Morning quickies
No, une femme hasn’t lost her sense of propriety. I’m talking about le petit dejeunner! Or specifically, a quick, easy, light and healthy petit dejeunner.
Mornings chez femme run on a tight and unforgiving schedule. Between getting everyone up and ready for school or work, walking dogs, checking e-mail, and perhaps swapping out a handbag at the last minute, it’s far too easy to sail out the door having ingested nothing more than a couple of espresso shots. And then, consequently, too easy to succumb to the coffee cake that a co-worker inevitably brings in, or worse, something from the morning taco truck or the vending machine.
So I’ve been trying to build up my repertoire of really fast, simple breakfasts that include some protein, not too many refined carbs, no sugar, and that will hold me over until lunch. Here are some of my regular go-to breakfasts on the run:
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Toasted thin sandwich round with microwave poached egg and 1 tsp. of mayo (I like these things, not too heavy on the bread)
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Toasted thin sandwich round spread with cottage cheese
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Toasted thin sandwich round spread with 2 tsp. almond butter
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2 slices microwave cooked bacon and a homemade cappuccino
And that’s all I’ve come up with in the last few months. You can see that I’m in a rut here, and desparately need your help. What are some of your favorite quick, easy, and healthy breakfast options?
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I like oatmeal, plain yogurt, and fruit for breakfast. Yogurt never filled me up until I started using the FAGE brand. So I put 8 oz of that on 1/2 cup of microwaved oatmeal (I like Trader Joe’s multifiber mix) and 6-8 oz of fruit. Depending on what kind of fruit I use I sometimes use Stevia or Splenda but you could use sugar or whatever else works for you. I like the plain yogurt so I know I’m not getting High Fructose Corn Syrup.
Works for me and is the fastest breakfast I can make.
I love the Stoneyfield Oikos vanilla green yogurt. It is organic and yummy. I add some walnuts and a little granola and sometimes a tsp of flax seed oil. they yogurt with honey is good also. Oh I also add a handful of fresh blueberries, or bananas. yummy. .http://www.stonyfield.com/oikos/index.jsp
I also sent you a facebook friend request.
Since strawberries have been in season, my go to morning meal has been a slice (or two) of toast spread with a thin layer of cream cheese and topped with halved strawberries. Good with blueberries too. Quick & easy.
When I’m really on the ball, at the beginning of the week I bake eggs + cheese + whatever veggies I have on hand in ramekins. I store them in the fridge, and set one out the night before so it’s at room temperature when I get up. (Can’t stand cold eggs!) Blue cheese and red onion is a favorite, and jack cheese and bell pepper and grape tomatoes are a good combo too.
Dearest Pseu, my daughter is 7 and twin boys are 3, and while husband doesn’t start work until evening, he is barely awake and grouching around while he gets the mass in motion.
My morning standby is Kashi GoLean Crunch, plus any handy fruit. Tasty, quick, and enough protein to hold you until 11 a.m., when I eat the apple and 6 walnuts I packed along. My metabolism is 41 years old and showing it, my gut had two 6.75 lb. babies under it, so I’m fighting hard.
You take care!
p.s. Also check Twisty’s, where she gives a recipe for Liquid Sanctimony. I’ve not tried it, but it’s the best drink name I’ve ever heard.
A mix of half plain, half vanilla yogurt, with some Grape Nut cereal for crunch and a handful of pecans…
I agree with yogurt with a nice crunchy cereal. I usually have either the toasted thins or some double fiber bread with PB and fruit spread. Most days I’m eating breakfast too early to want to have to actually think about it – for me, a breakfast rut is a good thing!
When I want something savory for breakfast, it’s a toasted sandwich round spread with low-fat Laughing Cow cheese, and topped with thinly sliced tomato and Canadian bacon (warmed up in the microwave first — no more than 10 seconds). If you don’t care for LC cheese, you can mix up 1/4 cup of large curd cottage cheese with a shake of Spike and a dash of Tabasco.
On “sweet mornings”, I have a plain Greek yogurt with Agave nectar, fruit (sliced strawberries, blueberries, etc.) and topped with about a half-cup of All Bran plus. Hint: build this one in a biggish bowl, so you can stir it up well without losing the All Bran over the side!
Natural yogurt, raspberries and museli or granola.
Frozen blueberries, banana, and milk in a blender.
PS It is hot here now can I use your garden please xx
This is a great topic for me.
I don’t like starting my day with something really sweet from the coffee shop. A bagel or any egg sandwich is more filling than I want this early.
Usually I have a biscotti and a coffee as the least sweet option. Sometimes I have a croissant, but they are usually huge, and leave me feeling sluggish in an hour.
Wish there were more ‘breakfast cookies’ that weren’t so sickly sweet. Does anyone have a good recipe?
I’m not at all a morning person/eater, so when I’m not WFH I force myself to pack food for a later 8:30 -10 AM eat. Some of which may get eaten on the way there….
