Theresa Albert is a nutritionist, best-selling cookbook author, and Food Network personality, and we're thrilled to have her with us for the next few weeks to provide her unique brand of cooking and nutritional knowledge. I shared with some of my colleagues the fact that I am working with the Chicken Farmers of Canada to help Canadians get wholesome, simple meals on their tables.  Luckily, my colleagues are some of the smartest, busiest women and mothers around. Even more luckily, they agreed to let me mine their lives and share their tips for doing just that.  What you will find over the next 6 blogs are those interviews.  The names have not been changed to protect the innocent; in fact, they are proudly displayed so we can all see that every family has its way of doing things and learn from each other! This edition’s interviewee: Jen Maier Jen Maier is a mom of 2, a marketer, a blogger, and founder of the online community, UrbanMoms. Jen can be found at her blog, Mom's The Word (www.urbanmoms.ca/moms_the_word), where she philosophizes about modern day mothering, social media, and the true value of community. Theresa: Why is breakfast the most important meal of the day? Jen: I am not a huge breakfast eater. By mid morning, I have my latte and banana but I am not hungry first thing. I hear that it is supposed to be the best start to your day. Even as a kid, I didn’t feel hungry first thing in the morning.  I typically grab a banana and  latte which does me ‘til lunch. On a long weekend or vacation I love brunch! Either something light with salads, fruits, etc. or the traditional bacon and egg kind.  I remember having a great brunch at a friend’s cottage where they served breakfast burritos filled with pulled chicken, melted cheese and eggs. Theresa: What do your kids eat before going to school? Jen: I am a big believer that kids need to learn to do things for themselves.  We have set up a system where kids can make cereal, milk, juice, and toast for themselves. Theresa: This is all good stuff but one of the most important things is to get kids to have some protein at breakfast.  It helps to set their blood sugar levels to keep them going all day.  What are some tips that you can share with other mothers who are time starved? Jen: I find it is helpful to set kids up for success by being prepared.  My kids are too young to make their own eggs for breakfast but that could be coming since my very picky daughter does love them! To be prepared:

• Have yogurt, cheese and fruit cleaned and cut for them to grab
• A cereal dispenser filled with healthy cereal makes it fun for them to do on their own
• Make extra pancakes on the weekend so they can pop them in the toaster
• A smoothie in the blender would be a great thing for me too!

Theresa’s Wrap Up Jen is a typical mom on a typical day and her story is illustrative of some of the pitfalls of breakfast.  It is the most important meal of the day because it helps to set the blood sugar level if done well.  Too much carbohydrate and there will be the inevitable crash. What she really needs is for her life to accommodate that brunch every day! Protein at breakfast is crucial as is fibre since both help slow down the digestion of the carbohydrates and provide long burning fuel. As she mentioned, most moms struggle with time and her ideas to get the deal done quickly but healthily are great. The trick is going to be training your kids to all want something savory rather than sweet in the morning. If you think about it, we are one of the few cultures that rely on carbs for breakfast.  For most of the world, breakfast looks a lot like lunch. Eggs, rice and beans in South America, fish, broth and rice in Asia as well as soups and beans in the Middle East.  When we start the day with sweet flavours, we are setting up the palate for more. If Jen could add a teaspoon of peanut butter to her banana she’d be doing better. Even a handful of almonds would help her sustain the energy she needs to keep it all going. For the kids, I’d love to see something like a homemade egg muffin. It can be as simple as a fried egg on a whole wheat English Muffin or as tasty as the Chicken and Mushroom baked version in this podcast. Heck, they can eat it single handed on the way to school. BREAKFAST - THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY / VIDEO It’s important to set your blood sugar for the day with a good breakfast. Nutritionist, best-selling cookbook author and Food Network personality Theresa Albert gives us a healthy, protein-rich option in this video. httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sZEHkxOQGs