# Healthy breakfast ideas



## biev (Mar 5, 2006)

My problem with breakfast is that it's easy to skip it... so I make sure to always cook something that we like, but we end up eating lots of eggs and bacon/sausage, or sweets. I need to think of things that are yummy enough to be devoured in the morning, but not so rich. I'm on a tight budget, but I try to make us something different every day. Any ideas?


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## pdswife (Mar 5, 2006)

sliced fruit and toast?


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## kitchenelf (Mar 5, 2006)

I like poached eggs and 12-grain bread.

I was going to suggest a homemade Egg McMuffin - just don't know how inexpensive that would be though.

I get a saute pan of water heating.  Spray a little white ramekin with cooking spray and drop in an egg.  Place in water bath - put a lid on - let cook about 10 minutes or so - you can tell when the egg is done.

Toast whole wheat English muffins, add a slice of Canadian bacon (not high in fat at all), add your egg and eat.  An Egg McMuffin has a slice of cheese so if I want one I will use 2% cheese - but most times I leave the cheese off.  It's very filling!  You can also leave off the Canadian bacon - just do an egg and English muffin.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 5, 2006)

Oatmeal would also be another good option.

In order to get "full" I always think well-balanced (some kind of carb and protein combined).  Take about 1/2 a cup of low fat cottage cheese and mix with 1/2 cup of fat free yogurt (strawberry, lime, vanilla) - just mix and eat.  You have your cottage cheese and something a little sweet.  It stays with you too.


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## Debbie (Mar 5, 2006)

oatmeal
cream of wheat

ever take a piece of bread.. pinch out the center just about inch or 2 circle.. butter both sides, then fry an egg in the center.. ( flip just like an egg -- both sides need to be cooked)  my mom used to call that egg in a hole, we had it on every Thursday

crepes are VERY easy to make in the morning... cause you make the batter the night before, so they are ready to fry in the morning... fill full of fruit...  like sliced cooked apples with cinnamon is very good!


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## kitchenelf (Mar 5, 2006)

Egg in a hole - yum!  We still eat those.


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## grumblebee (Mar 5, 2006)

A really simple, delicious and healthy breakfast is cottage cheese, fruit and toast. Canned pineapple chunks mixed right into cottage cheese is delicious! Or you can mix in a few berries, some canned peaches or pears.


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## biev (Mar 5, 2006)

Oh yes I make egg in a hole all the time  Egg mcmuffin too, my husband likes a lot of eggs... but I should get canadian bacon instead of regular bacon, I hadn't thought about that (and I'm canadian, doh). 

Come to think of it I make pretty much all of this already, maybe it's more of a proportion issue... I guess I'll try to incorporate more yogurt or oatmeal and fruit into our breakfast, and leave out the greasy stuff like sausage and bacon.


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## jkath (Mar 5, 2006)

Don't forget deviled eggs!
My sons eat the last night's dinner leftovers for breakfast more often than typical breakfast food. For example, tonight I made chicken pie. My older boy has already dibbed the remainders for his morning treat.


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## ironchef (Mar 5, 2006)

I usually have a protein shake and a whole grain PowerBar. Along with my double espresso of course


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## biev (Mar 5, 2006)

See, I had to drink protein shakes before and I could not force the thing down my throat  And cereal bars make me feel sick... and I'm trying to cut back on the caffeine


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## cristal (Mar 5, 2006)

*I usually drink fruit juice and have a whole grain muffin, or bagel or something like that and yogurt. *


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## ironchef (Mar 5, 2006)

biev said:
			
		

> See, I had to drink protein shakes before and I could not force the thing down my throat  And cereal bars make me feel sick... and I'm trying to cut back on the caffeine


 
Yeah well normally you'd omit the caffeine for the breakfast to be healthy. The PowerBar isn't a cereal bar per se, not like the normal brands on the market. It's more like an energy bar. I also eat yogurt too a lot in the  morning.


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## Caine (Mar 5, 2006)

Place a cup of plain yogurt in a bowl, put 6 ounces of frozen fruit or berries on top of it, sprinkle on some sugar substitute of choice if necessary, and place it in the refrigerator before you go to bed. In the morning, it's ready.

