Saturday, August 20, 2011
Get your day off to a good start with breakfast
Where did the summer go? Here we are, ready for the kids to go back to school, and ready or not, fall is on the way. While the calendar still says “summer” and the temperatures confirm it, the school buses will be rolling soon.
Summer days can bring some relief from everyday schedules, but back-to-school routines require sticking to some pretty strict timelines. The bus comes at specific times, classes and practices start and end at definite times, and school activities often dictate family mealtimes.
For many people, breakfast is the best meal of the day. But when you are racing to get yourself and your family together for the day and get out of the house in time, it can be hard to imagine how you might be able to fit in preparing and eating breakfast.
Of course, there are also people who dislike breakfast. They might feel queasy in the mornings, dislike traditional breakfast foods, or prefer to spend the few minutes needed for breakfast doing something else.
Nutritionists know how important breakfast is. Your body needs fuel to help get your day off to a good start—it has been hours since you last had anything to eat or drink. Ideally, breakfast should contain protein, fat, and carbohydrates, and about a third of your nutrients for the day.
Lots of people enjoy having a cold glass of juice with breakfast, so it is pretty easy to get at least one serving of fruit. While juice is a nutritious choice, consider ways to include fresh fruits as part of breakfast. Fresh fruits are usually lower in calories and sugars than juice and also provide fiber. Add fruit to your morning cereal or take a piece of fresh fruit to work or school as a snack.
The grocery store offers lots of packaged foods for breakfast, and while something for breakfast is probably better than nothing, shop carefully and get the most nutrition for your dollar. Compare prices and labels carefully to make sure you are getting the most nutrition for your money.
Cereals are a traditional breakfast food, and can provide low-cost ways to provide your family with high-impact nutrition. Many cereals feature added vitamins and minerals, but choose cereals with lots of fiber and low sugar content.
A granola bar sounds like it would provide a healthy meal, doesn’t it? But many cereal and/or granola bars can be high in calories and fat, and low in fiber and vitamins.
Some bars, such as Quaker Oatmeal to Go, do provide lots of nutrition and are comparable to a bowl of oatmeal. A Quaker Square, fruit juice, and an apple or banana is an excellent choice, offering lots of nutrition and good taste, too. Shop carefully to ensure you are getting the most nutrition for your food dollar.
If you enjoy baking, muffins and quick breads freeze very well, and can be quickly warmed in the microwave. Wrap muffins individually, and slice the quick bread and wrap each slice separately. If you were able to make homemade pancakes over the weekend, make some extra and freeze them. Pancakes and waffles take just a few minutes in a hot oven or microwave.
It can help busy mornings to plan and prepare ahead of time as much as possible, and not just in the kitchen. The previous evening, decide on clothes for the day, gather school bookbags, lunch money, homework, and work materials, and have them ready to go. Don’t save any chores or projects for the morning, saving those precious morning minutes. Set the table for breakfast the night before, and put the cereal and fruit on the counter, ready to assemble and serve. You can even prepare some breakfasts ahead of time, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, ready to be microwaved.
Here are some ideas for very quick, easy-to-prepare breakfasts that are tasty and nutritious. Many travel well, so you can take it along if you just can’t find 10 extra minutes to eat at home.
Add fruit juice and a piece of fresh fruit, and you have a meal that will help you feel and perform at your best for the day, and guaranteed to be quicker and much healthier than grabbing a biscuit from the drive-through at your favorite restaurant.
Spread toast (preferably whole wheat bread) with peanut butter, or top toast with a slice of low-fat cheese, or with cheese and tomato. Broil to melt cheese or just place in a warm oven until cheese melts.
On a sandwich bun, bagel, English muffin, or leftover biscuit, layer thinly sliced ham and a thin slice of cheese. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Microwave until cheese melts. Or serve cold, and enjoy some fresh fruit, such as an apple, pear, or grapes.
For those who dislike the usual breakfast foods, try a peanut butter-and-jelly on whole wheat. Leftover pizza can also be a good quick breakfast, served warm or cold.
Eat a few spoonfuls from a single-serve yogurt container, and then mix in a quarter cup of granola. Experiment with different flavors of yogurt. Add dried fruits, such as raisins, or toasted nuts if you like.
Try a smoothie. Smoothies may appeal to those who just can’t even think about actually eating anything in the morning. Smoothies can provide lots of nutrition and go together in a flash. This recipe is from the Florida Growers Association.
Sunshine Smoothie
One smoothie
One-half cup nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt
One-half cup nonfat lemon yogurt
One-half cup orange juice
1 medium banana or one-half cup sliced frozen strawberries
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Feel free to experiment with your favorite flavors of yogurt and your favorite fruits.
These pancakes are quick and easy enough to throw together in the morning. But if your mornings are too hectic to manage, you could prepare the batter the night before and store in the refrigerator, covered, overnight. Stir to blend before cooking. Or cook up a big batch on the weekend and freeze. These pancakes are great with fresh bananas and/or other fruits. You could also add a half-cup of chopped walnuts to the batter, or just sprinkle them on top while the pancakes are cooking. For a portable breakfast, spread with some peanut butter. This recipe is from Post cereals.
Banana Pancakes
6 pancakes
1 egg, lightly beaten
Three-quarters cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup baking mix (such as Bisquik)
1 cup Post Banana Crunch cereal
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and oil. Add baking mix and stir until just blended. Add cereal and stir until just blended. Do not overmix. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.
Heat skillet over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Drop equal amounts of batter onto the skillet. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the surface of the cake, then turn and lightly brown the other side.
