Suggestions for breakfasts...

Crossposts: http://telophase.livejournal.com/1872930.html

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food,
recipe

Suggestions for breakfasts...

In need of quick breakfast ideas, as I'm bored of what I usually eat (which is throwing either a couple of frozen waffles or 2 oz. of cereal into a bag/container and taking them to work).

Limitations to work around:

1. I need more protein in the morning. Just the carbs of the waffles/cereal isn't optimal. (Actually, those tuna lunch things* with tuna and crackers and a bit of mayo aren't bad, but also get a bit boring day after day after day.)

2. Lactose-intolerant. Which means yogurt, milk on the cereal, Babybel cheeses, etc. are out.

3. Need to be able to take it to work. If I eat too soon after I get up, I get nauseated. Taking it to work and eating it about 9-9:30 AM works best.

4. Minimal prep time. Ideally, take it out of the fridge/pantry, throw it in my bag, and go. I rarely manage to drag myself out of bed in time to cook.

5. No need to be limited to traditional breakfast foods. I'm also open for stuff I prep, say, on the weekend and have available through the week.

6. At work I have easy access to a fridge, microwave, and a toaster (whose levels are "not enough" and "too much"). Too much effort to haul stuff up two flights to the staff break room to use the microwave, then haul it back down to eat (because if other staff are in there they'll want to TALK and I don't want to in the morning! What the hell was I thinking? I've got access to a microwave down here! I went and nuked my lunch right after writing this and didn't even realize it. *headdesk*)

So ... any suggestions?

* which don't have anywhere NEAR the amount of calories required for lunch. 250? No way!

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Bagels or English Muffins + topping.

Toppings: Smoked salmon, hummus, almond butter & honey, salmon flakes, etc.

You can prep the toppings the night before. Put the amount you want into a smaller container and slip it and your bagel/muffin into a plastic baggy. Then, as you go to work, grab and keep walking.

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If you have a rice maker, then rice + topping is also good. (You can set the rice up the night before and then spoon some into tupperware in the morning). Pre-prepped onigiri could also be tasty. When I was in Japan, I'd buy those from a convenience store each morning for breakfast.

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Breakfast bars?

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Fruit smoothie. Put favorite fruit, some complementary fruit juice, and ice into a blender. Blend until smooth. (If it doesn't taste quite right add a little lemon juice). Put into fridge and take out the next morning. (Opt: Add a breakfast bar, waffle, toast, bagel, muffin, etc to round it out.)

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Soup. If you have time to microwave it, try some non-chunky soup. You can put it into a thermos/drinking bottle/etc and drink it rather than eat it. (They also make those soup sipper things if you want to minimize the fuss even more).

Thanks! (I'm trying to work up a shopping list. XD)

Mini-quiches? You can make them in muffin tins. I am lazy so I generally skip the crust too. There's often milk or cream in the recipes, but you could skip or use a substitution of your choice. Ditto on cheese.

I'm also lactose-intolerant, and I like adding soy milk (unsweetened) to my breakfast smoothies. That has some protein, though I don't know if it's enough for your purposes.

Maybe tamagoyaki? Or just an omelette, rolled up to save on space? You could make it the night before and then either eat it cold or nuke it.

I will happily eat leftover bits of any grilled meat for breakfast; if you will too, that's another way of adding protein. You can make that in the evening, or during the weekend, then cut it up and pack small pieces to bring to work.

I've been making one of these on a Sunday and eating a slice each day on the ferry ride to work - I call it Breakfast cake! :)
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-cake-recipe.html

Not that much protein - guess you could increase the nuts. It's very... stodgy. Maybe you could substitute something else for the yoghurt, though I've been wondering what it would be like without the yoghurt.

It's good to eat cold, but it's even better warmed up a bit.

The roomie gets low blood sugar like a five year old, so he makes fruit smoothies and just leaves the pitcher in the fridge for two or three days until the smoothie is gone. Soy milk, fresh or frozen fruit, frequently an Emergen-C packet or three, sometimes a nut butter for added protein... he swears by them.

He's veg and I'm not, so I'm a big fan of deli slices, especially turkey. Smear a double-layer of sliced turkey with hummus, sprinkle with black olives (and cranberries if you're feeling festive), and roll the whole thing up into a mini-burrito. They take the fridge pretty well, too. I've also been known to buy a big bag of jerky and leave it in my desk just to have something to gnaw on throughout the day.

I'm vegetarian and allergic to eggs, so every so often I need to have dinner for breakfast--chili, minestrone soup, bean burrito, etc. If I'm not in the mood for savory first thing in the morning, I eat a sweet first (like fruit), and then dive into the main dish... Could you nuke some kind of sausage breakfast thing at home and take it in an insulated container? What about keeping some candied nuts around as a sweet protein?

