I have a bad habit of skipping meals to do other things, like sleep in late.
I usually don't have much appetite until I'm already in a bad way, then I feel extremely hungry and malaise very suddenly.
This is a problem because I am already very thin. If I don't eat on a regular schedule I lose focus and feel off. So it stands to reason that I should make meals as efficient, cost effective and convenient as possible.
Begin Operation Breakfast 2.0
I wanted to come up with a way to have breakfast ready and waiting when I got out of bed so I could eat quickly and get on with my morning.
First I tried protein bars. That worked pretty well, but I had a problem where the chalky taste got really tiresome after a while. They also feel very heavy in my stomach. Then when I got braces I couldn't bite into the protein bars any more. When I got to the point that I was cutting up the protein bars and then sucking on them to soften them, or microwaving them, I decided this was no more convenient than making a regular breakfast and decided to try other things.
Next I tried protein shakes. They were disgusting. No matter what I put into them I couldn't find a way to mask the flavor of the protein powder enough that it didn't make me nauseous. I tried several different protein powder sources, all of which were disgusting in their own way.
After protein shakes I tried smoothies. This worked okay in the taste department, but they didn't contain enough protein or other ingredients that were good for me. They were essentially fruit (which contains a lot of sugar) and other forms of sugar, which left me needing food way before lunch time and made me sugar crash after 2 or 3 hours.
I then tried a combination of fruit and calorie supplements. They didn't taste too bad, but I tried several different substances, all of which had different adverse health effects. Some of them gave me diarrhea, some made me constipated and some of them had the same problems as previous breakfasts I tried.
And Now Breakfast 2.0
I think I have now finally found a solution that works.
Here are the ingredients:
A programmable rice cooker
I use a Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 5-1/2-Cup Neuro Fuzzy RiceCooker and Warmer that I bought on Amazon back in January. I chose it because it was the rice cooker with the most positive reviews from people who know the most about rice (Japanese, Korean, Chinese folks who consider rice a staple food). It is truly an amazing rice cooker. If you take a modern high efficiency washing machine and apply all the design axioms that make it human compatible to a rice cooker, you get the Zojirushi NS-ZCC10. It does really cool things like let you set multiple timers to start cooking at any time day or night, cancels the timer if you forget to close the cooker; it even plays a different song when it starts, when it's done and when it starts from the timer.
Pre-cooked, frozen chicken strips (Fajita style) (1 serving per Nutritional Information on package)
I got these in the frozen foods section at the grocery. I probably could buy chicken and grill it myself, then freeze it, but I'm more comfortable using the pre-packaged strips because I am more confident that the conditions under which the meat was prepared and cooked will be sanitary than my own kitchen would be. Besides that, they have a nice smokey grilled flavor that I like.
Store brand garden vegetables mix (Half cup serving per Nutritional Information on package)
These are generic frozen vegetables, because vegetables are vegetables to me. They don't taste any different to me if they're organic or GMO, but these happen to be organic (or so it says on the label). They consist of corn, carrots, broccoli and some kind of green beans I forget the name of.
Regular rice (Half japanese cup)
Plain old generic, medium grain rice in the store brand bag.
Half a can of cream of mushroom soup
This is purely for flavor. It acts as a base. I might try other soups or different bases as I get bored with cream of mushroom.
Water
Straight out of the tap.
Putting Together the Ingredients
I tested my recipe last night so that I wouldn't wake up groggy in the morning to a disgusting mess if things went wrong.
I have experimented with different ingredients before, so I know which ingredients can be safely left overnight without spoiling. I intentionally use frozen chicken and vegetables rather than thawing them because they will keep cool in the closed rice cooker overnight without spoiling.
Here's how to put it all together:
When measuring your rice, always use a Japanese rice measuring cup (unless the instructions with your rice cooker indicate otherwise), not an American one. Rice cookers are labelled with water levels that assume a Japanese cup. If you use an American cup your rice will not cook properly and your cooker may boil over.
