A New Camera!

After washing my old pocket digital camera along with my jeans and things, I broke down and bought an upgraded camera - a Nikon D3000. Does a more stunning camera make for more stunning pictures, just like reading health magazines makes one healthier? I'm banking on it! So let me begin with my weekend morning breakfast routine as viewed through the lens of my new camera.

Two sliced lemons, a handful of crushed mint, and one small sliced fennel steeped in 4 cups of water for 6 minutes. The first few sips take some getting used to, but after that, it's a wonderful drink to savor throughout the day. AND, it's suppose to be healthy for the digestive system.

Here's my favorite coffee pot find. It's an old percolator from a store I always enjoy entering, The Summer Kitchen Interiors, in Helena, Ohio. It's a place where you just want to breath in the warmth of the store and take it home with you. Back to the pot. I take out the coffee-making-innards-thing and it's the perfect pot for steeping that lemon-mint-fennel drink. Simple joys!

Now that I took the time (or should I say I had the time - this is not my week day routine!) to make this special drink, it begs to be served in a special way. After owning but not using this tea pot for about 25 years (ouch!), it served me well today. It made the day feel a little more special. Especially when I took a break around 1:00 PM to indulge in an hour of reading in my beautiful living room where the sun was filtering through the blinds - oh how I love three day weekends!

As soon as I landed my first "adult" job (one with a salary - not the other kind!), I started myVilleroy & Boch Botanica collection. At the time, TJ Maxx (or was it Marshall's?), sold pieces here and there. Within a few years I had a pretty large, complete, and I must say, beautiful collection. I never tire of it. So why did they stop making it?! Oh well, life goes on.

Here's the lemon-mint-fennel drink. It looks the same going in as it does going out. Fortunately, it tastes much better going in . . . so I assume!

This photo is an abridged version of one of my favorite breakfast meals. It's made of toast, real mayonnaise (no fake stuff - one of my naughty food likes), one minced garlic, diced red onion, tomato, and a sliced soft boiled or poached egg (not what I have in the picture - desperation called this morning), and, also missing in the photo, some kind of green such as baby spinach, all topped with a sprinkling of salt (Celtic salt is my salt of choice in that it is unprocessed).

As for the bread, I use Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Bread - sounds pretty darn healthy doesn't it! It toasts beautifully. It's not the ideal pb&j bread, but it makes eating them feel good for your body. The lack of guilt makes up for the lack of softness. To further enhance it's healthy reputation, it's found in the freezer section of your grocery store. Did I mention it's organic and that it's made in the good 'ol USA? They also make a wonderful cereal. Wow! Stop already!

Here is the exclamation point to my weekend breakfast. A cappuccino (or two) made by me using my beloved Nespresso with a milk frother (pictured below). Over a year ago I tasted a cappuccino made using a Nespresso. It was one of those days when I was feeling exceptionally social and gladly took the time to drink and kabitz with the sales person handing out tastings. I was sold. After years of spending too much money at Starbucks (of which I still occasionally imbibe), this seemed to be a wonderful replacement. Not only am I now (a year later) spending less on cappuccinos, but I'm also sleeping in an extra ten minutes. Every extra minute I can linger in bed the better. I don't mind waking up early in the morning, but by "early" I mean 7:00 AM, not 5:30 AM - I don't see any farms around here!

Here it ism the Nespresso and frother. You'd think there was something wacky in my morning meal, but the crooked picture is just that, crooked.

So there it is, a general view of how I like to start my mornings. Time to luxuriously linger is a key ingredient which is why this routine is a weekend one. Also, before I even step into the kitchen, I do a 20-minute yoga routine from the DVD AM Yoga with Rodney Yee. I love this DVD! When I take time off from it, I feel stiff physically and emotionally. Only 20 minutes - nice! Just about the time my mind starts to wander, the routine is nearing the end. Namaste.