Some mornings (OK, most) I am able to muster just enough brain power to make a pot of coffee. Cooking breakfast is out of the question. I won’t skip breakfast, though, no matter how tired or rushed I am. So where do I turn? A piece of fruit, maybe some yogurt, and the multifunctional breakfast bar. What busy gal hasn’t resorted to the conveniently packaged fruit and grain or granola bar? When your tummy is rumblin’ and you’re in a hurry, breakfast bars can keep you going until you have time for real sustenance. Lately I have been relying on this convenience food more than I should. They aren’t cheap and they often leave me feeling less than satisfied. Noticing the trend, my boyfriend suggested we make our own granola bars. The idea appeals to my inner hippie, because what could be more “granola” than making your own granola?

I’m not gonna lie, standing over a pan of melting honey, sugar and butter I felt a bit like a poser. Healthy. Psh. But I did the math (see below) and the amount of sugar and fat in each of these bars is not outrageous. Plus you get the benefit of about a fourth of the RDI of fiber and 12% of the iron.

If the idea of cleaning up a sticky mess scares you off, fear not! I have a solution. Generously buttering a piece of parchment paper makes short work of cutting the bars and clean up. Just lift the paper out once the bars are done baking and admire your spotlessly clean baking dish. You can also butter the pan if you don’t have parchment, but I didn’t try that method so I can’t vouch for its ease.

Though the original recipe yields 16 bars, I cut this batch into a dozen HUGE stick-with-you-through-mid-morning bars. If you’re in a hurry in the morning, toss one of these bars into a re-useable snack bag on your way out the door.

Toasty Granola Bars

Adapted from Alton Brown’s recipe
Makes 12 huge bars

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces dried currants or raisins

1. Butter the buh-jesus out of a piece of parchment big enough to fit inside and up the edges of your baking dish. It doesn’t need to fit perfectly because you will squish the granola into it to keep it in place. You can use a 9×9 or 11×8 dish (like me). If you only have a 13×9 you can probably use it but your bars will be thinner. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on this, because it can burn quickly.
3. While the grains toast, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a big saucepan. You are going to dump the grains into this later so you’ll need the extra room. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Remove the grains from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Add the grains to the honey mixture, add the currants, and stir until combined.
5. Place the buttered parchment into the baking dish and press in the granola mixture. Spread it evenly to the edges of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes.
6. Remove the pan from the oven, then lift the parchment out of the pan. Allow the granola to cool completely before cutting into bars. This is important because the bars will be easier to cut when they are completely cooled. Cut into 12 bars and store in an airtight container.

The pumpkin bread, also from The Joy of Vegan Baking, was such a miserable failure that I threw the entire loaf out. I underestimated the cooking time and over mixed the batter, resulting in a super dense and chewy brick. I learned from it, though, and I think the next time I attempt the recipe the bread will come out better.

Earlier this week I had the Tofu Quiche Salad from Field of Greens, and ever since I’ve been hankering for mini tofu quiches. I quick google search pointed me to The Fat Free Vegan Kitchen’s version. Off I went to Whole Foods in search of nutritional yeast and tahini. Exotic ingredients be damned, I had to have those quiches.

When life gives you failed quiches, make scrambled eggs

The coolest thing about this recipe is that it actually tastes like egg, and the texture is spot on. I think most folks would be surprised, and many would ask for seconds.

This recipe really couldn’t be easier. I even hesitate to call it a recipe.

Quinoa Qurispies

Adapted (barely) from this recipe
Makes 4 servings
Cost: pennies per serving
Total time: 10 minutes tops

1 cup uncooked quinoa (find it in the bulk bins at Whole Foods or boxed in the health food or pasta aisle)
1 Tablespoon agave nectar, syrup or honey
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and spread the mixture on a cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the quinoa starts to turn golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
3. Add the qurispies to your morning cereal or yogurt. I especially love the extra crunch and sweetness they give to yogurt.

I may experiment with the sweetener and use molasses for an even bigger dose of iron. I told y’all, I’m not messin’ around.

Photo Credit SweetBeetAndGreenBean

A few months ago I was on a muffin kick. Fayza joked that every time she called me to ask me what I was up to my response was “Making muffins”. I tweaked this recipe until I got it the way I like it, and I swear to you I’m so eager to eat these in the morning that I almost want to wake up early so I can get at them sooner.

I said almost.

They're not pretty, but they sure do taste good

Best Breakfast Bran Muffins EVER

(it’s important that you capitalize EVER, should you pass this recipe around)

Hands on time: 15 min
Baking time: 20 min per batch
Makes 12 good sized muffins

1 cup wheat bran (find it at Whole Foods in the bulk section or at some larger grocery stores in the health food aisle)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (I suppose you could use all purpose flour instead of wheat, but you lose the nutrition benefits of whole wheat)
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 cup flaxseeds (optional, but I like the texture they give and they are full of good stuff)
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar (original recipe uses 1/2 cup, but I don’t think it’s necessary)
1-4 ounce single serving cup of apple sauce
1 egg
1½ Tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Spray no-stick spray into the cups of a muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl mix the wheat bran, white and wheat flours, baking soda, salt and flax seeds (if using). Set aside.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Stir them around for about 30 seconds to make sure the sugar is mostly dissolved.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until just combined. Spoon or pour batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then pop them out.
5. Go ahead and eat one now. They’re healthy

“I started eating breakfast.”