A healthy, full breakfast could be Eggbeaters or, my preference, Best of the Egg, turkey bacon, and whole grain toast, with butter and no sugar added fruit preserves. 

Real oatmeal, right out of the big round carton, can be cooked in the microwave, just like the little packages can. Add fruit of choice, or cinnamon, and a little bit of sugar (brown or white) or sugar substitiute if desired, and it's just as good as the little packets, except you control the flavor, the sugar, the salt, etc.


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## biev (Mar 5, 2006)

Thanks for all the good ideas! I'm gonna go grocery shopping in the morning


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## Constance (Mar 6, 2006)

I have a friend whose breakfast consists of a can of V-8, a banana, and a hard-boiled egg...healthy and quick.


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## fireweaver (Mar 11, 2006)

my breakfast tends to be a variation on a theme every day.  i have a smallish tupperware, about the size of a cereal bowl, that gets a handful of dry cereal (i go with big chunky shapes, like shredded wheat or homemade granola), a half handful of dried fruit or a sliced fresh fruit, and a half handful of nuts.  varying each of the 3 ingredients keeps it from getting old.  everything is bite-size (not too big, not too small as to require a spoon) for eating in the car on the way to work.  super quick & healthy.

the weekend, of course, doesn't require the commute or the time crunch, so is more leisurely:  bowl of plain yogurt with dried fruit/nuts mixed in and honey drizzled on top, +/- fresh fruit, +/- toast with warmed butter creamed with honey to dip it in.


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## biev (Mar 13, 2006)

See, to me, the food has to be different every day or I will stop eating. It's very easy for me to start skipping meals and very hard to start eating them again.


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## GB (Mar 13, 2006)

I have been on a steel cut oatmeal kick recently. It takes a while to make (about 30 minutes or so), but you can make up a big batch and store it in the fridge then just nuke to re-heat it. It is good so many different ways. You can have it with brown suger or with honey. You can have it with butter and salt. You can put dried fruit in or even frest fruit. It is enexpensive, healthy, and filling.


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## Toots (Mar 13, 2006)

We make old fashioned oatmeal and a fruit smoothie almost every morning.  If you eat a bowl of oatmeal and then a smoothie, you'll be very full!  Its all good for you too.


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## jpmcgrew (Mar 13, 2006)

This is something I eat almost every day.I make my own muesli.
One container of Quick Oats.dried craisins,dried blueberries. chopped dried apricots or a combination of those or what ever is your favorite dried fruit.
Then I toast some nuts 
I mix it all in a big bowl with some brown sugar and cinnamon to taste.Put it in a air tight container so you cant have it anytime.Course you could cook it but Iv'e never tried that. 
You eat it raw. I like to eat it with some vanilla soy milk and some ground flax seed.
In my opinion it's a perfect breakfast.
If you are not used to alot of fiber at one time you might want to start with small amounts as it could cause gas.
You can also top it with fresh fruit and yogurt.It really does taste good.


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## JProaster (Mar 13, 2006)

Echoing some of what another said- real fruit smoothie w/ something to add some crunch- like granola.  It's filling and quite tasty.  I've not tried it, but maybe adding some of the dried fruits and nuts etc for variations.

The smoothie I use is an all fruit puree, w/ fruit juice sweetener (not corn syrup).  It's literally a three minute operation from container to blender to cup-depending on the extras of course.

Like to hear more ideas.


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## RDG (Mar 14, 2006)

In the morning, the body needs foods that are easy to assimilate. So, very few proteins, some carboidrates, and sugar of fruits.
Cereals with some milk, bread and marmalade, coffee or tea.....
No fat: ham, eggs, sausages and so on....


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## JProaster (Mar 14, 2006)

RDG,
I was thinking of putting protein powders in someday.  Is this a problem?

