Saturday, September 6, 2008

The Breakfast Challenge...With A Prize!!!



Here's the thing. I've gotten myself into a bad habit that I can't get out of. I don't eat breakfast. Yeah, I know, it's pretty bad. I would consider myself a pretty healthy person when it comes to eating except for this one little thing...and it's bothering me. I know breakfast is the most important meal of the day but, for years, it's been just a cup of coffee. Now, I don't skip breakfast every day but, pretty much 5 out of the 7 days. If I'm making pancakes or eggs for the family, I'll join in but, I don't really enjoy it. I enjoy different kinds of breakfast foods, just not always at breakfast. I've tried smoothies but, they don't fill me up. I do the oatmeal thing on occasion but, that gets pretty boring. I even bought this yummy pumpkin flax cereal that had a lot of fiber in it and filled me up until lunch but, that wore off after the box was gone. I'm weird, right?

Here's where you come in...

I'd love to have some ideas of a healthy, filling, and semi-interesting breakfast that isn't tough to prepare and that I will enjoy and maybe form the habit of eating breakfast again. I welcome any and all ideas. I'm not picky, I'll try anything. It does need to be healthy though so, no suggestions of doughnuts or cinnamon buns. (sorry) :) There's something in it for you, too. I will try all of your ideas, kind of like a little experiment and pick my favorite. The winner will get a pair of earrings made by me, in the style of your choice. What a deal, right? So, let's get started...Oh, and tell your friends about it too. I'd love to have a ton of ideas. Oh, and one more thing...if you're commenting, make sure I have some way of contacting you in case you are the winner! The contest will close on Tuesday morning September 9th @ 10am. I will see how many entries I get, then determine the date to announce the winner because I will need time to try all of the suggestions so, keep coming back to check for updates!

Thanks alot, this should be fun!

*Free Giveaway Friday over at The Pink Potpourri. Go on over and enter for a chance to win some beautiful photography!!!

13 comments:

Casey said...

i don't eat breakfast regularly either...unless someone brings something into work, it's the weekend, or i'm making it for my hubby.
about the only way i'll eat breakfast more than one or twice a week is if I make muffins or yummy bread at the beginning of the week...i blame my lack of breakfast eating on not waking up in time for work...BUT if i make something at the beginning of the week that is easy to just grab and go, i'll actually eat breakfast. i have recipes i can share with you for blueberry muffins, banana crumb muffins, monkey bread, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread.
let me know if any of these sound good to you and i'll send the recipe your way! : )

Painting 4 Him said...

I will be honest-I hate breakfast have always hated it. But now that I had the surgery, I have to eat it. Besides it is good for me, right? So anyway, now my ole standby which I have to say is very nutritious and quite yummy. Bare naked oatmeal (very berry is my fave), with one egg white in it. Mix the 1/2 cup water and egg wite then add oatmeal packet. Nuke for 30 seconds, stir then 1.5 minutes more. Add other fruit and skim milk if you like. It keeps me going all morning. I also have to have a snack mid morning- which is necessary for all of us.

Whitney said...

I am totally with ya. Breakfast is so hard to eat. :) I will work on it with ya. But lady - if I had a stack of pancakes like THAT every morning, I would definitely eat it! HA!

Circular Logic said...

I eat breakfast every morning. On weekdays I eat Kix...I know it's for kids, but I don't care. It's a little bit sweet but doesn't have a lot of sugar, and 3g of fiber. On weekends I eat something a little more fun...my favorite is Nutella on Kavli crackers--I get the thin ones, which are also high in fiber. I also drink smoothies made with all kinds of fruit and yogurt. On weekdays I take my smoothie to work and drink it mid morning...it keeps me going throughout the day. I know you said smoothies don't keep you full, but I think that they're great to drink with something else. Kind of helps balance out the bread.

Tracy said...

I tend not to eat breakfast a lot either...but I made this one time for a potluck and it was so very yummy!

Crustless Bacon and Cheese Quiche

1 cup sliced green onions
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
12 slices Bacon
12 eggs
1/3 cup fat free Sour Cream
1 cup low fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup low fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Reserve 2 Tbsp each onions and tomatoes; set aside. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 1 Tbsp of the bacon drippings in skillet. Add mushrooms to skillet; cook and stir 2 min. or until tender. Remove from heat.

Chop bacon. Add to mushrooms along with the onions and tomatoes; mix well.

Beat eggs and sour cream with wire whisk until well blended. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish; top with bacon mixture and cheeses. Bake 30 minutes or until center is set. Sprinkle with reserved onions and tomatoes. Let stand 5 min.

Hope you enjoy it, too! :-)

Sarah in the Middle said...

