Breakfast Burnout

As I put my 1 TBS of peanut butter on my double fiber wheat toast this morning, I realized that I am totally burned out on my daily breakfast. I have this same thing most mornings and I think I need a change of pace.

Are you suffering from breakfast burnout? Well, let’s mix it up! Here are some low-fat and delicious ideas to start your day off the right way. Each breakfast idea is between 200 and 400 calories.

How can you get bored with 18 ideas for the most important meal of the day?

1. Oatmeal & Fruit
Either one low-sugar oatmeal packet prepared or fresh oatmeal (i.e., Quaker Oats) with ½ TBS of Splenda blend brown sugar. 1 cup of banana and blueberry mix. 1 slice whole wheat, high fiber toast, dry.
Calories: 268, Fat: 2.5 grams, Fiber: 10 grams

2. Yogurt Parfait
3/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt (I love Horizon organic) or nonfat Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey, ½ cup fat-free granola, ½ cup blueberries. Layer each in a tall glass.
Calories: 375, Fat: 2, Fiber: 6.5

3. Banana Split Waffles
Low-calorie, whole wheat frozen waffles (Eggo makes some good ones), 1/2 banana split in half, 1 TBS low-sugar strawberry jam, ½ cup fat-free vanilla yogurt.
Calories: 400, Fat: 3.2 grams, Fiber: 8.8 grams

4. Turkey Egg White Omelet
Three egg whites, 1 cup of your choice of onions, green peppers, red peppers, mushrooms, broccoli), ¼ cup chopped lean turkey lunch meat, ¼ cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese. 2 slices whole wheat, high fiber toast, dry. Use olive oil cooking spray to prepare omelet.
Calories: 328, Fat: 9.1 grams, Fiber: 12.5 grams

5. Granola
1½ cup fat-free granola with 1 cup skim milk.
Calories: 375, Fat: 5 grams, Fiber: 6 grams

6. Orange-Banana Smoothie
½ cup skim milk, 1 banana, ½ cup light orange juice, ½ cup fat-free vanilla yogurt, ½ cup ice. Blend until smooth. 1 slice whole wheat, high fiber toast, dry.
Calories: 338, Fat: 1 gram, Fiber: 6.1 grams

7. Breakfast Bruschetta
Sauté ¼ cup onion in olive oil cooking spray until golden (about 5 minutes), ½ beefsteak tomato, chopped and seeded. Cook another minute and then add one egg whites and one egg. Scramble and until cooked (2 minutes). Add salt and pepper (and basil, if desired). Top one dry pieces of toasted high fiber bread (cut diagonally) with egg mixture. Sprinkle with more basil. I think basil makes everything taste better! IF you don’t like basil, you can always top with cilantro and salsa for a Mexican spin.
Calories: 245, Fat: 8 grams, Fiber: 12 grams

8. Breakfast Burrito
Prepare with 1 small whole-wheat tortilla, 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup assorted cooked vegetables and 1 ounce of reduced-fat cheese.
Calories: 304, Fat: 7, Fiber: 6

9. Skinny French Toast
Make with whole-grain bread and egg whites blended with 1/4 cup skim milk, 1/8 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of cinnamon. I also like to use orange extract instead of vanilla for a different flavor. Top with light syrup or low sugar strawberry jam. A fun variation that adds about 100 calories is to dip the whole wheat bread in egg and then roll in special K flavored cereal (like vanilla almond) and then put on the skillet. Serve with fruit. So good! I had this at a hotel in South Texas once and it was seriously the best breakfast ever.
Calories: 278, Fat: 6 grams, Fiber: 5 grams

10. Greek Yogurt, Fruit, Almonds
Layer fat-free Greek yogurt (I love Yoplait vanilla and honey) with berries and 1 TBS sliced almonds.
Calories: 298, Fat: 4 grams, Fiber: 7 grams

11. Creamy Fruit-Topped Waffles
Mix ½ cup of light cottage cheese or fat-free yogurt with ½ cup sliced fruit (berries or pineapple, I’m partial to pineapple). Top two frozen whole wheat waffles with the creamy mixture. If you like it more blended, you can put fruit and cottage cheese or yogurt into a blender or food processor to make it a little smoother.
Calories: 340, Fat: 6 grams, Fiber: 5 grams

12. Toast & Fruit
2 slices high-fiber whole-wheat bread, 2 TBS low sugar jam or 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter, plus 1 cup fresh fruit (strawberries or blueberries).
Calories: 230, Fat: 10.5 grams, Fiber: 14 grams

13. Bacon, Egg and Spinach Breakfast Stacks
This is a great weekend breakfast that freezes well. You can make these on Sunday and have them for a week if you’d like. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place muffin liners in a 12-hole muffin tin. Cook a pre-cooked package of low-fat hash browns; cool immediately. Wash and wilt spinach until just wilted in 1 TBS olive oil, about 3 to 5 minutes; cool, drain well, squeeze out any remaining water and set aside. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, 2 large eggs beaten and 2 TBS chives, chopped. Put a little of the hash brown in the bottom of each muffin hole so it lays as flat as possible. Top each with a quarter-slice of extra lean turkey bacon, 1 heaping teaspoon of ricotta cheese mixture, about 2 tablespoons of spinach, about 1 TBS of reduced fat cheddar cheese, another turkey bacon quarter, and another heaping teaspoon of ricotta mixture. Finish stacks by placing remaining hash brown on top and sprinkling with a few remaining shreds of cheese. Bake stacks until fully set and ricotta is cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in muffin tins for about 10 to 15 minutes and then transfer to racks to continue cooling. Yields 1 stack per serving.
Calories: 227, Fat: 3 grams, Fiber: 2 grams

14. Berry-Berry Smoothie
½ cup skim milk, ½ cup strawberries, ½ cup blueberries (or raspberries), ½ cup fat-free vanilla yogurt, ½ cup ice. Blend until smooth. 1 slice whole wheat, high fiber toast, dry.
Calories: 300, Fat: .5 gram, Fiber: 6.1 grams

15. Banana & PB Roll-up
Spread 1 whole grain tortilla with 1 TBS peanut butter and add 1 whole banana. Roll up and enjoy.
Calories: 325

16. Kashi GOLEAN Crunch
1 cup of cereal with 1 cup of fat-free milk.
Calories: 280

17. Carnation Instant Breakfast & Toast
Simple. Mix with fat-free milk as noted on package. Also eat a slice of whole wheat fiber bread with low cal jam on one slice and 1 TBS of peanut butter on the other.
Calories: 335

18. Morningstar Farms Breakfast Sandwich
This is a healthier version of the McD’s Egg McMuffin. Tastes great and has egg whites and a meat substitute that tastes like sausage. Lots of protein and fiber – hooray!
Calories: 280, Fat: 3 grams, Fiber: 3 grams

Enjoy!