First I wash the rice. I don't just give it a quick rinse, I wash it thoroughly. I wash my rice by putting it into a tall plasticware container with a snap-on lid with some water and shaking it. I put in water, shake, drain off the water through a sane and repeat until the water runs clear. This is important because if the rice isn't washed thoroughly the bran powder will act as an emollient, which will mess up the chemical balance when other ingredients are added and could cause the cooker to boil over.
I should note here that I've been washing and cooking rice the Japanese traditional way for years, so it's a bit of a ritual for me.
Next I fill the rice cooker pan slightly above halfway to the 1 cup water mark. I have experimented with different amounts of water with my cooker, and I have found that this amount of water works well for regular rice when I am using other wet ingredients. YMMV.
After adding water I add the half cup of rice. I swish the water around so the rice settles down into the water, then I toss in the frozen vegetables. I follow that by dolloping the mushroom soup onto the vegetables, then I place the chicken strips around the perimeter of the other ingredients.
The reason for this order:
Water and rice goes in the bottom because it needs the most heat to cook.
Frozen veggies go next because they need a medium amount of heat to steam.
Soup goes next because it's already cooked and only needs to be warmed up.
Chicken goes around the perimeter because it's already cooked. The perimeter is where the least heat goes, so the chicken will heat up without overcooking.
Finally I put the cooker pan into the rice cooker, close the lid and set the timer for one hour before I wake.
By morning the ingredients are thawed and ready to be cooked and heated up. The rice cooker kicks on an hour before I'm ready for breakfast and I have a warm, delicious meal waiting for me in the rice cooker. The rice cooker will switch from cook to warm automatically when cooking is done and keep the food warm for as long as I want.
If I don't feel like cleaning up I can close the lid and leave the rice cooker messy then clean it when I get home. Since it has a very good non-stick surface it is easy to clean off dried-on ingredients.
The combination of ingredients represents an ideal set of food groups for breakfast including starch, vegetables, protein and essential vitamins and minerals.
This reduces eating breakfast to the simplest of activities: Dumping it into a bowl and stuffing it in my face.
As a result I eat breakfast more consistently and I'm more productive and less malaise during the day.
As a result, I eat breakfast more consistently and I'm more productive during the day.
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Reviews with images
This is a FANTASTIC rice cooker!
This is the longest I've put off reviewing an item, because I wanted to see how it would hold up to regular use over time. I've had it for a few years now, and it still works great! I've had a few disappointing rice cookers in the past (don't get me started on the Cuisine Art one we had) and they were terrible! Hard to use, or made very poorly cooked rice with terrible texture. I was so fed up, I wanted to get a high quality one with good reviews, and I didn't care if it was more pricey if it did the job. Went with the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker, and I haven't regretted it once. We mainly use it for white rice, and it has been used solidly 5+ times a week since we bought it. Turns out rice with consistent texture every time. It isn't difficult to use. My family often leaves rice on warm and it hasn't effected the functionality of the cooker at all, although if you leave it on warm too long (15+ hrs) the rice starts to dry out. It isn't difficult to clean, and none of the labels have rubbed off since we got it. On its fastest setting it can cook up white rice in a little over half an hour, so if I put the rice on when I start cooking it's nearly ready to serve when I'm done. You can cook up a lot of rice in it if you need to, but my family usually only uses 1-3 cups dried rice with it at a time. Honestly I don't have anything particularly bad to say about it, aside from a few experiments with mixed/wild rices that didn't turn out, but otherwise I would say it's been the perfect rice cooker for a rice loving family. The attached picture shows what it looks like now after we've had it for a few years.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2023
Size: 5.5-Cup uncooked rice / 1LVerified Purchase
This is my honest review about the Zorujitsu rice cooker Neuro Fuzzy:
I've had this in my shopping cart for the last year and a half. When my ancient and reliable rice cooker finally conked out, I went ahead and purchased this, without hesitation. I grew up eating jasmine and Basmati rice. It's comfort food. I also love eating porridge on a cold day or when I'm under the weather. I would use organic chicken broth instead of plain filtered water, for flavor, when cooking the porridge. I would then sauté finely chopped finely minced garlic, ginger, and shallot, add that all in, then dunk in fresh lemongrass, during cooking time. No more boiling in a regular pot. Once the porridge is cooked, I'd add shredded rotisserie chicken and a boiled egg, topped with crunchy sauteed garlic. But anyway. So, yes. I had Zorujitsu rice cooker in mind to do both jobs ( cooking plain rice and porridge ), and it performs remarkably.