John


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## thumpershere2 (Mar 14, 2006)

Oat meal with differnt toppings, we like raisens or a little brown sugar. Creamed eggs on toast, guess thats not to healthy tho. But good.French toast,pancakes. Guess none of these are all that healthy either. O heck, eat what ya want in smaller portions. We eat venison breakfest stakes with eggs. No fat there.But then we have toast also.We love breakfest meals.


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## RDG (Mar 14, 2006)

JProaster said:
			
		

> RDG,
> I was thinking of putting protein powders in someday. Is this a problem?
> 
> John


Really sorry. What are protein powders???  If you need some protein, add some cheese, or maximum a hard-boiled egg. No scrambled or butter eggs. However, you must consider that, for us, breakfast is a very light meal, just enough to begin the day. May be your uses are different.


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## Toots (Mar 14, 2006)

JProaster said:
			
		

> Echoing some of what another said- real fruit smoothie w/ something to add some crunch- like granola. It's filling and quite tasty. I've not tried it, but maybe adding some of the dried fruits and nuts etc for variations.
> 
> The smoothie I use is an all fruit puree, w/ fruit juice sweetener (not corn syrup). It's literally a three minute operation from container to blender to cup-depending on the extras of course.
> 
> Like to hear more ideas.


 

I make a similar smoothie - I use a handful of frozen fruit (usually blueberries or strawberries, sometimes a mixture), one banana, one big scoop of yogurt and a big splash of OJ, then blend it all up.  Takes about 2 minutes. 

I want to try steel cut oats - I am wondering if they have a different taste than regular old fashioned oats?


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## Jikoni (Mar 14, 2006)

^ No idea what protein powders are, but if they are artificial types of proteins, then my humble suggestion will be to keep away from them, as RDG suggests, stick to the natural and real proteins if you want some protein.Cereals, and fruits make a great healthy breakfast.


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## sattie (Mar 14, 2006)

JProaster said:
			
		

> Echoing some of what another said- real fruit smoothie w/ something to add some crunch- like granola. It's filling and quite tasty. I've not tried it, but maybe adding some of the dried fruits and nuts etc for variations.
> 
> The smoothie I use is an all fruit puree, w/ fruit juice sweetener (not corn syrup). It's literally a three minute operation from container to blender to cup-depending on the extras of course.
> 
> Like to hear more ideas.


 
I do fruit smoothies..... I buy fresh fruit and just whack it up in chunks and toss it in a big container I keep in the freezer.  Bananans, berries, mango, orange, peaches... you name it, I just mix it up real good in the container and I never know what kind of fruit will tumble out... sometimes it mainly bananas , sometimes berries, but it is always different.  I use a cup of plain non fat yogurt in a blender, add some wheat germ and flax seed, (don't forget the fruit) also a scoop of protien mix.  A tiny bit of sugar, a mint leaf or 2 and a 1/4 cup of what ever juice I have around the house.  If I have oranges, I just cut one of those open and squeeze the juice into the smoothie.  Blend for a fun, tasty and filling breakfast.  This holds me over for about 2 hours, my metabolism runs on high so I eat every 2 to 3 hours.


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## Robo410 (Mar 14, 2006)

fresh fruit, whole grains, (breads cerials) some cheese!  cream cheese on a toasted whole grain bagel with a slice of tomato!!!!!!!!!  yum!


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## Jikoni (Mar 15, 2006)

Oats porridge is a great way to start your day,It's very filling and it will help you in the long run, good for your heart.I find that as much as my kids like cereals, I have to choose which ones we have at home. There is too much sugar and chocolate in a lot of them. The muesli we buy has raisins to sweeten it and the kids love it.when they were babies their first cereal was weetabix, they still eat it.


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## urmaniac13 (Mar 15, 2006)

RDG and Jikoni, protein powder is more of a supplement, very popular with body builders.  (Thus they are more likely to be found in the gyms, health and nutrition specialty shops, or sports equipment shops rather than regular food shops)
They are made with proteins from whey, egg, soy etc. Transformed into powdered form to be dissolved into liquid for consumption. Their texture and flavour somewhat resembles to powdered milk, many of them are flavoured like vanilla, strawberry, chocolate etc.  
From my own experience, I tried it for a couple of years some time ago, and now I do my physical training without taking them, and I think I get desired result just as well...


