Am I hungry for breakfast?
Contrary to popular belief, breakfast is NOT for everyone! I want my clients, and those in my Best Body program to only eat breakfast if they truly are hungry.
Follow your hunger throughout the day – eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full. Typically this means eating every 3-4 hours, but it can differ from person to person.
Learning to listen to your body and to decide if breakfast really is the most important meal of the day FOR YOU is a decision only you can make.
If you do decide to eat breakfast, it’s important to ensure that you have some healthy breakfast ideas to fuel up on. You want to avoid cereals loaded with maple syrup, breakfast sandwiches that are mostly bread or brunch recipes that take forever to make. It’s about finding some meals that work with your lifestyle. For many people, this means finding some egg breakfasts that they love. But before we get into that, let’s begin with the basics.
Easy Breakfast Ideas
What can make food more filling?
Here are some key characteristics:
It’s high in protein
It has a lot of volume (takes up a lot of space in your stomach)
It’s high in fiber
It’s high in fat
It’s emotionally satisfying
Now you might say, what does “emotionally satisfying” mean?
Here are some examples:
You always like to have dessert after dinner, and you just don’t feel “complete” without it
You grew up eating rice as part of your main meals, and feel meals aren’t right without them
You always get a treat at the movies, and it just isn’t enjoyable without one
These feelings are real and I totally get them. Make some small adjustments, e.g. specifically with portion size, so that you can feel this emotional fullness while still focusing on your weight goals.
…Back to Breakfast
For breakfast, I generally recommend focusing on fat and protein. For some people, eating a large volume breakfast, full of non-starchy vegetables for example, can work, but for many of us, we need something we can grab and go.
Making a delicious breakfast casserole, baked eggs or roasting sweet potato is a great idea in theory. But it has to be practical.
What is a fat?
Good question! Fats have 9 calories per gram, but don’t let that worry you. They’re SUPER satisfying, so you don’t need a large quantity to keep you full. Here are some great ones for breakfast:
Avocado
Guacamole
High fat yogurt
Nuts
Nut butters
Cheese
What is a protein?
Another good question! Protein has about 4 calories per gram, and is also very filling and satisfying. Here are some good breakfast options:
Eggs
Yogurt
Chicken (yes, you can have other non-conventional proteins for breakfast!)
Turkey or beef jerky
Cheese
Nuts & nut butters
Now you might realize that some of these foods double up – and you’d be right! You get some good “bang for your buck” with many of these foods that pack BOTH protein and fat.
Here are some of my favorite breakfast meal ideas
If you’re like me and want to start your day with minimal effort but maximum taste, try some of these easy on the go options. You can always boil your eggs in advance so they’re ready to grab out of the fridge on your way out the door.
2 hard boiled eggs + 1 piece of fruit (like an apple, pear, etc.) + 1 string cheese
2 hard boiled eggs + 1 single-serving package of guacamole
2 fried eggs + 1/2 avocado
1/4 cup of nuts (or get a 1-ounce pre-packaged baggie) + 1 piece of fruit
1/4 cup of nuts + 1 string cheese
1 latte with 2% milk and sugar-free syrup and 1/8 cup nuts (or a 100-calorie pack)
One 2% plain yogurt + 1/3 cup frozen fruit
Pro-tip: let the frozen fruit thaw first before adding it to the yogurt, when you mix it, it tastes just like a flavored yogurt!
Sometimes you do want a little bit more to start your morning. Here are some easy breakfast recipes to help you feel energized and fully fueled, without weighing you down. For those that need breakfast, it really is an important meal and you should treat it as such. You’ll notice that these are egg recipes as I believe they’re such a great way to create a high protein and high fat breakfast.
Scrambled Eggs With Avocado, Bacon, and Spinach
297 calories
Ingredients:
2 Uncured bacon, slice – 88 calories
2 Egg, large – 144 calories
1 cup Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 7 calories
¼ Avocado, small – 58.25 calories
1 Everything bagel seasoning, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
Fry bacon on stove top by cooking on low heat & turning every few minutes. Alternatively, you can cook bacon in the microwave or in the oven (~20 minutes at 400 degrees) if you prefer.
While bacon is cooking, crack eggs in a bowl and add in spinach, and seasoning.
Add mixture to pan with bacon once bacon has cooked down, cook on low heat ~4 minutes, until cooked through
Cube avocado & have on the side
Season with salt and pepper.
French Toast with Fried Egg
257 calories
Ingredients:
1 Bread, slice – 110 calories
2 Egg, large – 144 calories
¼ tsp Vanilla – 0 calories
⅓ Tbsp Milk, 2% (Tbsp) – 2.97 calories
1 Cinnamon, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
Combine one egg, vanilla, milk, and cinnamon in a bowl. Whisk with a fork until smooth.
Soak both sides of bread in mixture.
Spray a pan with an oil spray and turn to medium heat.
Place bread in pan.
Cook ~2 minutes each side.
While “to
ast” is cooking, spray a second pan with an oil spray. Crack in egg, then flip when cooked most of the way through. Let cook for another 30-60 seconds, then remove from heat and place on top of bread.Note: 1/3 Tbsp = 1 tsp. No dairy? Use any other kind of milk, or go without milk.
Gluten free? Use gluten-free bread.
Lightened Up Breakfast Burrito Bowl
311 calories
Ingredients:
½ cup Rice, brown, cooked – 120 calories
¼ cup Salsa – 16 calories
2 cups Leafy greens, spinach, raw – 14 calories
1 Egg, large – 72 calories
¼ cup Cheese, shredded, mozzarella – 84 calories
1 tsp Hot sauce – 5 calories
1 Salt, dash – 0 calories
1 Pepper, dash – 0 calories
Instructions:
Cook rice as instructed on package.
Crack egg in a bowl, whisk with a fork.
Spray a pan with an oil spray. Pour in egg. Cook egg on medium heat ~2 minutes, until cooked through.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese, avocado, or oil instead of an oil spray.