What I love about this product? Very easy to use. Two---The retractable power cord 🔌. Three--It's a workhorse. It cooks sushi rice, porridge, plain white ( soft or hard ) or brown rice, and mixed rice. Four--- The "Twinkle2 little star" song as it begins to cook, to the grand finale song, Amaryllis, once it's done cooking, are good additions. So adorable. It makes me smile every time.
It's not hefty when lifted, even with cooked rice in it. It came with two measuring cups, one for prewashed rice and one for regular. Either one works really. It comes with a manual with easy to follow instructions and information.
No fuss clean up. The round metal underneath the lid ( inner lid gasket ) can easily be lifted and washed. See photo attached.
Washing--- Pot and inner lid gasket are easy to rinse. You have to use the soft side of a dish sponge to avoid scratching the pot's surface or it'll lose the non-stick coating. Trust me, I learned that from the abuse I've done on my previous rice cookers.
Oh! And no more of that overcooked, crunchy rice underneath 😊
I always wipe dry the sides and inner lid gasket since moisture pools in there, and I would leave the lid open to air-dry. Overall? Though cooking time is an hour's wait for regular rice, I am impressed and happy with this brand.
I've had this in my shopping cart for the last year and a half. When my ancient and reliable rice cooker finally conked out, I went ahead and purchased this, without hesitation. I grew up eating jasmine and Basmati rice. It's comfort food. I also love eating porridge on a cold day or when I'm under the weather. I would use organic chicken broth instead of plain filtered water, for flavor, when cooking the porridge. I would then sauté finely chopped finely minced garlic, ginger, and shallot, add that all in, then dunk in fresh lemongrass, during cooking time. No more boiling in a regular pot. Once the porridge is cooked, I'd add shredded rotisserie chicken and a boiled egg, topped with crunchy sauteed garlic. But anyway. So, yes. I had Zorujitsu rice cooker in mind to do both jobs ( cooking plain rice and porridge ), and it performs remarkably.
What I love about this product? Very easy to use. Two---The retractable power cord 🔌. Three--It's a workhorse. It cooks sushi rice, porridge, plain white ( soft or hard ) or brown rice, and mixed rice. Four--- The "Twinkle2 little star" song as it begins to cook, to the grand finale song, Amaryllis, once it's done cooking, are good additions. So adorable. It makes me smile every time.
It's not hefty when lifted, even with cooked rice in it. It came with two measuring cups, one for prewashed rice and one for regular. Either one works really. It comes with a manual with easy to follow instructions and information.
No fuss clean up. The round metal underneath the lid ( inner lid gasket ) can easily be lifted and washed. See photo attached.
Washing--- Pot and inner lid gasket are easy to rinse. You have to use the soft side of a dish sponge to avoid scratching the pot's surface or it'll lose the non-stick coating. Trust me, I learned that from the abuse I've done on my previous rice cookers.
Oh! And no more of that overcooked, crunchy rice underneath 😊
I always wipe dry the sides and inner lid gasket since moisture pools in there, and I would leave the lid open to air-dry. Overall? Though cooking time is an hour's wait for regular rice, I am impressed and happy with this brand.
Images in this review
Top reviews from other countries
BP
Worth every penny. Quality rice every time.
Reviewed in Canada on April 15, 2024Size: 5.5-Cup uncooked rice / 1LVerified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Great service
Reviewed in Spain on July 3, 2024Size: 5.5-Cup uncooked rice / 1LVerified Purchase
Rob
Customer Service
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2024Size: 5.5-Cup uncooked rice / 1LVerified Purchase
Marianne Nielsen
Funktioniert nur in den USA
Reviewed in Germany on January 3, 2022Size: 5.5-Cup uncooked rice / 1LVerified Purchase
Cecilia Isabel Barrón Hernández
Excelente producto
Reviewed in Mexico on February 26, 2020Size: 5.5-Cup uncooked rice / 1LVerified Purchase