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## RDG (Mar 15, 2006)

urmaniac13 said:
			
		

> RDG and Jikoni, protein powder is more of a supplement, very popular with body builders. (Thus they are more likely to be found in the gyms, health and nutrition specialty shops, or sports equipment shops rather than regular food shops)
> They are made with proteins from whey, egg, soy etc. Transformed into powdered form to be dissolved into liquid for consumption. Their texture and flavour somewhat resembles to powdered milk, many of them are flavoured like vanilla, strawberry, chocolate etc.
> From my own experience, I tried it for a couple of years some time ago, and now I do my physical training without taking them, and I think I get desired result just as well...


Thanks for explanation: now, more than before, I don't like them. Of course, everyone can do what he likes, but I think that it's better to avoid these things, unless thare are any specific reason to use them. May be possible if I do some specfic athletic activity, or similar, but, otherwise, I like(d) better to avoid. Why (d)? Now I like better an armchair......


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## urmaniac13 (Mar 15, 2006)

RDG said:
			
		

> Thanks for explanation: now, more than before, I don't like them. Of course, everyone can do what he likes, but I think that it's better to avoid these things, unless thare are any specific reason to use them. May be possible if I do some specfic athletic activity, or similar, but, otherwise, I like(d) better to avoid. Why (d)? Now I like better an armchair......


 
Yes Rob, I think this is for a very specific purpose, who has some extreme purposes... like if you are training to be the next Mr. Olympia or something... I get the impression that many casual body builders take it just for a make belief effect, to make themselves feel like a Mr. Olympia... just like a little girl dressing up like a princess or Britney Spears or something 
If you are into fitness in a casual way, regular healthy eating habit is more than enough.


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## Alix (Mar 15, 2006)

Just stumbled onto this thread and read it through with interest. However I disagree with the elimination of protein as a breakfast staple. (Not talking protein powder here, but rather meats)

According to nutritionists that I speak with. protein is an excellent idea at breakfast especially if you are going to be really doing some heavy work. Protein "sticks with you" longer than carbs or fruits which are metabolized more quickly. It is always better to avoid FATTY meats though. So, some lean meat at breakfast or eggs or other protein is a very good idea if you are going to be physically active in the morning.


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## mudbug (Mar 15, 2006)

I have to second Alix's thoughts.  I've always had more energy when I started the day with bacon and eggs rather than donuts.


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## JProaster (Mar 15, 2006)

What are some proteins that you can put in a blender?

He's not talking about me


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## Jovin (Mar 15, 2006)

*I'm Canadian too,*



			
				biev said:
			
		

> Oh yes I make egg in a hole all the time  Egg mcmuffin too, my husband likes a lot of eggs... but I should get canadian bacon instead of regular bacon, I hadn't thought about that (and I'm canadian, doh).
> .....


 
*and don't like Canadian bacon! I just had this "egg in a hole" today at a Cracker Barrel in Depew NY. It's called "eggs in a basket" there. Very nice for a change...(the hashbrowns were even better...lots of cheese melted on them!) *


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## tancowgirl2000 (Mar 17, 2006)

This is my "new" breakfast....as of Sunday...gack.....its actually really good, just sounds really awful

4 Large egg whites...MUST be large eggs
1/2 cup LIGHT cottage cheese
2 oz quick oatmeal...

Mix in blender, ,cook as a pancake and serve with "sugar twin brown" and cinnamon......

Trust me it is tasty.  I think its more an acquired taste after a bit.......


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## Caine (Mar 19, 2006)

Okay, let's dispell the powdered protein rumors and misinformation first. High quality protein powders, which are comprised of whey protein, are an efficient way of infusing protein into your body to fuel muscle development without overloading your body with excess calories. I normally make myself a protein shake, right after a serious weight lifting session, consisting of 1/2 cup of Better 'n' Eggs (egg whites with added beta carotine to make them look like whole egg), 1/2 cup either yogurt or soy milk, 1 cup cranberry juice, 1 cup frozen fruit or berries, half a tray of ice cubes, and two scoops pf protein powder. No, I am not trying out for Mr. Olympia or Mr. America. I am just trying to live long enough to become a burden on my children.

