Light & Easy Breakfasts
I sound like such a dietitian saying this, but breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. It doesn’t have to be a large and complicated meal, but you do want to get a balance of nutrients from some simple and healthy ingredients (no toaster pastries, please!).
Here are some quick and easy ideas to start your day with.
“I Don’t Have Time…” “I’m not hungry in the morning…”
Beginning your day with something to eat revs up your metabolism and gives you energy. Eating breakfast also helps you spread out your calories through the day, which helps avoid overeating in the afternoon and evening. If you don’t consider yourself a breakfast person, start out with something small — a piece of fruit or a non-fat yogurt. Within a few days, you’ll wonder how you ever made it through the morning without it. Breakfast doesn’t have to be fancy. You DO have time for something!
Grab & Go
Look no further than your pantry and kitchen counter for a quick and easy breakfast. Here are four simple ideas that don’t require refrigeration so you can pack them in advance:
- Granola bar and an apple
- 1/2 peanut butter and jelly sandwich
- A handful of almonds and a banana
- Dried fruit and 5 or 6 whole wheat crackers
No Cooking Required
Whip up a smoothie; my favorite lately is frozen blueberries, 1/2 a banana, orange juice and some low-fat vanilla yogurt. Build an easy and delicious parfaits with yogurt or ricotta cheese and some fresh seasonal fruit. You can never go wrong with a bowl of whole grain cereal; some good brands are Barbara’s, Kashi and Nature’s Path — add some fresh or dried fruit for some extra vitamins and fiber.
Warm & Satisfying
Cook up a healthy breakfast in less than 10 minutes. Try preparing oatmeal on the stovetop or in the microwave. Go for the unsweetened kinds (flavored varieties have tons of sugar) and cook in water or skim milk. Make your own oatmeal flavors by adding fruit, nuts, cinnamon and a drizzle of honey, maple syrup or one of these other natural sweeteners. Eggs are another healthy and fast option. Scramble up one or two, grab some whole grain toast and make a handy egg sandwich or breakfast burrito. Plan ahead and bake a batch of muffins. You can store them in the freezer and transfer to the microwave when you’re in the mood for something freshly baked.
- Quick & Easy Breakfast Recipes:
- Yogurt and Fruit Parfaits
- Balsamic Strawberries with Ricotta Cream
- Banana-Walnut Oatmeal
- Healthy Breakfast Sandwich (shown above)
- Scrambled Egg Burritos
- Chunky Banana Bran Muffins
Hard boiled eggs are a geat staple to have on hand in the refrigerator. I boil up a dozen every Sunday and then my husband and I can grab one on our way out the door (along with a granola bar and a piece of fruit). Protein in the morning is fantastic!
Protein in the a.m. really helps!
I have an egg and egg white (scrambled), with a piece of turkey bacon, salsa and a light whole wheat english muffin (cut in half). It only takes a few mins to cook, and I’m on my way!
My standard is an English muffin with cheese and canadian bacon.
Canadian bacon is phenomenally low-fat, but packs protein, as does the cheese. We choose whole-wheat English muffins for fiber. (Don’t get tricked by brands that say “Multigrain with whole wheat.” They have little nutrition compared to the 100 percent whole wheat ones.)
Knocking out two of those in a toaster oven takes so little time but gives good nutrition with suprisingly little fat and calories.
One my favorites that my fiancee taught me was a poached egg on whole wheat toast and (if your cholesterol isn’t too bad) some cheese.. It’s quick, easy, and healthy.
I dont have time – that comment reflects that of many. It is quite ironical that we dont have time for perhaps the most important meal of the day. Many do not know that there are many breakfasts that require just a few minutes of coking – sometimes just mix or taking 30 min like Scrambled Egg Burritos.
When you are trying to loose weight and be healthy, you need to eat better . . . but you don’t need to eat rice cakes and celery either. I am not a breakfast person, I would rather reheat last night’s dinner. However, when I do need a good “quick breakfast” I love doing an open face sliced thin hard boiled (or poached) egg on bread with melted colby cheese on top. You can use an English muffin (which they have in wheat now) or regular bread, and the colby cheese is less fat than cheddar (although I always prefer cheddar). Add a little mustard on the bread and fat free mayo – and you’re good to go!
I have high cholesterol so I work on that by making a batch of low fat oat bran muffins and freezing them. I heat one each morning for 30 seconds in the microwave, split it, spread each half with about 1/2 tablespoon of Smart Balance Omega chunky peanut butter, and microwave it for 10 more seconds. That and an orange or tangerine makes a delicious breakfast that fills me up and stays with me.
I have made the “Healthy Breakfast Sandwich” shown above several times this week – and it is great. Quick, easy, minimal prep – what a deal. I use whatever fresh herbs I have on hand to pep up the eggs. I omitted the tomatoe after I tried a sandwich with it – our tomatoes are not in season and are mushy and mealy. Overall, great recipe.
We love an egg omelet that we fix. I steam fresh spinach in the microwage for approximately 1 minute (just until it wilts) top it with a scrambled enriched egg and steamed leftover veges. Microwave it until the egg is set up. Then, top it lightly with shredded parmesan. I frequently add any herb or herb blends that I have handy. This is done in a less than 10 minutes and requires little salt. Serve this with a slice of whole wheat toast and sliced tomatoes and you have a hearty, healthy meal.
My breakfast in a hurry is one piece of whole wheat bread toast with chuncky almond butter, sprinkle on cinnamon, add 1/2 sliced bananna and pour juice and I’m out the door with it to have on my way to work, when I’m short on time.
