What to Eat For Breakfast On Your Wedding Day

Written with love, by Jennifer Dene

In the weeks leading up to your wedding day you will have your final dress fitting, and hair and makeup trial to ensure that everything goes smoothly on the big day. But have you remembered to also plan your wedding day breakfast? 

The morning of the wedding is the only time you have to eat a proper meal before the reception, and even then only if you're lucky. This week on Mind Body Bride I'm walking you through the exact meals I recommend to my Elite Bridal Wellness clients, as well as the types of food you should avoid.

As a bonus tip for The Overwhelmed Bride readers, I want to recommend that you test your wedding day menu before the big day. Just like with hair and makeup, what looks good on paper may not be right for you, and I'd hate for you to have a last minute reaction to something that you eat.

I can't wait to see you this week on Mind Body Bride!

With Love,
     Jennifer Dene XO

Date Night Recipe // Breakfast in Bed -- Egg Muffin Recipe

Written with love, Sarah-Elizabeth Stone

How did Mr (or Mrs) Right do this past weekend? Was Valentine's Day everything you had hopped for and more? Or was it perhaps a learning year for our dear spouse?

My first Valentine's Day with my husband was when we we're still disgustingly new. We were that couple who Instagrams each and every overly PDA moment of their new lives together. Of course I got the flowers and chocolates and teddy bear. I squealed with delight when they were all laid out on my parent's kitchen table. It was the real deal and I of course proceeded to Instagram it.

But there is something I've learned over the past 6 Valentine's Days together -- Although I absolutely love to be spoiled, and yes I'm a big sucker for the 'holiday', what I love more is our little moments...the days that don't need flowers, but I still get them. The mornings I don't have to have breakfast in bed and I'm still brought it. It's those moments that remind me that Valentine's Day can be any day of the year.

Try this recipe for a random breakfast in bed treat!

Ingredients

•         2-4eggs
•         1 package of bacon
•         2 cups of shredded cheese
•         1 green onion
•         Salt/pepper to taste
•         2- 4 slices of bread

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 400F
2.    Spray large muffin tin with non-stick spray or grease with butter/olive oil
3.    Take a glass approximately the size of the inside of the muffin tin and use it to cut out circles of bread
4.    Place in the bottom of muffin tin
5.    Top with small amount of cheese
6.    Cook bacon until it's about half done, about 3-5 min
7.    Absorb the grease with a paper towel and then wrap the bacon around inside of muffin tin
8.    Crack one egg into each spot carefully so as not to break the yoke.
9.    Top with salt, pepper and green onions
10.  Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on egg preference. Roughly 15 minutes for a runny egg and 20 minutes for a more firm egg

How to Build A Better Bridal Breakfast Smoothie

Written with love, by Jennifer Dene

Instagram and Pinterest are some of the best sources of healthy living inspiration out there! I’m constantly motivated by the beautiful photos and creative ideas that women around the world are sharing.

But there’s a recent health food trend that isn’t sitting so well with me. I’m talking crazy big, crazy sweet breakfast bowls. Whether it’s a tropical fruit smoothie or an acai bowl with all the trimmings, these sweet breakfast beauties aren’t as healthy as they look.

While our bodies are designed to metabolize 25 grams of sugar each day - which is equivalent to about six teaspoons - many of these #healthybreakfast smoothie bowls actually contain upwards of 60 grams of sugar — especially when topped with extra fruit, granola and honey.

Talk about a sweet rush.

If you’re struggling to see results with your bridal wellness plan, you might need to take a look at how much sugar you’re consuming, and there’s no better place to start than on your breakfast plate.

Let’s break down an average smoothie bowl recipe:

●     One large banana (14 grams sugar)
●     Half a mango (23 grams sugar)
●     1 cup vanilla almond milk (16 grams sugar)
●     1 tablespoon almond butter (1 gram sugar)
●     Handful spinach

Blended and topped with:

●     1 tablespoon honey (17g sugar)
●     1/2 cup granola (anywhere between 5g and 20g sugar)
●     1/2 cup fresh berries (3g sugar)

The total sugar in this “healthy” breakfast bowl is 80 — 100 grams. That’s your quota for half the week!

So while you might not be adding white table sugar to your breakfast in the morning, a fruity smoothie or breakfast bowl is affecting your body in the same way.

Fruit is a natural source of sugar — and one with the added benefit of fiber — but a little goes a long way and excess sugar in any form will be quickly stored on the body as fat. That’s why today I want to show you how to build a better smoothie; one that hits all the health notes of a blended breakfast and keeps you moving towards your bridal wellness goals.

How To Build A Better Healthy Smoothie

Start with liquid:

●     8 oz water or unsweetened milk of choice

 

Add vegetables:

(choose one or more from the list below)

●     1 cup baby spinach or romaine lettuce
●     1/2 zucchini or cucumber
●     1 stalk celery
●     fresh fennel

Add protein:

(choose one)

●     Pure whey
●     Stevia sweetened vegan protein
●     Hemp seeds

Add healthy fat:

(choose one)

●     1 tablespoon nut butter
●     1oz avocado (frozen for a thicker smoothie
●     1oz raw coconut meat (frozen for a thicker smoothie)

Add sweetener:

(optional, choose one)

●     1/2 banana (frozen for a thicker smoothie)
●     1 cup frozen berries
●     1 kiwi fruit

Toppings:

(optional, choose one)

●     1/4 cup low sugar granola
●     1 tablespoon chopped nuts
●     1 tablespoon coconut flakes