As an adult, I’ve had a pretty spotty record of eating breakfast on a regular basis. I remember in my Air Force days the nutritious choices I made. Favorite brekkie back then? Peanut butter wafer cookie thing with a Coke. Of course, way back then I was young, skinny, stupid, and smoked. So I suppose you could fault me on just about all my lifestyle choices.
Thanks to years of striving for better health, I’ve learned quite a few things along the way with regard to food. But still, no regular breakfast plan. Until recently, that is. I don’t know what got into me exactly. I’ve know for a while that studies show breakfast is the most important meal. I think what finally put me over the edge was deciding to take a multivitamin, which my doctor has been mentioning for about two years.
It says right there on the bottle “take with food.” As I’m never sure where I’ll be around lunchtime, and dinner is always a crapshoot, breakfast was the natural choice. Then came another problem: what to eat.
I must confess, am not a milk person. I grew up with a mom who hated milk, and I hate milk too. I’ll bake or cook with it, sure. But drink it straight? Pour it on cereal. Ew! Never. What else is there, then? That’s when I got the idea to consult my Twitter friends and find out what my Tweeps eat.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear just about everything. In the last few weeks, I’ve tried a number of options depending on my allotted time. My go-to quick staple is organic rolled oats, which I can whip up in under 10 minutes pantry to table. I like a creamy texture for my oatmeal, so it’s super easy to make:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
pinch salt
Combine all in a pan, stir once, heat on medium until you see it start to bubble. Immediately turn heat to lowest setting and stir to prevent sticking. When you’ve reached desired consistency, serve. Makes 1 serving.
I like a sprinkle of cinnamon, a bit of sugar, and just a pinch of cardamom stirred in. My husband loves his with maple syrup and raisins. Sometimes with a slice of whole wheat toast, if I’m in the mood.
Other successful experiments involve tortillas and a tiny bit more time, if you are efficient in the kitchen. For example, one night for dinner, I diced up and parboiled red-skinned potatoes and tossed them with onions. I seasoned it all with salt and pepper, chili powder, cumin, and coriander, then lightly coated the mixture with olive oil before broiling them. The next morning, I warmed up a couple of tortillas in the over while I scrambled two eggs in one pan and warmed the leftover potato mixture in another. That was a wicked-good breakfast. One tortilla filled was more than enough for one person, so I shared.
Another morning, I cooked bulk bacon pieces until crisp and the fat was rendered, then added some aduki beans that I had cooked previously. I spread a thin layer of herbed goat cheese on a warmed tortilla and added the bacon/bean mix. Really tasty as a somewhat savory breakfast.
If you are like me and unsure how to approach breakfast, I encourage you to give some of these successful experiments a try. If you have a tasty success in your own experimenting, I would love to have you comment about that here!
I have to admit, it really is easier to get through my day when it starts off with something more substantial than just coffee or tea.
How I differ from you! Breakfast is the only thing that gets me up in the morning. My breakfasts are never anything fancy, but I do enjoy wheat toast covered with peanut butter & honey; eggs scrambled with veggies and turkey & covered with salsa; a smoothie made with orange juice, strawberries & banana; oatmeal with dark chocolate chips mixed in, etc. Many of these options are accompanied by milk.
Glad to hear you’re beginning to enjoy breakfast, too…Welcome to the Breakfast Club!
Breakfast is hard for me, too, but only because I prefer to sleep as long as possible before getting up for work and all that stuff. As a result, I usually grab one of my trusty Wallaby yogurts to eat once I get to work. I’ll follow that with a Clif C bar (apple, raspberry or cherry pomegranate). On the weekends, though, I like to scramble eggs w/bell peppers and onions and maybe have turkey bacon/sausage if I’ve got any.