Zucchini Walnut Bread

I know many people who either don’t eat breakfast or they “grab” a protein bar or just a cup of coffee while heading off to work in the morning. It’s been rather ingrained in our culture to put an emphasis on “doing” and “producing” and perhaps not as much on “being” and “cultivating”.

Each day we get an opportunity to start once again. We are continually making choices…. what time to wake, what to wear, what to eat, to say, think, and do. There’s a never-ending succession of decisions to be made. The choices we make frequently become habits and then we may start unconsciously “going through the motions” in life so we don’t have to think as much about what we are actually doing.

If we can just look at one thing at a time, we might find that even seemingly small shifts can have rather profound results. So, let’s start with this small thing…. having a nourishing breakfast.

My dinacharya (daily routine) takes about an hour and a half each morning so I must wake up between 4:30-5am in order to get it done. I will save what I do in this time for another post, but one thing I’ve learned is not to skip is breakfast. Not only because our Agni (digestive fire) functions better when we feed it in regular intervals, but because it sets the tone for how the day will unfold. Rushing out the door with a packaged food and sitting down to freshly prepared food are two very different energies.

When I make this zucchini bread, I prep it and put it in the oven before I go on my morning beach walk and by the time I get home, it’s done. It really only takes about 15 minutes to prep and then one can go about their morning ablutions as it bakes. The house will fill with the most amazing aroma, it can feed several people, go along in school lunch bags, or serve as an after-school snack. If there are leftovers, it can be kept for 24 hours, but then, the prana (life force) of the bread will not be as strong so it’s best to make something new.

This is just one breakfast option, of course, but it’s a good one. Especially if you happen to have a zucchini that you want to use up. Happy baking!