Thanks! And I realized that I *do* have access to a microwave down here in the basement - I used it to nuke my lunch right after writing this! I have no idea what possessed me to claim I didn't have access. :/

I was thinking, while I was walking, about couscous dishes, too--if you make it with whole grain couscous and add dried fruit and nuts it will have some protein and be sweet... I'm very big on the sweet, psychologically, for breakfast! Also, oatmeal with candied nuts on top.

Can you use soymilk? I have been using Silk Vanilla for a couple of years now, and I've come to prefer it on cereal to regular milk.

Some other ideas I found online:

Whole-grain varieties of breads, tortillas, crackers, bagels, or pita breads; top or stuff with any of the following:

Salmon spread made with low-fat cream cheese [you will have to use a different binder - maybe lo-fat mayo?], canned salmon and your favorite herbs
Hummus with grated carrots and raisins
Leftover skinless chicken or turkey with light mayonnaise and cranberry chutney
Bean spread with lettuce, tomato and cucumber slices
Scrambled egg substitute or eggs with salsa
Peanut butter with whatever condiment you like (all-fruit spread, honey, slice banana, etc.)

Along with your breakfast carbs: slices/chunks of ham or chicken; hard-boiled eggs; unsalted nuts; shelf-stable salmon or tuna (available in packets).

I could use soymilk, but I hate the flavor. :) I could use Lact-Aid lactose-free milk, but when we lived in the Serengeti when I was a kid, we didn't have fresh milk, only dried, and I lost the taste for it, so milk without anything added to disguise the flavor is pretty nasty to me now.

Thanks! I'm trying to work up a shopping list that'll give me some options other than the ones I'm bored of now.

I used to hate the flavor of soymilk, and then my boyfriend convinced me to try Silk, and I found that I really liked it. I don't know if that means they've improved in in the last few years, or if my tastes have changed.

Have you tried rice milk? I liked that a lot more than soymilk.

I have a couple of favorites, some were suggested to me by Cho.

Can you eat or do you like summer sausage? I get some wonderful summer sausage from my buffalo guy. It's not too high in fat, and I eat it with crackers (saltines, actually). I can keep a roll in the fridge, slice it off, and hey presto food.

Another thing I like is grilled meat. I do either teriyaki chicken thighs or buffalo steak. I marinate my steak in soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic and ginger, a bit of olive oil. I cut the steak into chunks about 3-4" square. Grill to the point you like. Then, when they're cool, put them in a plastic tupperware container, in between layers of waxed paper, and pop in the freezer. I pull one out and let it thaw in the frig and on the way to work, then I slice it up and eat it up. You can also slice it into strips when cool, and freeze in individual freezer baggies.

How do you feel about frozen meals? Amy's brand has some really yummy meals that are breakfast friendly and do not contain any milk. I really like the tofu scramble--it comes with hasbrowns and sliced tomatoes. Kind of a vegetarian UK breakfast. Also, I like their soy cheese mac n' cheese.

Another thing I used to eat was the morningstar farms sausages. Just nuke em or toast em, and eat with toast. They are fakeo protein, so it's not as high as real meat, but definitely an improvement.

Also also, if you're feeling very adventurous, have you tried making your own cheese? My brother has lactose troubles, but he can handle homemade ricotta just fine. I'm not sure why, but I've heard the same thing from others.

\o/

telophase can eat enough other things that I was being lazy with my recommendations. But yeah, chicken thighs are really just protein waiting to be seasoned, cooked, and used.

The frozen little meats have been a real lifesaver for me! :D In fact, this last weekend I just popped a fresh set of frozen baked chickie thighs in the freezer! Omnomnomnom. It's made a big difference to be able to have something easy and protein rich that is mild enough on my tummy.

Mix up a container of trail mix type stuff, with whatever cereals, nuts, dried fruits you like? Just pour yourself a ziplock baggie full in the morning and take it with you. For more protein, hardboil up a whole package of eggs and grab one or two along with your trail mix in the morning. Ought to be able to prep up a whole week's worth pretty easily and then take that with you.

Huh, I oughta do something like that for myself.

I have recently discovered fried egg on top of a salad makes for an AMAZING quick and easy breakfast. It does take some cooking, but an fried egg is literally less than 5 minutes. If your commute is too long to eat a fried egg afterward, you could switch it for hard-boiled eggs (it's easy to make a whole bunch when you have time, then keep them in the refrigerator and eat one at a time). I just use plain spinach or a pre-made salad mix, a little olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, than egg on top. So good!

Last year, I made a huge batch of baked beans and ended up eating it for breakfast every day for a couple of weeks (the big advantage of homemade baked beans over canned is that you can control the sweetness/flavoring; it does take a few hours of mostly unattended cooking time, but you can make as much or as little as you like, so it can be made as infrequently as twice-a-month). I found it surprisingly satisfying as a breakfast food, and god knows a small tupperware thing of beans is easy to haul around and heat up, and easily consumed at a desk whilst one is doing other things. Maybe kinda boring if you do it all the time, but it might be good in a rotation.

