Home on the Range

by Amanda Modrovsky

Americans are increasingly eating breakfast en route to work or school instead of at home. Breakfast has become a compulsory act of the morning race, much like brushing your teeth while drying your hair. Gone are the days of the nuclear family sitting around the table sipping java, reading the paper, and touching base before the busy day begins; some days so busy that these moments may be the only interaction a family has until the next morning!

Instead, we join the queue of the nearest drive-thru window for that 64-oz mocha java decaf iced latte with skim milk and 7 sweeteners. Or perhaps we skid into a convenience store parking lot to dance around the coffee island, shaking sugar packets and tilting creamer containers to find that last drop of Irish Cream to temper the bitter dregs of the “regular” pot.

But don’t these mornings become a wash of sticky coffee amoebas and crumbs on the floor mat? Why not set the alarm for 30 minutes earlier or, if you’re like me, hit snooze only once rather than 4 times? Here are six compelling reasons to slow down your morning and make each breakfast part of a day in your life, rather than a blur in the rear view mirror.

1) Save money. Consider this proposition: Set aside whatever amount you think you would spend in a week on your commuter breakfast (usually between $3-5 per day for coffee and a quickie sandwich, danish or donut). At the beginning of the week, buy what you would enjoy for breakfast if you were to eat at home each day, and save the receipts. Eat breakfast at home for that entire week. At the end of the week, compare the amount saved in your commuter pot to the amount you spent on an entire week’s worth of breakfasts. You’ve likely spent only half as much eating at home and you probably have food left to last through the weekend too!

2) Your car is not the kitchen table. How many of you can flash to that moment when hot coffee spilled over the “travel” mug lid onto the floor, and you were no longer looking at the road nor did you have two hands on the wheel or anywhere near it? Or perhaps your jelly donut just relieved itself of its contents while on your way to a business presentation? Add to the equation a cell phone, screaming kids, a spouse, and a carpooler, and you have one big mess and possibly the ire of the person in front of you that you just rear-ended trying to avert disaster! At home, you can change that soiled shirt quickly and you’re less likely to spill your coffee when your kitchen table isn’t moving in traffic.

3) Time well spent. These days, most adults and children have an overwhelming schedule from dawn till dusk. Sometimes a half hour in the morning is the only time a family may have to spend together at all before the next morning’s meeting. Why not do it around the table rather than the stick shift? Morning is a time when people are unburdened by the day’s events and more focused on the conversation at hand. Even if you’re the only dweller at your domain, reading the paper and relaxing over breakfast is time much better spent than holding coffee in one hand, a cell phone in the other and driving with your knees. Even on public transportation, you're unlikely to find a cup holder or tray for your repast.

4) Home is where the heart is. And that heart is less likely to be clogged by cholesterol and disease if you take time to prepare a healthy meal at home. Compare your Boston crème donut to a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit, or egg whites with hearty vegetables or salsa. Consider fresh coffee made within the hour, not the last 24. Eating at home can mean more and better choices over the long run. Granted, some of you may reach for the toaster-ready processed food, but if you’re making the effort to cook and eat at home, you’re more likely to seriously consider what you’re preparing.

5) To eat or not to eat, there is no question. With all the trends in eating and wellness, perhaps the most tried and true commandment is Eat Thy Breakfast. If you’re running late for work or school, you probably won’t eat at all until lunch; an empty stomach will wreak havoc on your energy levels until then. Keep a few items on hand for these mornings: peanut butter and jelly, yogurt, bananas and/or high fiber toast. You can still eat at home quickly, and it will get you to work faster than trying to save 10 minutes for grabbing something on the way.

6) Save the planet. Consider your daily trips to the fast food mart or restaurant and then think about what you take away each time: a foam coffee cup and/or juice container, a paper or plastic wrapper and a plastic bag to carry it all. This refuse is less likely to be recycled than the items you bought for home. Usually, you’ll toss that bag of trash into the bin on your way to work or at the car wash when you rid your car of a month’s worth of fast-food mornings. Neither is as likely to have separate trash bins for recycling as you might have in your own home - hopefully you’re adhering to a preordained recycling program at home so that your oatmeal container, egg crate, milk carton and orange juice bottle can all be found in the future someplace other than the local landfill.