Most of the stuff I do has already been listed. Nut butters + hearty wheat bread; yogurt + nuts +/- fruit/cereal/coconut flakes; protein bar + banana.
Since you do eggs maybe some kind of pre-made baked thing would be great for you. [ I do eggs in BAKED GOODS only, ha.] Or the garden [veg] sausage patties +/- whole wheat tortillas.
As you see from the above, nothing too exciting but I need LOTS of good carbs + protein to keep me from starving before lunch. Has to be both.
Personally, I wouldn’t skimp on the complex carbs and you seem to be skimping. IMO, it’s better to eat more earlier and do a lighter, protein + veg-based lunch. My .02, worth price charged….
Will hope others have more interesting advice I can steal!
I love Greek yogurt with seasonal fruit and berries, sprinkled with a lot of toasted hemp/flax/sunflower seeds. I also make a several days’ worth of oat groat or buckwheat porridge (with lemon zest and/or vanilla bean) and warm it up in the microwave. Smoothies are fantastic because you can put the ingredients together the night before, blend, and take them with you. Quinoa porridge (with sweet or savory additions) is super fast to make and very nutritious and filling. You can cook steel cut oatmeal in the microwave at 1/2 power in about 5 to 6 minutes.
My standard breakfast is blueberries (fresh when available, but I freeze huge amounts in the summer), with plain yogurt and sunflower or pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top.
A glass of V-8 juice with a poached egg on toast.
Muesli – easy to make ahead and keeps for a few days in the fridge
I loooove a sweet potato (skin-on, cooked overnight in the Crock Pot) with vanilla yogurt (soy or not) and something crunchy sprinkled over, like chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds. I usually have green tea with it. Very filling.
I automate my breakfast no thinking about variety. (Variety is highly overrated in the am.) Whole grain toast, a little Can’t Believe Its Not Butter, a trace of fruit spread and a piece of fresh fruit for mid-am. snack.
Porridge! boring but soo good porridge most mornings. I set it out the night before and microwave it while I make 2Xkids breakfasts (often scrambled eggs on toast) and make their lunches. If I dont have my porridge I will be snacking at 11- if I have it then I can eat nothing til lunch- no cravings!I should be paid to advertise the stuff as I love it summer and winter. maureen
Oatmeal with yogurt and fruit (often grated apple and cinnamon) in the winter, smoothies with yogurt or soy milk in the summer (+protein powder and frozen fruit – usually blueberries). Occasional change-up: whole wheat English muffin (can be found in Paris now!) with peanut butter. Any of the above keeps me until my 1 pm lunch in the hospital cantine.
Karen in Paris
I like a toasted Thomas’s Bagel Thin with Weight Watchers Cream Cheese. The cream cheese comes in single serving tubs, and tastes better than any other reduced fat cream cheese that I have tried.
Green smoothies — they take like two minutes to prepare, and I dump it into a large Mason jar and drink it (along with all of my supplements) once I get to the office.
1 banana
4-6 oz. plain yogurt
1 tbsp. flax seeds
4 oz. water
1-2 c. fruit (frozen or fresh — pineapple is my favorite)
2-3 handfuls of baby spinach
The spinach is sweet, not bitter or too “veggie” tasting. I love that I get so many servings of fresh produce worked into my day, right off the bat.
Blueberry Smoothie: In blender 1 c. 1% or skim milk, 1 scoop protein powder (designer whey), 1 c. frozen blueberries. Or a bagel thin toasted with low fat cream cheese. Greek yogurt with granola and blueberries.
I am now in process of poaching egg in microwave–I had never thought of that. Could you give your method? There are conflicting methods on the internet.
We make several servings of oat groats and reheat in microwave.
One of my new favorite breakfasts is to put some greek yogurt (it tends to have more protein than regular and cream cheese) on a slice of bread(can be thin sandwich roll), a slice of cucumber, tomato, and either a leaf or two of mint or basil. It’s apparently a traditional lebanese breakfast.
Love reading what everyone else is eating. I tend to go with coffee until noon and then I tell myself that lunch is brunch. It isn’t the smartest plan.
I take a handful of raw unsalted almonds and pulverize them in the blender. To that I add 1 T. Splenda, 12 oz. organic light silken tofu, 12 oz. unsweetened soymilk, and 1 T. vanilla extract; then blend until smooth. It’s fantastic, very filling, and if I have it around 8:00 or so I am not hungry until after noon. BONUS: since I began having these shakes twice a day, my hot flashes have virtually disappeared.
I don’t eat wheat or sugar, so breakfast is a challenge. My favorites: a corn tortilla wrapping up a fried or scrambled egg (cheese and salsa optional); fat-free Greek yogurt mixed with fresh fruit, esp blueberries; leftover rice and veggies scrambled with an egg. When all else fails, I eat a couple pieces of fruit and cross my fingers I don’t become ravenous before lunch.
