I have a strong feeling that people who don’t, or forget to, eat breakfast are most likely certifiably insane. How do you forget to eat the best meal of the day? And more importantly, how do you not rip off everyone’s head from the pre-lunchtime h-anger? You probably want to, you psychopath. Eat your breakfast.
Last week I was running majorly late one morning. I had to leave earlier than usual to go to the DMV, which is always a joyous trip in itself, and get my Texas driver’s license. I was already feeling bittersweet about revoking my last piece of being a Nevadan (I’ve lived in Texas for five years, so I guess it’s been a long time coming) and simultaneously rushing to get ready while feeding, taking out, and playing with Piper, the world’s neediest dog. (And cutest.) Also, did you know you need to bring about five different types of documentation with you to get a license in a new state? Those were fun to track down in my waning morning prep minutes.
Plus, I’m usually one of those people who takes the 30 minutes in the morning to wash fruit and cook eggs and bake toast (separate discussion, but does anyone else think toasters are irrelevant when we have just-as-fast ovens to toast bread?). I go all out for breakfast, because if I don’t then I become one of those aforementioned crazy people.
Well, that morning a week ago I needed to get out the door without the time for my regular breakfast routine, so I grabbed a pear. I thought, People eat small breakfasts on-the-go all the time! Apples, nutrition bars, scones. I got this. Nope. Big mistake. I spent my entire morning at work — after a surprisingly quick experience at the DMV, which left me feeling pretty chipper at first — counting minutes until I could go get lunch. This was pretty much how my morning went:
10:48 am: Almost one hour till noon, an acceptable time to eat lunch and not be starving when I get home from work tonight.
11:32 am: Maybe 11:32 is late enough in the day to eat that I won’t be outrageously hungry after work. It isn’t noon, but it’s, like, almost noon.
11:47 am: WHO AM I AND WHAT AM I DOING IN LIFE AND WHERE IS THE NEAREST SANDWICH?
All that to say, I need my breakfast, and you do, too. Here are my three favorites that tide me over until at least noon, with a pot of coffee, of course. Give them a try if you’re needing some breakfa-spiration. (I should copyright that.)
Fried Eggs + Ezekiel Bread Toast
Ingredients:
2 large organic eggs
2 tbsp. butter (I used Earth Balance Original Natural Buttery Spread)
2 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Bread (the BEST BREAD nutritionally you could ever eat)
1/2 an avocado, sliced
Hot sauce, obviously (I used Cholula)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and toast bread on a baking pan for 7-10 minutes or until desired brownness (or, if you have a toaster, which I do not, toast your bread that way).
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a frying pan on low-medium heat. Crack eggs into the pan and maintain the low-medium heat. Add a little bit of the remaining butter at a time into the pan every few minutes until they’ve cooked through to your preference. I did mine over-medium and it took about 12 minutes. (Most people think a good egg is fried fast on high heat, but the adding butter continuously and slowly on low-medium seriously makes the most perfect fried egg; you’ve got to try it, y’all.)
Serve with avocado, salt and pepper, and hot sauce.
Calories: 591 // Fat (g): 39 // Carbs (g): 41 // Protein (g): 22.8 // Servings: 1
Raspberry, Greek Yogurt + Granola Bowl
Ingredients:
1 c. Greek yogurt
1/2 c. granola (I used Kellogg’s Ancient Grains Granola: Cranberry Almond)
1/2 c. raspberries, or other fruit
1 tbsp. organic white chia seeds
1 tbsp. organic local honey
cinnamon, to top
Directions:
Mix yogurt, chia seeds, and honey in a bowl. Top with granola, fruit, and cinnamon.
Calories: 615 // Fat (g): 28 // Carbs (g): 81.7 // Protein (g): 18 // Servings: 1
Veggie Scramble + Smashed Breakfast Potatoes
Scramble Ingredients:
2 large organic eggs
Mixed vegetables — I used:
1/4 c. red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 c. red onion, chopped
1/4 c. white mushroom, chopped
2 tbsp. jalapeno, chopped
1/4 c. Mexican blend cheese, to top
2 tbsp. roasted tomatillo salsa, to top
Salt and pepper to taste
Coconut oil cooking spray
Directions:
Spray nonstick frying pan with coconut oil and turn on the stove to medium heat.
Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk until whites are blended with the yolks. Set to the side.
Saute veggies in pan for 5-7 minutes with salt and pepper. Pour the whisked eggs directly over veggies and scramble until firm.
Top with Mexican blend cheese and tomatillo salsa if desired.
Calories: 371 // Fat (g): 27.6 // Carbs (g): 11 // Protein (g): 20.4 // Servings: 1
Smashed Breakfast Potatoes Ingredients (It’s easiest to make these the night before, but also doable in the morning if you’re a freak like me and wake up at 5 am most days. They’re easy to make but time-consuming because of the boiling and oven time.):
1 bag of Dutch yellow baby potatoes (found at Trader Joe’s — about 16 potatoes total; you can use other types like fingerling potatoes as well)
3 tbsp. olive oil
Garlic salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
Coconut oil cooking spray
Directions:
Bring potatoes to a boil in a large pot of water. Let steadily boil for 25-30 minutes — until the surfaces of potatoes are easily puncturable with a fork. While the potatoes boil, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Strain potatoes and place on coconut oil sprayed baking sheet. Smash with a fork or potato masher. Drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Place in oven for 15 minutes. After the time is up, turn on the broiler for 2 minutes to crisp and brown the potatoes’ tops.
Calories per serving: 251 // Fat (g): 10.5 // Carbs (g): 40.3 // Protein (g): 4.1 // Servings: 4
