​On my breakfast food adventure, I discovered Rip's Power-Up Bowl Double Berry Hot Cereal made by Engine 2 Plant-Strong (a Whole Foods product).

It's a hot cereal that's USDA organic and certified gluten-free.  Imagine oatmeal with strawberries and blueberries. Now imagine adding in quinoa and sesame seeds on top.

One serving has 34g of whole grains and 4g of protein. I love adding fresh blueberries and a 1/2 tsp of organic sugar. Bypassing the nutritional content, it tastes great and gives you more variety in breakfast options. 

One bag should last a week or two and costs about $5 at Whole Foods. Need I remind you that 1 box of Cheerios costs about $4 and will only last about a week? Have you considered that for a dollar more you could be tripling your health benefits and shopping less often? 
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Plus, if you start your day with this hot cereal and two eggs, you're getting in about 15g of protein, or about 30% of your recommended protein intake for the day. Protein not only feeds your muscles and brain but also keeps you feeling fuller longer. 

​Rip's Power-Up Bowl also contain sesame seeds which are one of the most potent seeds for fighting high cholesterol, blood pressure and cancer. You'd literally be giving your body everything it needs to start your day. 

​Visit your local Whole Foods (assuming you have one) and try out this fast and easy breakfast that's sure to please not only your taste buds but your body too! 

​It’s the early 2000s, I had a candy bar cell phone, still printed maps before driving, and two beautiful towers still stood in New York City. It was a simpler time compared to the woes of our current ecosystem. It was a time of bunny ears on your tv, written checks, and the world’s best infomercials at 3am.

If you were up at 3am, you’d have the pleasure of seeing Cleo the psychic, Suzanne Somers with her ThighMaster, SoloFlex, and my personal favorite, Chef Tony and the Miracle Blade kitchen knife wondershow (ok, maybe I made that last bit up…). 

I never called Cleo or her friends, but I do believe my mother bought a ThighMaster and let me tell you, that contraption will pull your groin muscle out before it ever tightens your thighs. We can’t all be Suzanne.

But Chef Tony was a man of his own making, the world’s best salesman and watching him do anything made you want it. Purposefully I would watch his show Sunday mornings, running to the kitchen to try and slice bread with my knife. I’d simultaneously be disappointed with my own useless blade and wowed by his.
He could throw pineapples in the air and slice them in half (a feat I've never been able to replicate), then cut an exhaust pipe from a car, and after wiping off the blade, smoothly cut a tomato or sliced bread. 

I was hooked and too broke to actually call the 1-800 number and order myself a set. But I watched every weekend like an old lady watches her soap opera shows. Maybe it was because I was a cook at the time, maybe it was the enthusiasm of Chef Tony’s cutting, slicing, and dicing skills. Whatever the reason, I fantasized about owning my own set of Miracle Blades. Oh, all the things I would cut, slice and dice…I’d have to start buying more pineapple and uncut bread. But wait, if I acted now, I could get a genuine wooden knife holder perfect for displaying these gleaming sharp beauties.

So I know you’re asking yourself, if I’m this excited about those knives nearly 20 years later, then I surely must of bought them, right?
No, my dearest reader, I did not. Some things are just better left as fantasies, like staying in Disney’s castle, owning your own pony, or yes, slicing pineapples in half like a ninja.
Alas, the days of spray on hair, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Chef Tony’s knives are past, as are my dreams of owning my own Pony named Bubblegum (what? I named her!).
So since we can’t sit down at 7am on a Sunday and be wowed by a man cutting a leather shoe in half​....
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Smaller knife used to peel, trim and/or slice smaller produce or score meat.
Tip: Create a flat surface so  your food (or your fingers) don’t get away from you. 

It does what it says it does.
​ Tip: A bread knife is also good for cutting thin skinned produce like tomatoes or eggplant.

Even if you’ll never get to experience the glory of sawing an exhaust pipe in half, if you have these three knives- you’ll be a pro in the kitchen in no time.

Just like Chef Tony, make sure you have an organized work space and clean as you go (but don’t throw all the cut produce in the sink, why’d he do that?).
Never put your knives in the dishwasher, and instead, wash right after use and dry them! If you take care of them, your knives can last a lifetime, even if it’s not a lifetime guarantee by the Miracle Blade Master himself.

     In just a few years, Udi’s has become the #1 gluten-free brand in America, and it's not hard to see why. Founded in Colorado, this small company grew over the last 10 years and was purchased by Smart Balance in 2012. Since then, Udi's products have popped up more and more in grocery store chains around the country. 
     Udi's has over 10 different bread styles from Cinnamon Raisin to Regular White bread and everything in between. Some breads, like the Udi's Millet Chia Seed can give you added health benefits; or maybe you'd just like to eat a dinner roll like a normal human being at your next meal. Udi's has you covered. Learn more about Udi's HERE

     Udi's bread will almost ALWAYS be found in the Freezer Section on your grocery store. Find it where you find other frozen breads/rolls. Stores that carry Udi's bread usually do not sell ALL of their 13 bread products, but only stock a few. So look sharp and check out other stores for new varieties. 
     Eat2Live's favorites are the Millet Chia seed bread and the Mighty Bagel. Perfect for breakfast and ALWAYS GLUTEN FREE! (plus good for you!)