Breakfast alternatives

[limewave]

I've been trying to think of something to replace my sweet tooth addiction in the morning. I love granola bars or oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon. I know there is nothing "wrong" with oatmeal, but I'm working really hard on reducing the amount of grains I'm having during the day and to eliminate gluten.

Breakfast today:
Fried egg sandwich (on Ezekiel Bread)
and Smashed Sweet Potatos! With a touch of almond milk and cinnamon. It actually works well! And it doesn't even taste weird with my coffee!

[Dannielle]

I can help with this as I eat gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free...and I tend to go with a sweeter breakfast so I feel like I've had my treat for the day.

I usually have either pancakes or a smoothie.

Pancakes (serves one)-
3T blanched almond flour
2T coconut flour
whey protein powder (9/10g of protein and around 50calories worth...1/2 scoop depending on brand)
pinch baking soda
4-6packets sweetener of choice
1 whole egg or 1/4c egg substitute
splash of apple cider vinegar (1/2tsp-ish)
scant 1/4c almond or coconut milk or water

Smoothie-
I start with:
1 scoop whey protein powder (I use Jarrow brand, either unflavored, chocolate or vanilla)
1 bag frozen/chopped spinach
sweetener to taste

The add one of the following:

3/4c pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice

4T cocoa powder and sometimes instant coffee

4T PB2 (powdered peanut butter...totally tastes like a peanut butter cup when paired with chocolate whey protein!)


I just bought, but haven't tried, Quest protein bars.

And I sometimes like Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries or pumpkin/spice, if you do dairy.


1

[limewave]

I'll definitely need to try the pancakes. I have an entire package of almond flour and nothing to make with it . . . until now!

[OakLeaf]

There have been times when I've run out of cold cereal and just ate everything else that I usually put in the cereal, and didn't even miss it (either nutritionally or taste-wise). Cereal is such a small part of what goes in my cereal bowl anyway.

A couple of tablespoons of nuts, a scoop of chia seeds, a couple of tablespoons of dried fruit or a half cup to a cup of fresh fruit, a scoop of Garden of Life protein powder, and enough hemp or coconut milk to dissolve the protein powder and make everything float.

Now that it's getting colder, I'm mostly back to oatmeal. I always have a big dollop of peanut butter in it though, which helps prevent a sugar crash from the grain.

[Dannielle]

oh if you want ways to use almond flour check out the recipes at http://www.elanaspantry.com :) almond flour muffins make good bike snacks!

[ehirsch83]

2 eggs and then 2 pieces of ezekial toast or ezekial english muffin with a little bit of coconut oil and some form of nut butter(i'm big on almond)- you can add a teeny tiny bit of jelly if wanted.

That is what i'm on for the next 2 weeks from this nutritionist....

[maillotpois]

I've been doing a cut up apple with cinnamon and chopped walnuts with Greek yogurt. Yum!

[Dannielle]

I go through phases with eggs/veggies too but then I go through phases where they just don't appeal at all. I get burnt out on eggs.

The only way I'm enjoying eggs right now, on occasion, is if I chop/mince veggies in my Ninja or food processor until they're rice-like. I like to use mushrooms,zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots, onion...whatever. I stir fry the veg and then scramble in the egg as you'd do with fried rice. It's way less jiggly on a plate lol. I tend to have this for a quick lunch/dinner over breakfast though.

[indysteel]

I go through phases with eggs/veggies too but then I go through phases where they just don't appeal at all. I get burnt out on eggs.

The only way I'm enjoying eggs right now, on occasion, is if I chop/mince veggies in my Ninja or food processor until they're rice-like. I like to use mushrooms,zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots, onion...whatever. I stir fry the veg and then scramble in the egg as you'd do with fried rice. It's way less jiggly on a plate lol. I tend to have this for a quick lunch/dinner over breakfast though.

Yum; that sounds good.

[nscrbug]

My standard breakfast lately is a Van's gluten-free waffle (I don't have celiac disease...I just like how they taste) on which I spread a thin layer of almond butter and then banana slices on top, sprinkled generously with cinnamon. It's yummy and filling, and feels like I'm eating a "treat".

[GLC1968]

I do a lot of smoothies for breakfast because they are quick and easy (and I can pack them full of spinach which makes me feel better about my breakfast).

That said, I love these:

Delicata Sausage Breakfast Boats (http://jensgonepaleo.blogspot.com/2011/01/breakfast-squash.html) - I make them ahead and then just nuke them for 1 min in the morning. The sweetness of the squash really compliments the seasoning in the sausage.