Me, “That’s it?!?”

“Yep.”

This guy has the right idea

So what are your best choices? Anything with low calorie density, which means you get a lot of bulk (yay fiber!) for fewer calories. Here are a few of my favorite kick-ass-cheap-and-easy breakfast ideas:

• Oatmeal with low fat milk and prunes (aka Colon Blow)
• A slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and banana
• Low fat yogurt and a piece of fruit, whatever is in season
• Whole wheat tortilla, a few slices of smoked turkey and some low fat cheese rolled up

The idea is to combine something with fiber with a low fat protein. I confess that when I’m regularly exercising I need two small “breakfast snacks” before noon. I usually start with yogurt and save the high fiber snack for when I get to my desk. Spreading it out like that helps keep my hunger at bay until lunch.

Will you accept a breakfast challenge? Try to eat breakfast at least five days a week for the next four weeks. I’d love to know if you see any difference in your health, whether it’s weight loss, more energy, or a reduction in snacking, binging and cravings.

Photo credit Elston

Broccoli Omelet and Spicy Hash Browns

Serves 2
Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per person about $4

1-2 poblano peppers, depending on your heat tolerance
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium yellow or Yukon Gold potatoes (don’t use baking potatoes because they don’t stand up well to cooking in the pan)
salt
No-stick cooking spray
4 eggs
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen broccoli
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
pico de gallo
cherries or whatever fruit you like

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the poblano(s) in a baking dish and put in the oven. We are going to roast these suckers to bring out their flavor.
2. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stick pan. Rinse off the potatoes and dry with a dish towel. Julienne the potatoes into matchsticks. The best way to do this is to use the shredder blade on a mandolin, like the one pictured. It makes short work of matchsticking potatoes. All you do it slide the potato up and down the blade, et voila, matchsticks. The other way to do this would be to use the large holes on a grater or you could chop them by hand. However I think everyone should own a mandolin because it makes short work of all kinds of slicing chores. You can find them in most houseware stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond. Place the potatoes in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, then stir them around to mix. Add them to the pan and let cook for 5 minutes without stirring.
3. Take the poblanos out of the oven, flip them over, and put them back in. The side touching the baking dish should be a little blistered and charred.
4. Heat a smaller pan over medium heat and spray with no-stick spray. Break the eggs into a bowl and scramble with a fork. Dump in the broccoli and feta and mix to combine. You can make two personal omelets or make one big one and cut it in half. I go for the one big one because I’m lazy. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cover with a lid. This is a little trick one of my friends taught me. If you cover the omelet with a lid the top will cook without having to flip the omelet. I always make a pig’s ear of my omelets when I flip them so I like this method. The trick is making sure the egg isn’t too thick, or you will burn the bottom before the top cooks through. You could also just flip it or make scrambled eggs and to hell with all this flipping business.
5. By now the potatoes on the bottom of the pan should be browning. Flip them over and stir them around a bit to get more browning, hence the name hash BROWNS. Let those cook for a few more minutes. Keep an eye on the omelet. You will be able to tell when the top is solid or when you can flip it without it slopping around everywhere.
6. Take the poblano out of the oven. The skin should be charred and blistered. Put the poblano in a plastic bag for a few minutes. This will steam and loosen the skin. After a few minutes you should be able to pull off most of the skin. Chop the poblano into small pieces.
7. Remove the potatoes from the heat and stir in the chopped poblano. If the omelet is done cooking, remove that from the heat as well. Plate the potatoes and top with some pico de gallo (of course). Serve with the omelet and some cherries.

Like I said, if you don’t feel like dealing with omelet making just scramble the eggs. I’ve done it before and it works great with the broccoli and feta. I bet next time I visit my boyfriend he will get me to make these hash browns for him. He loves him some hot peppers.

While most nutritionists say whole grains are best, it’s just not practical for us busybodies to sit down with a bowl of cereal before we race out the door. My favorite get-in-my-belly-quick breakfast snack is yogurt, which I’m sure comes as a huge shock to you. I can slurp it down in a minute or eat spoonfuls while I’m doing some other task (usually my makeup). I have a pretty gnarly commute, so if I don’t eat my yogurt by the time I get to my desk I’m ready to bite into my own hand. If you don’t like yogurt, no problem. A hard boiled egg, whole grain toast, even one of those cereal bars is better than nothing. Just go easy on the pastries and donuts.

I want to be clear, I’m not advocating that you ONLY eat a container of yogurt for breakfast. Once you get settled into work you should try to eat another small meal, or “second breakfast” as the Hobbits like to call it. After about an hour of email and the usual morning catch up, I heat up some oatmeal or some other more substantial breakfast treat. This is the part of the day that I shoot for a FIBER BLAST. Oatmeal, flax seeds and prunes are a favorite combo of mine. Let’s just say it keeps things moving.

TMI?

Just to prove to you that you can start eating breakfast, even if you ONLY eat a container of yogurt, I do something kind of gross in the video below. I’m no video expert, so I apologize for the half-assed, half-headed offering. In the interest of not making myself puke, I only had one shot at this today.

My challenge to you is this: if your habit is skipping breakfast, start with a small snack every morning for a week. See how it affects your routine, and better yet, how it makes you feel.