The Breakfast Club

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog so far! Honestly, I was hesitant about starting this blog, but now I am certain that I made the right choice I am loving the feed back! Please feel free to leave your comments. What I adore about my readers so far is that they vary from crazy health nuts like me, to those who want to start making a couple of changes in their diet and life style. There are even those readers who think I’m crazy, but read because they love me! No matter who you are, I am so excited that you are reading, and I just want you to feel your very best!!

My original plan was to move on to a whole new topic. However, my friend D told me about how he was trying some different breakfast ideas lately, and my cousin M and I were talking about how she is looking for some new breakfast ideas as well! So why not continue talking about breakfast! It is the most important meal of the day!

For all of my coffee and tea drinkers out there, do not be ashamed! There is nothing wrong with either of these beverages! However, any caffeinated drinks (as well as alcoholic drinks) are dehydrating. The solution? Figure out how much coffee or caffeinated tea you drink in the morning (and throughout the day) and drink 1 ½ to 2 times the same amount of water! By the way, has anyone tried fresh lemon water in the morning yet?

So there is a theory about breakfast that I like to follow. When you start off the day with something super sweet, you are going to crave sweet foods all day. This (among many other reasons) is why it is so important not to go on a sugar rampage first thing in the morning!

For all of the cereal fans!

Try to find a cereal that contains under (or close to) 7 grams of sugar, fiber, and protein. Does anyone have any favorites that they can recommend?

If you are bored with you plain old cereal and milk…

-Try adding in some fresh fruit!

-Instead of plain milk, make your morning smoothie, pour it into a bowl, and top it off with your cereal! It may sound weird, but give it a try!

-Create a morning parfait! Use one cup of plain yogurt and if you need to, add no more then 1 tbs of pure maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey. (Some great natural sweeteners!) Add some fresh fruit and your favorite cereal!

To make your parfait even more delicious (and nutritious!) use plain greek yogurt! Has anyone tried it? I am a HUGE fan of greek yogurt. Because the liquid has been drained out of it, greek yogurt is super thick and creamy. Plus it is packed with protein! The only down side of greek yogurt is that it is more expensive then regular yogurt. My suggestion? Mix ½ cup regular yogurt with ½ cup of greek yogurt! Your yogurt will still be thicker, creamy, and have more protein then regular yogurt. And you can make your greek yogurt last twice as long!

For the oatmeal lovers!

Oatmeal is an amazing breakfast! In the winter, it is a must before my morning work outs. Oatmeal is packed with fiber and protein, which we all know by now is the perfect combination! However, oatmeal can get boring. So check out some of my ideas!

-add one whole grated apple, cinnamon, and 1 Tbs of walnuts or almonds

-mix in ½ cup pumpkin puree, and add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice

-1 Tbs of peanut or almond butter, and one diced or mashed banana

-try adding some cocoa powder! Unsweetened cocoa powder has very few calories (and a lot of flavor!), so it can be combined with any thing you can think of! Try 1 Tbs of peanut butter and strawberries or bananas!

-Just like my smoothie and cereal idea above, try adding some of your smoothie into your oatmeal!

-keep it simple with some regular or greek yogurt, and fresh fruit!

*NOTE: You can add 1Tbs of a natural sweetener (only if needed) to any of these combinations!

Are you an oatmeal lover who is sick of oatmeal? Try some quinoa in the morning! Rinse ¼ cup of quinoa and it to ¾ cup boiling water and let it simmer until the water is absorbed. Add your choice of mix-ins!

Toast

-Don’t be afraid to try my plain yogurt and cinnamon combo on top of your toast! You might like it!

-My friend K had an awesome breakfast idea. She loves to top off her toast with almond butter and fresh sliced strawberries! You can also try a banana, and add some cinnamon for a nice kick!

-Don’t forget about eggs! Try scrambling two eggs with some veggies and a little cheese, place it between two pieces of 100% whole wheat bread! You can even try spreading mustard, or salsa on the bread for some more flavor!

-You could even make a 2 egg veggie omelet, and have your toast on the side!

– Who said you even have to stick to standard breakfast foods? Make a sandwich with either tuna, turkey, chicken, or even salmon! Add some veggies (salad greens, tomatoes, onion..), and smear on some hummus or avocado!

*NOTE: If you are just starting to add whole grains into your diet, and aren’t ready for the hardy taste of 100% whole wheat bread, find a bread that is made with only half whole wheat flour. (Usually, W.W. bread that does not say “100% whole wheat” is not made with all W.W. flour. Check out the ingredients!) This will help you adjust to the taste of whole wheat bread, and you will be craving 100% whole wheat in no time!

Well I have about 100 more breakfast ideas rolling around in my brain, and about a million other thoughts that I am so excited to blog about. Would you like a preview? *Healthy desserts, natural sweeteners, homemade sports drinks, K’s “No-Jitos”, the good fats, what to buy organic, re-vamping your salad* As usual, I could go on, and on! Again, I loveeee to hear your feed back, as well as your own breakfast ideas! Love you for reading. Keep on following me!

Peace.Love.Nutrition

♥ C