I, too, boil a dozen eggs on Sunday so my husband and I can “grab and go” during the week. I put a tad of salt, pepper and paprika in a ziploc baggie and place one egg in the baggie. Give it a little shake and it’s yummy! I also grab a yogurt out of the frige. It keeps me full until my mid-morning snack!
Pre-portioned granola by Back to Nature and some Greek yogurt (I use Greek because it is low in sugar) works great if you are in a big rush! One of my favorites is veggie sausage and egg sandwich on 100% whole wheat english muffin. Microwave the the veggie sausage patty for 30 seconds and poke an egg while its cooking in the pan so that it can cook all the way through without running.
Oroweat has a double fiber English muffin. Toast it. Scramble some eggbeaters. Layer the muffin with a slice of non-fat American cheese, a slice of deli turkey, the scrambled eggbeaters, a couple of slices of avocado and top it with salsa. Nutritious, low cal, healthy and, best of all, tastes great and is filling.
Sam’s carries an organic ‘Flax Plus, Pumpkin Raisin Crunch’ cereal. At night I pour some fat free milk into a tupperware bowl to carry to work. When I have a few free minutes in the morning, I have this heart healthy, high fiber cereal. I keep a box at my desk and this keeps me going until lunch.
I am not a working person(outside the house) but would rather save my eating for lunch time. I am not a breadfast person.I don’t pig out or anything. Is this really bad?I eat tender white popcorn and an apple for supper if I eat.
my potential son is a police officer, a football player,a great father,an even better boyfriend(soon to be husband).He absolutely loves the veggie wraps, scrambed eggs with veggies,a little cheese with fresh fruit.If the O course is required that day,maybe a piece of high protein meat.
The healthy breakfast sandwich is very yummy, I am a vegetarian, so I add a little smoked cheddar instead of bacon.
I’d like to add,
“I am not a working person(outside the house) but would rather save my eating for lunch time. I am not a breaDfast person.I don’t pig out or anything. Is this really bad?I eat tender white popcorn and an apple for supper if I eat.”
Whoever wrote this is pretty silly. “I eat tender white popcorn and an apple for supper if I eat”…IF you eat? Why are you looking for breakfast recipes when thats what you eat all day? It seems like even people with eating disorders get cravings for egg sammys sometimes, even if they fear them.
I microwave 2 turkey sausage patties and sort of shred them. Add a low fat wedge of Laughing Cow and an beaten egg-microwave & stir every 30 seconds until done. Spread on whole wheat English muffin. My husband calls them wife-McMuffins!
Alot of you have the whole wheat right, but, there is so much salt in all foods that have been mentioned. Bacon, bacon, bacon, turkey bacon, canadian bacon, cheese, whole eggs. Really take a hard look at ingredients on packaging. You’re eating your way to high blood pressure, high cholestrol. Start eating right now. Have that whole wheat english muffin but eat fruit with it. leave out the canadian bacon and cheese.
I recommend plain Fage yogurt (an amazing Greek yogurt) with a sliced banana and a sprinkling of almonds. So yummy and really healthy. For a breakfast sandwich, I like to scramble an egg with onions (no cheese and def no bacon) and put it on a whole wheat English muffin with a little mustard. Delicious!
Fastest way…place the muffins open-faced in the toaster oven with a canadian bacon and tomatoe on one side and cheese on another…set it to 5 minutes. Meanwhile put one egg in a rammekin, pop it in the microwave for 32 seconds and whalla…done. I eat mine in the car, hehe.
Just about every morning I have the same fast yet satisfying breakfast: 1-2 eggs, cooked over-easy in extra-virgin olive oil spray, with either 1/2 whole wheat english muffin or a piece of dry rye toast to dip in the yolk, served with a fruit side. I prefer 1/2 an orange, 1/2 a kiwi or berries. I like salt on my eggs, but instead of using table salt during cooking (which soaks into the eggs and you end up using too much in the end), I grind a minimal amount of sea salt over the eggs after cooking, along with a good crunch of freshly ground peppercorns. Eggs everyday makes your hair look great!
Teri, your comment on removing the protein in breakfast (eggs, canadian bacon, etc) would make it less satisfying and probably promote unhealthy eating out of mid-morning hunger. Eggs themselves do not carry a ton of salt – it’s our own addition of salt. I like eggs plain, myself (hardboiled without any seasonings is delicious.) So only eating carbs, in other words, would not hold most people off until lunch. Just a word to the wise, although fruit and an english muffin are deffinatley healthy foods
I make a smoothie every morning for myself and my husband. 2 ice cubes, 1 banana, 2 tbls wheat germ and 2 cans of slimfast in the blender. Using chocolate, vanilla or coffee all taste good with bananas and it really keeps us satisfied until lunch.
I make an oatmeal?quinoa cereal by cooking 2/3cups oatmeal, 1/3 cup quinoa, and 1 2/3 cups water and cooking until tender. This makes enough for 4 breakfasts . Each day I take 1/4 of it and mix in wheat germ, whey protein, and ground flax seed ( I keep these 3 already mixed in a container in the frig ) and cinnamon to taste. I add Splenda and water as needed. Sounds complicated but I only cook the base every 4 days, and the preparation the other days takes no time.
According to a Oprah program with Dr. Oz we are better to have real lean bacon over turkey bacon. Just info, I was surprised.
Linda
Hi Linda – I also saw that episode of Oprah and I must say it was a little bit misleading. The regular bacon they mentioned was "healthier" because it was lower in sodium. I have seen some brands of turkey bacon that are lower in sodium, calories and fat than regular pork bacon so it's always worth checking the labels on individual products to make sure you're making the healthiest choice.