MUST be eaten or I won't touch them. I can't stand browning bananas. Give me semi-green bananas or I have heartburn.

3. Use good yogurt. Please, don't insult the Bartletts by making their favorite breakfast with yogurt containing corn syrup and aspartame. *just kidding*.....but really, use a good yogurt with plenty of active cultures to act as probiotics in your system.

4. Pomegranate. I LOVE pomegranante. It's work to get the seeds out, but the bitter, juicy, tang of those seeds makes me smile. But, as a loving hint, DON'T wear your white shirt when you remove the seeds. If you do wear white, buy stock in bleach. I love ya, that's why I say this.

5. Raspberries are AWESOME. My husband loves them, I love them, and when the fresh are on sale, they are a delightful treat.

6. Blackberries. These are probably not my all-time favorite fruit to eat on their own, but I do like the taste. They have a little sour kick usually, but when they ripen fully they are soft, juicy, and will also ruin your white shirt. This is why I recommend it as a breakfast--because you can make it in your jammies and it doesn't really matter if you get a little red on what you be sleeping in!

Throw the fruits all sliced up into a bowl. Eat a few along the way--for quality control of course. Then, toss in some yogurt, lick the spoon, and measure a very PRECISE handful of granola. Yep. 1 handful. ;)

Mix it all together and voila! A healthy, tasty treat to kick start your morning.

Or, if you are like my patient, use
it as a snack in the evening. It's most wonderful when it is eaten with a handsome man