My alarm goes off somewhere between 5:30am and 6:30am each day. I have approximately 2 hours to get myself ready, get my girls dressed, fix hair, brush teeth, make beds, make breakfast, drive to school and get myself to WERQ. Often times, what I eat for breakfast sets the tone for the day. If I skip it, I’m one grumpy bear. If I go for a big breakfast, I’m slow and tend to eat big for the rest of the day. In talking with my clients, WERQ students, and other busy folks, what to eat for breakfast is a big question for many. More often than not, we skip the meal altogether or leave it to the last minute only to end up with fast food.
Skip fast foods.
In my case (and probably yours too!), the ideal breakfast has to be a good fuel source, affordable, and above all QUICK. By quick I mean under two minutes of prep time. There are loads of ideas for healthy breakfasts out there, but many of them require long cook or prep times. On the flip side, the breakfasts that come in a wrapper may be fast and cheap, but end up being too fatty, processed,and dry.
Your ideal breakfast may call for some experimentation. Go for a combination of whole grains and protein, so you can make it thru the morning without bonking. You know when your stomach growls, you turn cranky, and feel low on energy…that’s bonking. To be active, focused, productive and on your game, you cannot afford to bonk.
Here’s what I eat:
- Quick cook oatmeal (Better Oats takes 90 seconds in the microwave and is typically on sale.)
- 1 TBS of natural peanut butter (less sugar and less processed than others)
- Top with a few berries (whatever is on sale: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc)
Kick off your active day with a powerful and quick breakfast.
This breakfast of oatmeal, berries, and peanut butter clocks in at around 300 calories and 10 grams of fat. There are lots of ways to flavor and layer oatmeal beyond what I’ve done here. Instead of berries and peanut butter, try adding walnuts or almond slivers and top with sliced bananas.
Haley Stone
