Ah, hello my loyal reader(s?), it's certainly been awhile. This is not because I've been busy, but instead because I've been lazy and in the heat of summer / desire to do other things on my weekends, have not been cooking nearly as much as I would like. Because of this I've also gained back any weight that had been lost. Now that it is fall again (and my clothes from last year do not fit...) I'm back into the healthy cooking/eating mode!
I've never been a fan of breakfast. When I was younger I would just skip breakfast, but slowly over the years my habits have changed and now I can't possibly make it to lunch without eating something first. Unfortunately, because I am NOT a morning person I don't have time to make and eat breakfast at home before leaving for work. I'm lucky if I get up with enough time to take the dog out and give him his breakfast! Because of this, the easiest thing to do is stop on the way to work (or go to the work cafeteria) and get a bagel. Now, I LOVE bagels, but unfortunately if I have one more bagel my pants will most definitely not zip.
So, I'm getting creative. Breakfast items that can be made the night before and packed for work and eaten at my desk. Below are some of the breakfast recipes I've been playing around with lately. I have a habit of finding something I like and eating it every day until I get sick of it, so instead I'm trying to find a few things I like and rotate them so I don't get tired of them!
Greek yogurt with peanut butter and jelly
I'm pretty obsessed with this lately. It's so easy, transportable and filling! I buy a big container of the Chiobani fat free plain yogurt and portion out 3/4 of a cup (on the container it says 1 cup is the serving, but when you buy the small, individually portioned container it's 6 ounces, so I'm going with that as serving). I then add 2 tablespoons of Better'n Peanut Butter which is amazing. It has 85% less fat and 40% less calories than regular peanut butter. The only difference I find between the two is that the Better'n Peanut Butter is a little thinner in consistency and slightly sweeter in taste (coincidentally this is a good thing for this recipe). I also add in 1 tablespoon of sugar free raspberry jelly. You could eat it just like this and it would be delicious, but I need a little crunch for texture, so I add 3/4 cup of the 80-calorie Fiber One cereal and it's awesome. For the whole thing it comes out to 6 weight watcher points and you'll be full for hours! (Note: if preparing this ahead of time, don't mix the cereal into the yogurt - it gets soggy. Pack a little baggy of pre-portioned cereal and add it at meal time).
Quinoa with roasted apples
This is one of those recipes that's easy to prepare ahead of time and portion out for work, but would also be great to make and eat on a weekend morning. I found the recipe on the Weight Watchers website and altered it a bit to fit my taste. To make, just melt 2 teaspoons of butter in a skillet and add chopped fresh apples (peeled and cored) and a cinnamon stick. Wait for the apples to get soft and begin to caramelize (takes me about 10 minutes). While that's happening, add 1/2 cup quinoa and a cup of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Once the quinoa is done, add cinnamon, brown sugar and milk (I use about 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and about 2 tablespoons of skim milk, but you can change this depending on your taste), and then fold in the apples. I get between 2 and 3 servings from this (which comes to about 5-6 points each depending how many servings you get), but you could play around with it to make more / less. When I bring it to work I portion it out into a small container and then at work add a little water and heat it up for a minute and a half. Stir and enjoy!
Puffins with blueberries
This is obviously super easy. I love the peanut butter puffins that I get at Trader Joes. Just mix 3/4 cup of puffins with 1/2 cup of milk and a handful of blueberries, couldn't be easier!
Oatmeal with banana
I buy the pre-packaged oatmeal (I like BetterOats - Oat Revolution, old fashioned oatmeal with flax). I get the maple & brown sugar variety, but they have others as well. I keep it in my drawer at work in case I didn't bring anything else for breakfast so that I'm not tempted to go to the cafeteria and get A BAGEL. It actually takes more time to go to the cafeteria, order a bagel, have them make it and get back to my desk then to just empty a packet of the oatmeal, add water and microwave. I then slice up a banana and throw it in. Whole meal for 4 points!
So, even though I love my breakfast carbs (bagels, pancakes, french toast, etc) and DO NOT like eggs (which is what's made healthy breakfasts tricky for me), I've found other options to make for myself that are more well-balanced and provide me with more energy than just a bagel :)
