I hate breakfast food.
I don't have time for breakfast.
I'm sick of cereal and oatmeal, so I just skip breakfast.
Sound familiar? We can come up with any number of reasons to skip the most important meal of the day (Yes, your mom was right!) Often, it comes down to time (or lack thereof) and food boredom.
Yet it's vital to fuel up first thing in the day - not only to kick your metabolism into gear, but to prevent overeating at lunch or grabbing that office donut mid-morning. Not to mention the fact that a Badass running on low fuel will perform like a car about to run out of gas. Yep, weak breakfast leads to Weak-Ass Workout.
The solution: Rethink the way you think of breakfast. It does not have to be oatmeal, cereal or eggs and toast. And there are more toppings for English muffins than butter and jelly. Here are five ways to shake up your first meal of the day:
1. Quinoa instead of oatmeal: Who says quinoa is just for lunch and dinner? As grains go, quinoa is superior - boasting lots of fiber and double the protein than brown rice or couscous. One cup cooked has 8 grams of protein and is loaded with magnesium, zinc, vitamin E and selenium - all of which control weight and help prevent heart disease and diabetes. So how about a cinnamon-honey-nut quinoa bowl instead of oatmeal?
- 1 cup vanilla or unsweetened almond milk (low fat or soy milk works, too)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups fresh blackberries, blueberries or raspberries
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 4 teaspoons organic agave nectar or honey
Directions: Combine milk, water and quinoa in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat; let stand covered 5 minutes. Stir in blackberries and cinnamon; transfer to four bowls and top with pecans. Drizzle 1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar over each serving. Serves 4.
2. Low-fat cottage cheese instead of yogurt (casein): Just because it's more salty than sweet, doesn't mean you have to limit it to lunch and dinner. Cottage cheese is high in protein, specifically casein protein which digests slower and hence keeps you full longer. It's low in fat and can easily be substituted for regular or Greek yogurt. Take cottage cheese and mix it with cinnamon, a little honey or agave nectar and fresh berries or apples, and you have a breakfast with the right blend of protein and low-glycemic carbs to keep you full for a few hours.
3. Wrap it, like it's lunch: Sick of scrambled eggs? Wrap 'em up. A great breakfast on the go is a low-fat whole wheat tortilla filled with scrambled eggs or egg whites, turkey sausage or leftover diced chicken, salsa, and a sprinkle of low-fat cheese.
4. If it looks like dessert and tastes like dessert...maybe it's breakfast: One of my favorite "breakfast" treats is a parfait that passes for dessert. I mix 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt with one scoop of chocolate protein powder (pudding!). I layer the pudding with fresh berries and a tablespoon per layer of crushed graham crackers. AMAZING! And under 350 calories.
5. Pizza, hold the delivery: The college days of leftover cold pizza for breakfast are over, but why not make a healthier version? Toast a whole wheat english muffin. Top it with salsa, turkey sausage or turkey pepperoni and sprinkle on skim milk mozzarella, feta or goat cheese and a little grated romano. Broil it or pop it in the toaster oven until it's melted and bubbly. It's cheaper than Pizza Hut, and less than 400 calories.
Coming Friday: Surprise! You have 69 free hours every week...so what are you doing with them?
