I have a friend who used to make Oreo cereal for breakfast. She would put five or six Oreos in a mug, roughly break them up with a spoon and add milk. She wasn’t a kid when she did this, either. I have been forbidden to divulge this information to her children!
Recently a woman I work with shared that her son’s grade school offers students a breakfast option. On the menu: Pop Tarts, powdered donuts, goldfish grahams, dried fruit. Because nothing starts a six year old’s day off on the right foot more than a good sugar buzz. I just checked the school district’s website and the menu is even worse than what she reported. I’m trying SO hard not to get sidetracked with this knowledge, because as a taxpayer and former teacher…grrrr.
The effects of a sugar laden breakfast aren’t just reserved for children. We all need nourishing, real food to start our day.
Full disclosure: Back in the day, I would make M&M pancakes for my kids’ birthday breakfasts. And the scary part is that it was a treat because it was more festive than our routine weekend chocolate chip pancakes. So, you see, I can cast no stones.
What do you eat for breakfast?
Mornings can be pretty hectic. During the week everyone is running late for work or school. Saturday and Sunday mornings often have their own busyness. And even though we all know it’s important to start the day with a good breakfast, we often don’t have time, don’t know what to make, or think that it’s better to at least eat something than to skip breakfast all together.
One of my goals for this blog is to stay positive. No shaming or guilting. But sometimes I might have to share just a little bit of bad news. Like the fact that not only is white flour less nutritious than whole wheat flour, it also causes a spike in blood sugar (like refined sugar does) which drops soon after eating, making us feel hungry again. Here’s a short article from Harvard School of Public Health explaining carbohydrates and blood sugar.
I’ve found that eating real food for breakfast, especially if it includes a good bit of protein not only helps keep me from snacking mid-morning, but also puts me in a real food mindset for lunch. And then when I eat a nutritious lunch, I’m less likely to binge in the afternoon, and since I did so well up until then, I might even stay on track for dinner.
I won’t and can’t attempt to give you advice on how to run your morning so you can have more time for breakfast. But I will share a few recipes and ideas that might make it more likely you’ll give your body some good fuel to get your day started.
Keep a stash in the freezer
Three types of breakfast foods I’ve found easy to freeze are muffins, waffles/pancakes, and quiche cups.
Look for muffin recipes that use white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat is still whole wheat, but comes from a different variety of wheat and tends to have a milder flavor than regular, brown whole wheat.
The trickier part is finding muffin recipes that avoid using refined sugar. Pick your battles as you get started. My recipe for Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins uses a combination of white whole wheat flour and oats, but does call for some brown sugar. (I’m currently testing ways to swap out the brown sugar.)
I’ve always frozen our extra pancakes and waffles. Then just pop ’em in the toaster. Now I make white whole wheat pancakes and waffles. (No more M&Ms! But, I do add dark chocolate chips and strawberries for birthdays.) Try whole wheat pancakes from 100 Days of Real Food. Here I’ve made them as waffles. Make a double batch so you can freeze the leftovers. Serve with fruit and/or spread with a little peanut butter, and you’ve got a good, quick breakfast.
Mini-quiche cups are easy to throw together. Eggs, vegetables, maybe some cheese. Pour in greased or foil-lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Eat a couple. Freeze the rest. Reheat in the oven or microwave, but make sure you take them out of the foil before you microwave them!
For creative quiche cup mix-in ideas take a look at this link.
Fresh options to have on hand
Greek yogurt – (plain, unsweetened) add your own fresh or frozen fruit, like blueberries, strawberries, peaches. We like to sprinkle a little granola on top too.
Oatmeal – but not the kind in those little packets. Either allow enough time for the real deal, or try overnight oats which are super easy and all the rage these days. Hurry The Food Up has a quick guide for making overnight oats.
Eggs – scrambled, sunny side up, over easy, poached. There are countless ways to prepare eggs. And most of them can be whipped up and ready before your (whole wheat) toast pops out of the toaster.
The other day I used a handful of a super greens mix from the store to make Garlic and Greens Scrambled Eggs. Sauté the greens and garlic in a little butter, pour in lightly beaten eggs, scramble, add a little salt.
I timed it and this only took 5 minutes and 35 seconds to prepare, start to finish.
Lunch or dinner for breakfast
Who says you can’t have leftovers from dinner for breakfast? Teenage boys are onto something here. (Though you probably don’t want to have that cold pizza to start your day!)
My friend Lisa likes soup any time of the day, anytime of the year. I often have avocado toast for lunch, but last week I ate it for breakfast. You can also top it with scrambled eggs and tomatoes for a major power breakfast.
Your turn
Give your current breakfast choices a second look. Can you switch some of them up for more nourishing, protein rich, veggie and/or fruit containing, low-sugar, whole wheat options? Try it for a week and see how you feel!
