Another 1200 Calorie Weight Loss Menu - Start The Day With A Warm Vegan Breakfast Mixing Cream Of Wheat And Oat bran!

Oat bran and cream of wheat - a great pair for breakfast

Another Weight Loss Menu
Yesterday I posted Lose up to four pounds a week on a healthful vegan diet and gave a sample 1200 calorie menu. Today, I'm going to show you one of my favorite cooked breakfasts (if you eat it regularly, you'll not only lose weight but you can lower your cholesterol). I'll also show you another 1200 calorie menu.
A Low Calorie, HIgh Fiber Breakfast
In the winter I am more drawn to a cooked breakfast, eating my raw food later in the day when I've warmed up a bit. But I still always try to eat a minimum of 25% or more raw food, even in the dead of winter. This is easily achieved by having a raw soup or salad for lunch and working in some raw fruit and nuts throughout the day.
One of the cooked breakfasts that Doug and I eat the most is a mixture of cream of wheat and oat bran. They make a perfect pair. They are both a very good source of Thiamin or vitamin B1 but oat bran also provides the important minerals magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and selenium. Cream of wheat, on the other hand, is a very good source of vitamin A, niacin, vitamin B6, folate and iron (note - non heme iron, from vegan sources, is better absorbed when eaten with something high in vitamin C like a fruit or orange juice). 
Besides balancing the nutrients, I add oat bran to lower the calories since oat bran has only 1/3 the calories as cream of wheat. It's also high in dietary fiber and is known to lower cholesterol. Since both cream of wheat and oat bran are higher in omega 6 than the beneficial omega 3, I top it with ground flaxseeds to provide a much improved omega 3 to omega 6 balance.


Creamy Oat and Wheat Cereal
[makes 2 servings]
1/4 cup cream of wheat
1/2 cup oat bran
2 1/4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
1/4 cup soy or other non-dairy milk
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed


Boil water. Add salt.
Remove from heat and stir in cream of wheat and oat bran.
Return to heat and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 3 minutes stirring occasionally until it thickens.
Pour into two bowls. Top each on with 2 tablespoons of soy milk and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed.
Serve immediately.


Per serving: 186.3 calories, 5.5 g fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 1.6 g ALA omega 3 and 1.2 g omega 6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 8.3 g protein, 34.8 g carbohydrates and 6.4 g dietary fiber.


Another Example 1200 Calorie Menu 
(Combination of raw and cooked vegan recipes)

Raw vegan spinach salad with almonds and orange vinaigrette

Water:
Drink a glass of fresh water 30 minutes before each meal and snack. This will keep you hydrated without diluting your digestive juices during the meal.
Breakfast:
Start the day with a serving of Creamy Oat and Wheat Cereal (recipe above).
1/2 grapefruit with a packet of stevia
A cup of green tea or black coffee
Morning Snack:
1 small apple
6 English walnut halves
Lunch:
For lunch, try Raw Vegan Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Almonds and Orange Vinaigrette (pictured above).
Afternoon Snack:
1 whole grain, multi grain or high fiber english muffin with 2 teaspoons vegan buttery spread or a few thin slices of ripe avocado
Dinner:
1 1/2 servings of Tuscan Bean Soup with Kale and Cannellini Beans (pictured below).
1 cup So Delicious Original Cultured Coconut Milk 
After Dinner Snack
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce with a pinch of cinnamon

Tuscan bean soup with kale and cannellini beans

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