Some Additional Easy and Healthy Breakfast Ideas

You know what they say- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not only does it physically fuel you and get your energy levels in a good place to tackle your day, but it also sets the tone for all your meals. If you start the day by wolfing down a few donuts, then what do you think the rest of the day's meals are going to look like? I would bet my life savings that you're not going to order the salad for lunch after that junky culinary start. Still, morning is usually the time when people feel they have the least amount of time to put together something healthy to eat. Thankfully, some of the healthiest meals are also some of the simplest meals to put together.

It doesn't get much easier than eating a lot of fruit for breakfast. If you have a moment you can make a fruit salad or a smoothie, but in a pinch you can just eat a bunch of fruit whole. Apples, oranges, grapes and grapefruits are all favorites. Bananas are one of your best and simplest choices too. Eating whole fruit starts you off with a lot of clean energy to burn during your day, and the sugars won't make you crash like refined and processed sugars. Not only that, but there's nothing simpler then eating a few pieces of fruit. Apples and grapes take literally no preparation beyond washing. Oranges and grapefruits just need to be sliced a few times. Bananas just need to be peeled. You can do this in your house while preparing other parts of your day, or you can eat them on your commute to work. If you want to eat fruit for breakfast, then just keep your house stocked and you will have NO excuses for stopping and getting a few donuts instead.

If you like cereal and are already used to having it for breakfast, it's really simple to just buy healthier cereal and substitute it for your usual start of sugary puffed junk food. Make no mistake- there is no difference between starting your day with a snickers bar and starting your day with more processed breakfast cereals. Ditch the stuff that even kids should know better about and get something made from whole grains and dried fruit. It can come in a box, or you can buy it in bulk. This is not only healthier, but it's probably cheaper, than whatever junk you normally mix with your milk.

The same holds true for oatmeal. Though they take a little bit more preparation than pouring a bowl of cereal, eating breakfast porridges like oatmeal is even healthier, and much much cheaper. Just make sure you don't get the instant stuff, and instead get the steel cut kind that you need to flavor yourself. A little syrup or brown sugar is a good way to sweeten the bowl, though fruit is even better. Mix in a little ground flax seed for some Omega-3s, and there are few healthier and more affordable ways to start your day. And chances are that great mindset will carry through for the rest of your meal choices.

Simple Healthy Breakfast Ideas For Busy People

Here are 3 simple ways to make healthier eating choices next time you are faced with the common breakfast dilemma.  If you are focused on counting calories and either losing weight or managing your weight, breakfast can get you into serious trouble if you don't adhere to some of the following tips:

1. Pre-Make Foods the Night Before-
Instead of grabbing a high-fat donut or danish  on the way to work, try keeping a bag of dry cheerios, almonds, or unsalted nuts in the car. Enjoy consuming 50% less calories!

2. Just Cause You are There, You Don't Have to Eat It! -
Your taste buds will be singing for the high-fat selections, but that will pass in a few minutes. Be strong and make the healthy decision- you will feel great about it all day!

3. Master Your Sit-Down Breakfast Ordering -
When you are dining out for breakfast, try to have a consistent meal you order regardless of the location; and MASTER the way you order it. For example, the common 2 eggs, homefries, toast, bacon breakfast can be made healthier by simply ordering it this way:    2 Egg-Whites (lower cholesterol and sodium), Homefries Steamed (not cooked in grease and butter so you will consume less fat, sodium, and overall calories), Dry Toast (means no butter, so you will consume less fat, sodium, and overall calories), and the choice of meat is up to you.

Just because you have a breakfast appointment or stop for breakfast, at the greasiest place in town, doesn't mean you have to order the worst item on the menu! I hear this so many times:  "Well, since we are here I may as well order the____________"  Get away from this way of thinking as quickly as you can and stay focused on low-fat, lower-calorie selections on the menu.

Grab and go is a pretty common scenario for most households, and there is a simple way to avoid grabbing the wrong foods. Try this:  before you go to sleep tonight, make sure you have a plate of fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, and fat-free granola read to go when you wake up tomorrow. The rule of thumb for breakfast:  If it's simple to prepare, you will eat it.

Quick Healthy Breakfast Ideas For Kids

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and is vital to your child's health and growth. A nutritious, healthy breakfast is also an excellent start to your child's school day. It's the brain food they need to be alert and active for the day's studies.

Most often, it's hard to get children to sit down in the morning to a full-course meal. But there are other quick, healthy alternatives if you find your child too sleepy for a full meal or if time is an issue. Breakfast may be more encouraged if you get your little one involved in actually preparing the morning meal. Try it once and see what comes of it. Let them know how important their help in the kitchen really is to you. This may also be a good time to get your whole family gathered around the table. It all depends on your family's schedules and activities.

If you find getting your children interested in a full meal in the morning to be challenging...don't panic. It is very important to at least get them to eat some other quick healthful choices. There are various quick, healthy options for you to choose from. Let's explore...

Below are some food choices to get your kids moving in the morning

Smoothies

Drinking a refreshing smoothie makes it a lot easier to add more fruits and veggies to your diet, and kids love them. Smoothies give you a colorful variety of fruits and veggies. They are also easy and fun to make.

Banana Pineapple Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup cubed fresh pineapple
2 bananas sliced
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 cup non-fat yogurt (any flavor)
Ice cubes
Sweetener if desired

Directions

Combine fresh pineapples, bananas, soy milk, yogurt, and ice cubes in a blender.
Blend until smooth. Serves about 4.

Carrot Apple Juice Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup cold water
Ice cubes

Directions

Toss all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth

Muffins and Bagels

For healthier muffins or bagels of course, you need to bake the homemade type. It is best to make them with whole wheat flour. Homemade bran muffins are excellent with some low fat butter and low sugar jelly or jam and are also a good source of fiber. Apple or pear butter on top will also give you some added variety.