[KnottedYet]

You could just bail on the sweets entirely at breakfast.

My usual breakfast these days is a salmon patty (frozen, from Costco) some mushrooms, and an egg.

The salmon patties/burgers are quick to cook, and after I flip it over to cook the other side I turn the heat down to low, push the mushrooms off to one half of the pan, and gently fry/poach the egg in the mushroom and salmon juice.

The bigger (and less sweet, less starchy) the breakfast, the better. Sometimes I slip back into the pattern of sweet and starchy little breakfasts and big robust dinners. Then I get fat. Made the effort to return to big protien rich breakfasts, and I've lost about 20 pounds in the last couple months and had to go buy a bunch of new clothes.

[OakLeaf]

Good point. Sometimes I have dinner leftovers for breakfast, and it's a habit I'd like to do more of. I can't digest a lot of protein first thing in the morning, so it's usually bean soups or vegetable casseroles, but they don't have to include grain.

[withm]

As a child, my mother always gave us leftover dinner for breakfast. It was great! Especially the homemade soups. She made a huge pot of vegetable beef soup that we just called "brown soup with noodles" - still my favorite.

[limewave]

You could just bail on the sweets entirely at breakfast.
Congrats on your weight loss! It's so much work to change habits!!!

That is my ultimate goal. I'm trying to "unsweeten" my diet as well as add more veggies and whole foods, reduce the number of grains. I find I have better long-term success if I take baby steps.

I do like the idea of leftover dinner for breakfast, but I tend to eat a very small dinner that I make in single-servings: a light salad with scrambled eggs or some kind of legumes . . .

[Crankin]

I eat almost anything for breakfast. Mostly, egg whites, eggs, turkey bacon, whole wheat bagel sandwiches, and maybe waffles on the weekend. I don't like cereal and it keeps me full for maybe 15 minutes. I like oatmeal, but it doesn't like me...

[carlotta]

I like making baked-eggs of some variety for a change from the usual scramble/fry/poach routine. Those baked squash look amazing, and here's another option:

*Fritatta with spinach/onion/peppers/(and meat, if you eat animals). Not sure if white potatoes are on your food list, but sweets would work fine (and may be be really good, I just gave myself an idea). I make the whole thing in an oven-proof saute pan, so only one thing to clean....

Saute the filling ingredients, then dump them onto a plate. Slice the potato(es) (I usually use one medium baker or a couple yukon golds for a 10" pan) into thin (1/8") rounds and layer them in the pan so you can't see the bottom of the pan anymore, then add your filling parts and pour beaten eggs over the whole thing (I use ~6 eggs for a 10" pan, beaten with maybe 1/3 cup milk). Put the whole thing in a 375 oven and cook until it's no longer wobbly in the middle (~20-25 minutes). Cool for a few minutes, run a spatula around it to un-stick the edges, then invert it onto a plate/board and slice like quiche, and it keeps in the fridge several days and freezes well also.

*Quiche is the obvious and quite similar option, but not sure how tasty gluten-free pie crusts are for the base.

I also eat yogurt most weekdays for breakfast, but I need more than just yogurt or I'm hungry by 10am, and I usually eat steel cut oats, so that's not super helpful.....but yogurt's good!

[Dannielle]

I make crustless quiche from time to time (I suppose it's more of a fritatta without the crust lol). my favorite versions involve either broccoli or spinach or something Mexican-ish with salsa. Seems to be a good way to get around the gluten-free crust issue.

[OakLeaf]

I made an oat flour crust for a dessert pie the other day, and it came out fine. I'm pretty sure I used the recipe from Bob's Red Mill (http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_detail.php?rid=368). You won't get a flaky paté brisée without wheat flour, is all; once you give up on that idea you can make a crumb crust from just about any type of flour, including nut flours. GF oat flour is available, and I think the flavor would be fine for a quiche.

[Brandi]

I do not like sweet breakfast stuff nor do I like cereal. I mean I like it but it does not work for me for breakfast either. I have posted about this here before myself. Thanks for bringing it up again always nice to see new idea's. I personally love avocado on whole grain toast in the morning. I put a little lemonaise on it and tad sprinkle of garlic salt. Mmmmmm Also sounds strange bu pumpkin pie is really good for breakfast. I know it is sweet but it keeps me going for hours!:p And it's pie for breakfast!