Breakfast!

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! It's also the most important for general health and well being. You can Google the health benefits of breakfast and find that a lot of legitimate sights (NIH.gov, WebMD, MedicineNet etc.) have articles on the many health benefits of breakfast. Some benefits include weight control, improved performance, and lower cholesterol levels to name a few. I will post the recipes in their own individual posts so I can categorize/organize them. But first I'll discuss some hints for making breakfast successful.


I am a morning person which means I wake up a lot earlier than I need to in order to get ready for the day. It is my favorite time to work out because with the "Dawn Phenomena" (increase in blood sugar at waking thought to be caused by the release of glucagon during the night) I feel the best while doing cardio exercise. Also, it will for sure happen if I do it early in the morning.


Even with me being a morning person I do not have time to make pancakes or waffles every morning and have time to pack up all the food I eat during the day. So on days that I don't have work I will cook a batch or two of waffles, pancakes, and/or french toast, and then freeze them. Then during the week, I will pop them in the toaster for an instant breakfast. I usually have two different varieties of waffles or pancakes in the freezer at time so I can pick and choose between them.


Waffles, pancakes, and french toast are some of my favorite breakfasts. Most people just add maple syrup to them, which is delicious, however, it is really high in sugar. So below are some alternative toppings.



WAFFLES, PANCAKES, and FRENCH TOAST TOPPINGS


Peanut butter (or almond butter) and sliced bananas

Fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey (or some plain yogurt)

Sliced apples with a touch of honey and cinnamon heated in the microwave until soft
(One of my favorites!)

Blueberries and roasted coconut
This is one of my favorites, I always have a big bag of frozen blueberries in my freezer so when I microwave them they are juicy. The juice provides some moisture to the breakfast making it more palatable. I top it off with shredded coconut that I lightly toast in the oven.

Apple Cheesecake
Another favorite (Just like half the lectures I give are my favorite, so too are many of my recipes!)
1 spoonful of cream cheese
2-3 spoonfuls of apple sauce
microwave for a few seconds until warm

Yogurt varieties
1/4 C plain yogurt
1/4 C puree mango
toasted coconut (optional)

1/4 C plain yogurt
1/4 C mashed bananas (or more) - can use other fruits such as blueberries, raspberries, mangoes, etc.
a small spoon of cream cheese

Sliced almonds or other nuts are also fun to add to most of these toppings. Also, if you are fond of the vanilla flavor, a dash of vanilla could be added to the yogurt type of toppings as well,