Below is a nutritious recipe I think your kids will take a liking to. Who says you can't have pizza for breakfast?

Muffin Pizza

Ingredients

2 english muffins
pizza sauce
grated mozzarella cheese
1 slice low-fat deli chopped ham
2 scrambled eggs (may substitute egg beaters)

Directions

Cut the 2 muffins in half. Top with pizza sauce, grated cheese, chopped ham, and eggs. Place under toaster oven for a minute or two. Adjust settings to your liking. Offer your child a piece of fruit on the side.

Fruit Salads

There are many variations of fruit salads and really, they are great anytime of the day...not just for breakfast. Fruit salads are excellent with some non-fat yogurt dip.

Breakfast Casseroles

There are many types of casseroles for breakfast. And to make them healthy, you can add any kind of veggies you like and is highly recommended to add to your daily intake of vegetables. Using turkey bacon or sausage and low fat cheeses is ideal when it comes to healthy casseroles. Also using an egg substitute such as egg beaters will give you less fat and cholesterol. With casseroles, you can make them ahead the night before and pop them in the oven in the morning.

Last Minute Breakfast

Always have dried fruits, nuts, dates, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and trail mixes on hand to toss into sealed plastic bags for those mornings when time just doesn't permit for a breakfast meal. Make for sure each child gets one of these bags before leaving the house.

There you have it...just a few ideas to keep breakfast healthy for your little ones. Also...don't forget to eat a good breakfast yourself.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas - Great Tips For a Better Breakfast

Why the focus on breakfast? It is the most important meal of the day (motherly tone provided for emphasis). When you wake up you have been without food for at least 7 or 8 hours if you've been getting enough sleep. Add in taking time to shower and get dressed in the morning, even longer. Add in the time between eating that discarded bag of potato chips and your real lunch time and you, my fine starving friend, have not eaten in an eternity.

When you are at home for breakfast, you need to have some stuff on hand that you are able to eat quickly, the grab and go type of stuff. Go to a regular supermarket. Find the cereal aisle. Buy cereal bars. They come in all types so browse and buy lots of them. Find the frozen food aisle. Locate where they have the frozen breakfast stuff. Buy frozen waffles, frozen pancakes and sausage, and frozen breakfast sandwiches. These are all microwave heat and eat type of breakfast entrees. They will get you through many mornings of saving time before your day officially begins. Check out the bakery aisle with all the 'fresh baked so you don't have to' muffins and stuff. Hint: these may also serve as later in the day snacks.

Once breakfast is over, and you are off to work, eat a power energy bar or yogurt shake to tide you over to lunch if needed. At lunch have your usual.

At dinner time hit another fast food restaurant or rely on your breakfast items for your main evening meal. Throw in a salad now and then when you order that pizza or wings. You need to work out too. You will feel better and live longer This is a truism that is really true. I hope these healthy breakfast ideas help you in your quest to live a healthier lifestyle. Good luck!

Healthy Breakfast Ideas to Shed Pounds Fast

Are you asking yourself "Why can't I lose weight?" The answer may be as simple as starting the day off with healthy breakfast ideas. Changing our unhealthy habits is probably the single most effective way to lose weight. And choosing healthy breakfasts for weight loss will start your day off on the right foot and heading towards your goal to shed pounds fast. Here are some healthy options to make your morning meal part of a weight reducing diet:

•     Eat breakfast. This one seems simple and obvious. But it really is the most important meal of the day. The food you eat in the morning gives your body the energy it needs to move and think. Just by eating something, you're avoiding hunger pangs later that will make it even harder to avoid temptation of snacking as the day progresses. So, If you have to skip it, make sure you bring some healthy snacks for weight loss just in case.
•     Think Portions. Place a small scooper or cup in your cereal box. You can easily cut down on the number of calories you're eating in the morning by just not overeating. A scoop or cup will give you the right serving size so you can avoid overfilling your cereal bowl.
•     Speaking of cereal: Choose a healthy cereal. Did you know that the average American will consume over 160 bowls of cereal this year? That's a lot of cereal. So, choosing a healthy cereal will cut down your calorie intake substantially this year. The first ingredient listed in Super Golden Crisp is sugar! It has 15.5 grams of sugar in one serving. To top it off it has a 122 calories, 0 grams of fat, less than 1 gram of fiber. Compare that to Fiber One Original with 0 sugars, 60 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 14 grams of fiber. If you're a sugary cereal eater, you could lose up to 15 pounds this year just by making this switch.
•     Oranges: Oranges are one of the fruits that help you lose weight. They are high in Vitamin C and A and low in calories and sugar. Lots of folks start their day off with a tall glass of OJ. However, many store bought OJ's have a substantial amount of sugar. Take a look at the labels and make sure to choose the option with the least amount of sugar. Some other options are to make the juice yourself. Or eat the orange. The whole fruit will give you all of the nutrients and minerals of the juice plus the fiber that will help your tummy feel full.
•     Coffee. Coffee is not bad for you. The jolt of a cup of joe is sometimes just what you need to get the day started right. But enjoy it with healthy breakfasts for weight loss and you'll enjoy the most benefit. Try to limit yourself to one cup. Especially if you like sugar in your coffee. Once you start adding syrups and flavors it becomes more of a desert and less of a beverage.
•     Dining Out: If you're eating breakfast at a restaurant, try to avoid muffins, croissants, and sweets. Instead choose eggs, lean meats like Canadian bacon instead of regular, fresh fruits and vegetables, and salmon. And if you're eating steak, wash it down with a glass of skim milk. Research shows that calcium helps to reduce the amount of saturated fat that the body absorbs.