My current favorite breakfast is muesli (Bob’s Red Mill makes an excellent one) with plain Greek-style yogurt from Trader Joe’s. Also, if I make it the night before, some brown rice with fruit, or a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal.
Old-fashioned oats cook in 5 min. Here’s the kicker: stir in 1 t almond butter per serving to make it a complete protein. Stir well and it melts in. Then add raisins, banana, walnuts, whatever.
P.S. I stopped microwaving food and have felt better ever since.
Steel-cut oats (pinch of salt in the cooking water) cook up in about ten minutes, when ready I toss in a handful each of raisins and raw unsalted pecans, slice in a banana and then douse in about a half-cup of 1% milk.
I also like a variation on a Japanese omelet: 1/2 smallish onion sliced super thin and sauteed for a couple minutes in a little olive oil, add a 1/2 cup leftover brown (or black or red or wild) rice till heated through. Add a couple eggs beaten with a splash of milk (could also be egg whites or one whole egg with a couple whites). This could be either frittata or omelet or scramble, depending on preference. I like mine with Rooster sauce (Sriracha)!
In winter I have porridge (oatmeal) with raisins and almonds; in summer usually yoghurt with fruit. Not really a breakfast person but I force myself …
The night before, cover uncooked oatmeal (old fashioned or quick-cook, though steel cut won’t work) with skim milk, then stir in raisins, craisins, walnuts, or whatever you like. This does not need sugar if you use fruit. Then cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. Delicious on a hot morning, and fills you up right through until lunch! I actually make this in a drinking glass instead of a bowl–optimum soaking action that way.
I make protein-laden smoothies or shakes with one large scoop (18 g )protein powder, fresh water and a banana and some fresh or frozen berries. If I want creaminess, I add a dollop of yogurt…
Lovely blog!
For years now, my breakfast of choice is a protein shake. I mix 1 tsp psyillium husk with 1 cup water & let it set up while I drink my coffee. Then blend that with 1 cup milk (could use yogurt), 4 ice cubes, whey protein powder and a tbsp of almond or peanut butter. It’s easy and quick, I like not having to think too much about it.
I love Blume’s idea about the ramekins, I will do that for lunch or brunch.
two hardboiled eggs (for protein) with a glass of skim milk, followed by a slice of whole grain bread (or a thomas’ 100 calorie muffin, or one of those thin things you’ve got) with cream cheese, crushed walnuts and a bit of raisins or craisins…
Dorset Cereals meusli with fresh blueberries and milk. I searched for a long time for the type of meusli I found in Europe. Dorset is imported from the UK and is made with only whole grains, nuts, and dried fruits. No sugar, honey, cane juice, or other sweeteners, no chemicals, no preservatives. I love it! I get mine at Whole Foods, but you can check out their website to find a place near you that carries it. It is hearty enough to keep me going all morning.
Thanks so much everyone for all of the yummy ideas! I picked up some Greek yogurt on the way home last night, and mixed it up with some berries and a sprinkle or two of Kashi Go Lean. Yum!!! I was still hungry by 10am, but not ravenous. I think I need to increase the portions a bit, only did 4 oz of the yogurt today. That Greek yogurt is really in a class by itself, so creamy and not too tart.
Plain Greek yogurt, blueberries and flax seed and a shot of fish oil on the side. String cheese and a V8 for rushed days. I will also make a veggie frittata and heat it up at work. Sliced Granny Smith apple with cashew butter – – or Flax Seed Peanut Butter from Trader Joe’s – – I think the brand is Valencia. Turkey and sliced cucumber.
Yeah, that’s why I use 8 oz of the yogurt and a half cup of oatmeal w/ the fruit. The result is very filling and keeps me going for 5-6 hours solid.
I like those sandwich rounds with a hamburger! For breakfast, I prefer cereal, and yoghurt, fruit, and granola for lunch.
I like to do a micro scrambled egg on a piece of dry toast. To make the egg, whisk til fluffy in a DEEP, small bowl. Add a drop or two of water and whisk again. pop in the micro one minute for one egg, one minute twenty seconds for two eggs.
Dear Ms. Pseu: never forget the avocado–loaded with good omegas and deliciously rich, also a good source of protein. A piece of toast or flatbread with sliced avocado and a maybe some part skim mozzarella grated and grilled on top and yum. And half a medium avocado is no more calorically than two boiled eggs.It’s good just on its own too.I sometimes have half an avocado for breakfast, and it really holds me till lunch.
I lived in Turkey for some years and the standard breakfast is set up on a tray, filled with 6 little dishes containing honey, olives, tomato, cucumber, sliced cold meat and feta cheese. Everything is sliced already and all you do is take the tray out of the fridge, make some toast with tea/coffee and eat. When done replace tray in fridge. Kids can snack from this as well before supper. Weekends eggs are added with a special ‘bagel’ type bread instead of toast. While you are making supper in the evening, you refill your breakfast tray.