Healthy Breakfast Ideas

You get up in the morning, you rush to get ready for work, you rush out the door without a breakfast. Perhaps you grab a piece of toast, bagel and cream cheese, perhaps a muffin, perhaps an Egg McMuffin. If you’re lucky, you a hearty breakfast of whole wheat pancakes, Canadian bacon, and eggs.

This means that you start the day with an empty stomach. That means that by the time you are getting into the swing of work, your blood-sugar levels are dangerously low. The result: you need an instant sugar fix, which usually means a donut or pastry or some other unhealthy choice.

But how do you find the time?
You make the time. Get up 15 minutes earlier. Pack something to eat on the road or when you first get to work. Prepare it the night before if necessary. I recommend the first option — waking a little earlier — as it’s nice to be able to have a nice cup of tea or coffee with your breakfast, relaxing before the rush of the day starts. Here are some options for you.

Oatmeal, flaxseed, blueberries & almonds. Steel-cut oatmeal is probably the healthier choice. You can also serve hot cereals made of wheat. Add ground flaxseed, frozen blueberries, sliced almonds. You can add a little cinnamon and honey (not a lot). That’s four foods, full of fiber and nutrients and protein and good fats, with only a couple of minutes of prep time.

2 eggs, potatoes, Canadian Bacon (Do not serve toast if you choose potatoes).

Granola You can make your own. Ask Kathy Beachy for her favorite recipes. Actually, any whole-grain, high-fiber cereal is a good choice. It has a high amount of protein and fiber, low sugar. Add low-fat milk or soy milk (which has 1/3 the saturated fat of 1% milk), perhaps some berries if you like.

Fresh berries, yogurt, granola. Get low-fat yogurt (not non-fat, as it often has too much sugar) or soy yogurt, cut up some berries or other fruits, add some healthy cereal. I actually use the Kashi Golean Crunch instead of granola, as many brands of granola have way too much fat and/or sugar.

Weight Watchers Breakfast Place one slice of whole wheat bread on a platter. Top with ½ cup cottage cheese. Slice apples very fine and place ½ apple on top of the cottage cheese. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Microwave for approximately 1 minute. Let set a little and serve warm.

Banana split Split a banana and put ½ cup of plain yogurt on top and sprinkle with a little granola. Drizzle maple syrup over the top.

Protein shake with extras. Metagenics has the BEST Ultra Meal protein drink. Blend up with iced water or low-fat milk or soy milk, some frozen sour cherries, strawberries and banana. That may sound weird, but it’s actually pretty good, and pretty filling. I have lots of shake recipes if you decide to go with a protein shake for breakfast. Email me and ask at carolmil@verizon.net

Omelettes. I’m a fan of eggs. Limit yourself to 6 whole eggs a week. There is no limit to egg whites, because they contain all protein. The yolk contains the fat. My favorite is an omelette with fresh spinach and crumbled feta cheese. For a variation, add fresh tomatoes. Egg whites are healthier than whole eggs. Scramble with a little olive oil, red and green bell peppers, maybe broccoli, onions, black pepper. Goes well with whole-wheat toast.

Cottage cheese and Cantaloupe. ¼ to ½ cantaloupe served with 1 cup of cottage cheese is a wonderful breakfast.

Whole wheat Bran Muffins or Oat Bran Muffins. While most muffins you buy at a coffee shop or grocery store are just empty carbs with lots of fat (basically, cake), mine have lots of fiber and nutrition. Bake them the night before, and they’re perfect in the morning (and for days to come). Some dark chocolate chips added to the muffins makes them perfect. Ask for the recipe if you don't have it already.