Serve with sliced bananas, berries, stewed apples, and/or maple syrup.
Summer days can bring some relief from everyday schedules, but back-to-school routines require sticking to some pretty strict timelines. The bus comes at specific times, classes and practices start and end at definite times, and school activities often dictate family mealtimes.
For many people, breakfast is the best meal of the day. But when you are racing to get yourself and your family together for the day and get out of the house in time, it can be hard to imagine how you might be able to fit in preparing and eating breakfast.
Of course, there are also people who dislike breakfast. They might feel queasy in the mornings, dislike traditional breakfast foods, or prefer to spend the few minutes needed for breakfast doing something else.
Nutritionists know how important breakfast is. Your body needs fuel to help get your day off to a good start—it has been hours since you last had anything to eat or drink. Ideally, breakfast should contain protein, fat, and carbohydrates, and about a third of your nutrients for the day.
Lots of people enjoy having a cold glass of juice with breakfast, so it is pretty easy to get at least one serving of fruit. While juice is a nutritious choice, consider ways to include fresh fruits as part of breakfast. Fresh fruits are usually lower in calories and sugars than juice and also provide fiber. Add fruit to your morning cereal or take a piece of fresh fruit to work or school as a snack.
The grocery store offers lots of packaged foods for breakfast, and while something for breakfast is probably better than nothing, shop carefully and get the most nutrition for your dollar. Compare prices and labels carefully to make sure you are getting the most nutrition for your money.
Cereals are a traditional breakfast food, and can provide low-cost ways to provide your family with high-impact nutrition. Many cereals feature added vitamins and minerals, but choose cereals with lots of fiber and low sugar content.
A granola bar sounds like it would provide a healthy meal, doesn’t it? But many cereal and/or granola bars can be high in calories and fat, and low in fiber and vitamins.
Some bars, such as Quaker Oatmeal to Go, do provide lots of nutrition and are comparable to a bowl of oatmeal. A Quaker Square, fruit juice, and an apple or banana is an excellent choice, offering lots of nutrition and good taste, too. Shop carefully to ensure you are getting the most nutrition for your food dollar.
If you enjoy baking, muffins and quick breads freeze very well, and can be quickly warmed in the microwave. Wrap muffins individually, and slice the quick bread and wrap each slice separately. If you were able to make homemade pancakes over the weekend, make some extra and freeze them. Pancakes and waffles take just a few minutes in a hot oven or microwave.
It can help busy mornings to plan and prepare ahead of time as much as possible, and not just in the kitchen. The previous evening, decide on clothes for the day, gather school bookbags, lunch money, homework, and work materials, and have them ready to go. Don’t save any chores or projects for the morning, saving those precious morning minutes. Set the table for breakfast the night before, and put the cereal and fruit on the counter, ready to assemble and serve. You can even prepare some breakfasts ahead of time, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, ready to be microwaved.
Here are some ideas for very quick, easy-to-prepare breakfasts that are tasty and nutritious. Many travel well, so you can take it along if you just can’t find 10 extra minutes to eat at home.
Add fruit juice and a piece of fresh fruit, and you have a meal that will help you feel and perform at your best for the day, and guaranteed to be quicker and much healthier than grabbing a biscuit from the drive-through at your favorite restaurant.
Spread toast (preferably whole wheat bread) with peanut butter, or top toast with a slice of low-fat cheese, or with cheese and tomato. Broil to melt cheese or just place in a warm oven until cheese melts.
On a sandwich bun, bagel, English muffin, or leftover biscuit, layer thinly sliced ham and a thin slice of cheese. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Microwave until cheese melts. Or serve cold, and enjoy some fresh fruit, such as an apple, pear, or grapes.
For those who dislike the usual breakfast foods, try a peanut butter-and-jelly on whole wheat. Leftover pizza can also be a good quick breakfast, served warm or cold.
Eat a few spoonfuls from a single-serve yogurt container, and then mix in a quarter cup of granola. Experiment with different flavors of yogurt. Add dried fruits, such as raisins, or toasted nuts if you like.
Try a smoothie. Smoothies may appeal to those who just can’t even think about actually eating anything in the morning. Smoothies can provide lots of nutrition and go together in a flash. This recipe is from the Florida Growers Association.
Sunshine Smoothie
One smoothie
One-half cup nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt
One-half cup nonfat lemon yogurt
One-half cup orange juice
1 medium banana or one-half cup sliced frozen strawberries
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Feel free to experiment with your favorite flavors of yogurt and your favorite fruits.
These pancakes are quick and easy enough to throw together in the morning. But if your mornings are too hectic to manage, you could prepare the batter the night before and store in the refrigerator, covered, overnight. Stir to blend before cooking. Or cook up a big batch on the weekend and freeze. These pancakes are great with fresh bananas and/or other fruits. You could also add a half-cup of chopped walnuts to the batter, or just sprinkle them on top while the pancakes are cooking. For a portable breakfast, spread with some peanut butter. This recipe is from Post cereals.
Banana Pancakes
6 pancakes
1 egg, lightly beaten
Three-quarters cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup baking mix (such as Bisquik)
1 cup Post Banana Crunch cereal
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and oil. Add baking mix and stir until just blended. Add cereal and stir until just blended. Do not overmix. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.
Heat skillet over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Drop equal amounts of batter onto the skillet. Cook until you see bubbles forming on the surface of the cake, then turn and lightly brown the other side.
Serve with sliced bananas, berries, stewed apples, and/or maple syrup.
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