Beyond the Bagel — Moving Breakfast
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Moving is always hard. Moving in New York City is harder. The real estate game is hyper competitive and frenzied, and one rarely ends up with more than a month (often much less) to whittle down, then gather up belongings before handing over the keys.
As my family and I packed up our apartment to move over the last few weeks, I thought often (perhaps strangely often) of the ancient Israelites. Forty years spent wandering through the desert in a perpetual state of motion makes even a New York City move seem simple. How did they keep track of their belongings as they schlepped across the sand? At least, thanks to the manna God provided, they had breakfast covered.
In Brooklyn, our moving breakfasts looked pretty bleak. Pancakes and eggs are too time consuming when you are packing against a deadline. My usual fare of toast was out the second the toaster got tucked into a box. And cereal just did not keep me energized enough to get the work done.
My solution? Yogurt bowls: a scoop of plain yogurt swirled with maple syrup and rich tahini, then topped with blueberries, raspberries, sliced almonds. The tahini and nuts made it both satisfying and filling. And the maple syrup and summer berries added sweetness with no chopping and minimal stirring required. Breakfast was ready in less than a minute, which left us more time to wrap up our Shabbat candlesticks and decide which furniture we should part with.
We are settled now into our new apartment, but the yogurt bowls have stuck around. Turns out, they are equally delicious for a leisurely breakfast as a hurried one.
A Yogurt Bowl for Moving
Serves 1
Plain yogurt
Pure maple syrup
Tahini
Blueberries
Raspberries
Sliced almonds
1) Dollop desired amount of yogurt into a bowl; add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup and tahini and stir to combine.
2) Top with blueberries, raspberries, and sliced almonds. Drizzle with additional maple syrup if desired.
Leah Koenig is a contributing editor at the Forward and author of “,” Chronicle Books (2015).
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