Breakfast Bargains!

Last week the Fit to Recover community gathered in the kitchen for some quick and easy breakfasts to start our days off right (recipes below)!

FTR members enjoy their Breakfast Bargains! Recipes at the bottom of the page!

Breakfast is an opportunity to set the pace of your day; to start your day with nourishing foods that allow you to stay energized, focused, and feeling good.

Breakfast, aka “breaking the fast” gives your body much needed energy and nutrients in the morning. If you skip this opportunity, you may find your metabolism slows down to preserve energy and you may feel fatigued or unable to focus.

If you are looking to lose weight, research shows that people who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat throughout the day. Also, long term research of breakfast eaters who want to lose weight shows they are more successful losing weight and maintaining their weight loss.
More about Breakfast on our previous post, "The Importance of Breakfast."

What should I eat for breakfast?

·      Always include some form of protein.

This will help you feel satisfied and keep you energized throughout the day. Good sources of protein in the morning may be: eggs (eat the whole egg!), plain greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nut butter, chia/flax seeds, smoked salmon, or quinoa. Breakfast meat can be eaten in moderation, but try not to make it a daily habit to avoid excessive sodium and additives.

·      Include a whole grain.

Whole grains often provide important B vitamins, which support energy production in our body. Not to mention important carbohydrates to help our brain think and muscles move. Sprouted bread, 100% whole wheat bread, oatmeal, whole grain cereal or granola, or quinoa can be a great base for your egg, yogurt, or milk.

·      Try to include a fruit.

The morning is a great time to contribute to your 2-cup recommendation of fruit. Fruit provides us essential vitamins and minerals, provides filling fiber, and even helps to hydrate us! Bananas can help build a healthy gut flora while berries are packed with antioxidants. Swap orange juice for a whole orange to get more fiber and less sugar.

·      Sip a smoothie!

Smoothies can help us include nutrient-packed vegetables like kale, spinach, avocados, or carrots. After a grocery run, wash and chop or shred vegetables to have them ready to add to a smoothie or eggs! A basic recipe for a smoothie is 1 cup milk, 1 banana or ½ cup frozen fruit, handful of leafy green vegetable, 2 spoons plain greek yogurt, chia seeds, ½ cup frozen mixed berries… blend to perfection!

How can I be sure to eat breakfast?

Breakfast should be prioritized before you walk out the door, much like brushing your teeth, or putting your pants on. To make sure things are quick and ready, you can ensure you have something to grab with a bit of preparation (or an alarm 5 minutes earlier).

·      Make a batch of egg muffins (recipe below!) or hard boil some eggs to have ready to go on toast or an English muffin

·      Portion out smoothie mixtures in the fridge so you just need to dump and blend.

·      Mix overnight oats  and let them marinate overnight, or use your crockpot to cook steel cut oats (recipes below!)

·      If nothing else, grab a piece of toast or banana and nut butter, or some fruit and yogurt.

Here are the delicious, nutritious, and simple recipes we prepared:

Low fat/ high protein granola

3 cups organic old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup each almonds, walnuts and pecans

1/2 cup roasted or raw pumpkin seeds

4 Tbsp whole flax seed

1/2 cup raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or combination (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Tbsp coconut or canola oil

2-3 tbsps pure maple syrup or honey

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Combine oil, syrup and vanilla in a microwave safe container or on stove top and heat slightly just to thin and mix. Thoroughly coat the granola mixture with the oil/syrup/vanilla and spread on cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring with a spatula once to bake evenly. Cool and store in airtight container or in freezer for longer periods.

Sweet potato “toast”

1 sweet potato, sliced thinly

Toppings:

1 avocado, sliced or mashed with a pinch of salt

2 tbsp nut butter with banana

2 tbsp black beans with a sprinkle of cheese

1 egg, hardboiled or over easy

Slice sweet potato very thin, about ¼” thick long ways. Place in the toaster and toast on high until crispy (may need to flip and toast again). Top with desired toppings. If you do not have a toaster, preheat oven to 450 lay slices on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping half way through. “Toasts” can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week.

Egg muffins
1 dozen eggs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
nonstick cooking spray or oil, to coat pans
1 cup frozen or fresh spinach
1 heaping cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion or white onion
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese (either cheddar or parmesan, optional)

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup. Whisk the eggs and salt.Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with a bit of oil. Divide spinach, mushrooms, green onion, and cheese between each muffin cup, then carefully pour eggs over tops until muffin tins are almost full (leave 1/4-inch space).Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. The egg muffins will look like soufflé when they come out of the oven, but they will sink after a few minutes. Let them rest in the muffin tin for a few minutes before using a rubber spatula to carefully remove each muffin.Consume immediately or let cool and transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for a month.

Banana Oat Pancakes and Cookies

For the pancakes:

Ingredients:

1 medium ripe banana

2 large eggs

⅓ cup oats

¼ tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Put the banana in a bowl and mash with a fork.

Add the eggs and mix until well combined.

Put the oats in a blender and blend until fine.

Add the blended oats and cinnamon to the banana mix, and stir well.

Heat a skillet over a medium heat with a dash of vegetable oil.

Pour ¼ cup of the mixture into the skillet, cook on one side for about 1.5 minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for about 1 minute (or until golden brown on both sides).

Serve (with or without maple syrup) and enjoy.

For the cookies:

 Ingredients:

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1½ cups quick oats

⅓ cup peanut butter

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Combine bananas, oats, and peanut butter in a bowl and mix well. Fold in raisins and walnuts.

Drop bite-sized spoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Steel Cut Oats in the Crock Pot

Steel cut oats – 1 cups

Water – 3 cups

Milk (any type) – 1 cups

Apples, peeled & chopped (optional) – 1-2

Sugar or sweetener- 2 tbsp

Kosher salt – 1 tsp

Cinnamon – 1 Tbsp

Star anise (optional) – 1

Instructions:

Optional: Give the slow cooker a quick spray of cooking oil or brush with cooking oil to prevent sticking of ingredients.

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or 4 hours on high.

Top with nuts, yogurt, fruit, jams, coconut shavings!

If you don’t have a slow cooker, bring the ingredients to boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and then simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Overnight Oats (basic Recipe)

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 – 1/2 cup milk (almond, soy or dairy) [depending on how thick you like it]

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp chia seeds

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch cinnamon

½ cup frozen berries or ½ mashed banana

DIRECTIONS

Stir everything together in a bowl. Place in fridge overnight to allow oatmeal to absorb milk and yogurt. In the morning top with fresh fruit or nut butter.