You don’t need me to tell you to eat breakfast. You’ve heard it a million times. I’ve told you before that eating a snack or breakfast within an hour of waking up is important to kick start your metabolism, which has been in rest-mode while you’ve been recharging with some shut-eye. You’ve also heard that people who eat breakfast maintain healthier weights than those who do not. Of course you know that people who are regular breakfast eaters perform better at school, work and play. You get a gold star if you eat breakfast even though you are not hungry when you wake up, or if you don’t have any time or if you don’t care for breakfast foods. Still, breakfast is the one meal that can feel less than inspired. In effort to add some excitement into your morning food routine, I thought I’d give you some techniques to nudge you in a new direction.

Easy Inspired Eggs

• ·         Spray the inside of a ramekin with cooking spray and crack in an egg. Zap in the microwave for 2 minutes and voila! If you have leftover vegetables from dinner, toss them into the microwave at the same time on a separate plate and splash with a little Tobasco sauce. Delish!
• ·         On Sunday night, pull out your 8 x 8 pan that you usually reserve for brownies. Spray it down with cooking spray and pour in a dozen eggs, scrambled with a little water or milk. Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes. Let it cool and cut it into 9 pieces. When you wake up, take a piece out of the refrigerator and put it on a plate. Get showered, dressed and ready – it takes about 20 minutes to come to room temperature and requires no additional heating. Pair it with a cup of fruit sprinkled with a tablespoon of flax seed meal and you are good to go. The best part is that this simple recipe makes 9 servings, so you can feed a family easily.
• ·         Make a bunch of hard boiled eggs over the weekend. Put your eggs in a pot and just cover them with water. Bring the water to boil on high heat. When the water boils, turn off the burner and leave the eggs in the water for 10 minutes. Take them out of the water and peel them under running cool water. When you are ready to eat them, they’re ready to go, so make them interesting. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on a high fiber cracker such as GG or Wasa. Top with your hardboiled egg and favorite seasoning (paprika, wasabi, cayenne) or fresh herbs.

Dairy, sans the milk and yogurt

• ·         Getting tired of the same yogurt? Substitute the yogurt with part skim ricotta cheese or low fat cottage cheese. You can go in a savory direction by adding leftover steamed or sautéed vegetables and tossing it in the microwave. You can make it sweet with a quick grind of cinnamon or cocoa powder and a drizzle of agave – serve with melon for a delicious start to your day. Or, you can use the ricotta as a condiment by topping a slice of high fiber toast with a tablespoon of nut butter and a tablespoon of ricotta. Yum.
• ·         While technically Kefir is yogurt, it is not as mainstream in America. It is tangier and more tart than the average smoothie or yogurt drink and can feel really exotic. Have a cup of Kefir with a ½ cup of steel cut oats cooked in water and 10 almonds. The whole breakfast will take minutes to prepare, but will keep you satisfied without feeling too full. I think that’s what I’ll have for breakfast tomorrow.

Whole Grain Goodness

• ·         Muesli is a really misunderstood food. People really never know what to do with it, but it is delicious, so I’ll make it easy for you. Take ½ cup of whole oats and whatever you think would be yummy with oatmeal (flax, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, etc.) and add a couple of teaspoons to the oats. Mix with ¼ cup of milk or yogurt and toss into the refrigerator overnight. In the morning it is ready to go. It is delicious with berries or a little bit of honey.
• ·         Instead of oatmeal, make a bowl of hot quinoa, spelt or faro – make it just as you would make oatmeal, but use the 2:1 liquid:grain ratio that you would for rice; you can use water or milk as your liquid. Stir it until it boils and comes to your desired consistency. For added boost, toss in some flax seed meal, chia seeds or hemp. A dollop of yogurt on top makes it really satisfying.  

I hope you try one of these strategies and find inspiration in your morning at the bottom of your breakfast dish. Cheers!

Posted on: Aug 22, 2012

Tags: breakfast, cereals, eggs, on-the-go, quick meals, whole grain