Now my breakfasts ( I have two each morning) consist of an 11 ounce glass of Ovaltine with 1% milk, one multi-vitamin, three psyllium capsules, two fish oil capsules, and a policosanol gelcap. This is followed almost immediately (within 15 minutes) with thirty to 45 minutes of cardio work on a treadmill, Lifecycle, or elliptical trainer. 

My second breakfast, 2 1/2 to 3 hours later, consists of one of many different things. It could be a bowl of oatmeal. It could be a hard boiled egg and a slice of banana bread or a banana nut muffin. It could be a snadwich made with an English muffin or butermilk biscuit; scrambled egg substitute; turkey bacon or sausage, or Canadian bacon; and reduced fat cheese; or sometimes even steak and eggs with whole grain toast, if I have left over steak. I have not, however, eaten a doughnut in so long (apologies to Tim Horton and/or Vernon Rudolph) that I have fogotten what one tastes like.


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## kitchenelf (Mar 20, 2006)

tancowgirl2000 said:
			
		

> This is my "new" breakfast....as of Sunday...gack.....its actually really good, just sounds really awful
> 
> 4 Large egg whites...MUST be large eggs
> 1/2 cup LIGHT cottage cheese
> ...




I love these tancowgirl - I use sugar-free syrup on mine.

Caine is right in saying that a high-quality protein powder is an excellent source of protein.  You don't have to be a bodybuilder to enjoy this quick and nutrient-rich meal.  Bodybuilders eat much more protein than the normal person because they are building a LOT more muscle mass than the normal person.  Even someone doing a casual workout needs to build muscle mass.  Working out breaks down muscles - then it's up to our diet to build them back up.  Rather than eating a bunch of "food" high in protein the protein powder is the perfect solution - sets better on your stomach that's for sure.  Carbohydrates are just as important after a workout - and actually you need to eat them within a certain time-period for them to do what they are supposed to "do".


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## tancowgirl2000 (Mar 21, 2006)

I can not make these worth a toot......I need to adjust things.....


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## Sugar N' Spice (Mar 22, 2006)

I usually switch my breakfast up with either a fruit yogurt, oatmeal, or a smoothie.  Sometimes I'll eat a whole wheat muffin to go with it.  It's actually helped me lose weight by eating the yogurt for breakfast.


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## auntieshelly (Mar 31, 2006)

Try spreading peanut butter (buy natural without sugars, corn syrup, etc.) on hot whole grain toast, sprinkle with raisins (I love golden raisins), and top with sliced banana and a drizzle of honey.  Delicious!


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## Barb33 (May 9, 2006)

poached eggs instead of fried or scrambled. This eliminates the butter, and or oils and fat


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## biev (May 9, 2006)

This is gonna sound like a silly question, but how exactly do you poach an egg? I've heard this before but I don't think I've ever seen it.


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## grumblebee (May 9, 2006)

biev said:
			
		

> This is gonna sound like a silly question, but how exactly do you poach an egg? I've heard this before but I don't think I've ever seen it.


 
http://www.jacquespepin.net/members/techniques/howtopoachanegg.html


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## Timeloyd (May 13, 2006)

When in a hurry I will make a Scrambled Egg Omlet in a Frosting Container.
  I save containers I get my cake frosting in. Break into it 2 Eggs, 2 handfulls of Shreaded Cheese, Wild Onion tips chopped up, mushrooms or whatever else you feel like adding to your Omlet even Chocoate Chips.
   Cover the frosting container tightly and singing a joyful song or even exercise maybe eggrobics as you shake the container mixing up your omlet really good till it's all shook up. Uh huh, Uh huh. Hmm a Peanut Butter and Nanner Omlet Uh huh .... 
   Pour it into the frying pan and cook it till it's looks done, flip it over and when it seems fluffy savor it and enjoy.


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## biev (May 13, 2006)

I may try it for the joyful song bit


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