Alright, here's some ideas from a devoted breakfast eater :)

My favorite smoothie:
1c. soymilk
1 FROZEN banana
1 T plain yogurt
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1 T peanut butter

This one will keep you going at least until that mid-morning snack :)

I love chopping up some veggies (peppers, onions, spinach) in a tupperware at night. Then in the morning I dump them in with a couple eggs and: instant omelette!

Are you not hungry in the morning, or just not so into breakfast food? Feel free to eat non-breakfast food, too! Leftover couscous and veggies straight from the fridge makes a good breakfast, too! A PB&J on toast is a fav of mine. And everybody knows that leftover pizza makes a great breakfast!

Anonymous said...

Lately, I've been eating breakfast cookies for breakfast. You can buy some, like Kashi oatmeal flax cookies which are full of good stuff. Or, you can make some, like this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Breakfast-Cookie/Detail.aspx

Courtney @ splashing grace said...

breakfast cookies!

3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1 med apple chopped
1 1/2 cups oatmeal, uncooked
1 cup shredded colby or cheddar cheeses
3/4 cup rasins

1. preheat oven to 375
2. mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt
3. stir in the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla
4. add apple pieces, oatmeal, cheese and raisins
5. place large spoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet
6. bake at 375 for 15 minutes

store in a covered container in the refrigerator (makes 2 dozen)

Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels said...

I never ate breakfast regularly until I got pregnant with my daughter. Now I eat breakfast pretty regularly. My favorites:

Quick breakfast for when you are out the door: a smoothie. I prefer not to add to much fruit because it messes up my blood sugar, and I try to pack as much nutrition as possible in that glass.
Usual ingredients: 8 oz milk, soy milk or almond milk; 1/2-1 cup frozen or fresh berries (I like blueberries best); 1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds; 1-2 scoops good-quality whey protein or brown rice protein (vanilla or chocolate, your pick). I love smoothies because you can make so many different flavors. Good ones are 1/2 banana, 1 Tbsp peanut butter, 1 tsp raw cocoa; 1/2 cup raspberries 1 tsp raw cocoa; 1 cup pineapple, 2 oz lite coconut milk, 1 tsp coconut flavor; 1 cup mango chunks, 1 small chunk fresh ginger.

Andrea@Sgt and Mrs Hub said...

Okay, I had the BEST breakfast ever on Wednesday!

Flourless chocolate cake.

It was so good and filling. It had eggs in it... But, you're right, eggs do not cancel out the 2 sticks of butter it had, or are they enough to make it qualify as healthy. So, moving on... :)

How about if you made a bunch of whole wheat waffles, stuck them in the freezer. In the morning take one or two out and toast them.(sometimes I spread p-nut butter on top - SO good) Just dipping it in maple syrup makes it easy and do-able. I am forever on the go - I hate to stop and sit to eat breakfast. So, with the waffles I can just rip of a piece here and there, dip, and eat on the go.

Fruit salad - made up ahead of time, stuck in a bowl in the refrigerator. In the morning you could just scoop some out, throw some wheat germ on top or perhaps mix with some yogurt.

Muesli. It's cheap to make - oatmeal and dried fruit.You could add flax if you wanted. Mix that in some yogurt (vanilla or perhaps a fruit flavor) and it will fill you up!

Mini muffins - you can make up some mini bran muffins, put them in the freezer, in the morning take out a couple, pop in the microwave or oven. Quick and easy.

The other day I made rye bread rolls. The next morning I took a leftover one, spread cream cheese on it, and ate it as I was working on my morning stuff. It was filling, healthy, and required virtually no work.

Okay, I am cutting myself off! I could go on and on! :)

Hope some of the ideas help!

-Andrea

3boys247 said...

When I remember to eat breakfast I usually pick this:

1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup low fat granola cereal
1/2 frozen berries (I let them thaw a bit before eating)

This packs well in case you need to eat on the run.

Another favorite is a protein shake, like slimfast or metabalife:

1 scoop shake mix
1 cup non fat milk
1/2 cup frozen berries

Blend well. Enjoy.

Hope these help.

Unknown said...

My favorite breakfast is some oat bran (RedMills is my brand) with a little brown sugar and frozen blueberries thrown in. The blueberries thaw and cool down the cereal. SO yummy.

Anonymous said...

So I was going to let you know of a couple of things that we do here at our house. My daughter always asks if it is a "hot or cold" morning. That usually depends on how smoothly the morning is going.
Cold mornings consist of lowfat or fat free vanilla yogurt, berries or fruit of some kind, (whatever we have to cut up or pull from the freezer), and some kashi granola. Lots of energy, feeling full, making it to lunch.
Hot mornings are homemade egg mcmuffins or breakfast burritos. We make these in batches and wrap them individually to pop into the freezer. You can make them pretty healthy if you choose healthy ingredients. That's what we do here in the good old state of WA.