Or, hey, as someone suggested above, hard-boiled eggs are an excellent source of easily portable protein that can be made in advance. I don't particularly like eating straight hard-boiled eggs, but some people do.

(And how are you with hard cheeses? My lactose-intolerant mom and older sis can usually handle harder cheeses like cheddar and parmesan, although soft cheeses and ice cream and whatnot are definitely out--they have more lactose, apparently. I cannot remember whether baby bels are hard or softish.)

Also on the subject of eggs...fried rice, maybe? It doesn't need to be uber salty/fatty unless you like it that way, and then you've got some protein from the egg, carbs from the rice, and vitamins from whatever veggies you toss in. I find it heats up okay, generally.

Porridge with nuts. Dunno if the amount of nut one typically adds to porridge is enough protein. But, nuts! Keep a jar of peanut butter in your office and bring in bread or english muffins or something, and make peanut butter toast! Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein, conveniently does not need to be refrigerated, and it's great on any kind of toast with or without butter. (If you had squashed bread issues, you could pick up one of those sandwich shaped containers to carry it in.) This can also be the basis for such variations as peanut butter sandwiches with apple, banana, honey, jelly, or even bacon, I suppose. (Some of these are easier than others.)

Also, I so hear you on how eating too soon after getting up can make you feel ill. I've regularly skipped breakfast in years when I had to get up before 8am--I always knew I'd regret it later on, but I'd regret it just as much when I did force myself to eat and then had to lie down because I was nauseated.

I second burritos, which are my go-to "I need more protein" meals. Bean or beef & bean work well for me.

Lox or smoked salmon on toast is nice.

I really like shredded roast chicken, but it takes a bit of prep work. I do it this way: roast a whole chicken on a day when I have the time to watch it in the oven—it's not that labor-intensive, you just have to be home for a few hours, and you'll wind up with several meals' worth of chicken. Roast the chicken in whatever way makes you happy, let it cool enough to handle, and shred all the meat. Portion into ziplocks in meal-sized portions (whatever that means to you) and freeze.

Then, when you're ready to leave for work, grab a bag of chicken plus one of the following: a) a couple of tortillas and a little container of salsa, b) some bread and a bit of mayo, c) some cooked rice in a tupperware (I often make a bunch of rice and then portion it out for the week) plus a bit of chopped pickled ginger, d) a little container of mixed lemon juice and olive oil and a couple of pita breads. When you're ready to eat, zap the chicken (if it hasn't defrosted on its own), then combine with the flavoring (salsa, mayo, ginger, lemon/olive oil). Heat the starch if necessary (warm the tortillas, toast the bread, warm the rice, warm the pitas), and fill with the chicken mixture. Nom.

Do you like Tofu Kan? I like it enough to eat it out of the plastic wrap. You could take a slab and cut it half and stick stuff inside, like slices of avocado or cheese or peanut butter (mixed with spicy sauce?).

As others have suggested, Morningstar Farms has good imitation meat.

Do you like smoked salmon or smoked oysters?

Will people be bothered if you cook scallops in the microwave? (They could be tricky to get just right, but I personally don't mind them overcooked, and so I like them okay with sprinkling on ginger and onion powder and black pepper before nuking them a generous amount of time.)

Japanese rolled omelets with fillings? I used to make those for my kid to take to school. Actually, a lot of bento-box style food I'd happily eat for breakfast.

I buy egg whites in a small 'milk' type carton at Costco. I have a microwave egg poacher (http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-2-Cavity-Microwave-Poacher/dp/B00004W4UR/). (I have four actually, so I don't have to do dishes so often. =p) I pour the egg whites into the poacher, top with a pinch of pepper, and one minute later I have lean protein to carry me through the morning!

oooh free run egg whites! (http://www.grayridge.com/products-liquideggs.php)

Um, yeah, I tried egg substitute but that is just gross. Pure egg whites in a carton's the way to go!

I also buy precooked sausage patties, bake lean chicken breasts, eat some nuts, or fry up extra lean burger meat as small patties to go with my oatmeal.

Edited 2010-11-03 20:53 (UTC)

I often bring rice with an omelet-like like thing on top to work for lunch. (I've also had it for breakfast when the egg and rice are both fresh, which makes it even better, but it's still pretty good cold.) I like mixing the egg with a little bit of soy and eel sauce and sometimes also garlic chili paste, for flavor. Takes a few minutes to cook it in the morning, throw on pre-made rice, and cut up a quarter/half an avocado for extra yumminess if I feel like it. Tossing on a pinch or two of black sesame seeds is also good.

When I need protein in the morning, I like to put a little Eggbeaters (or a real egg!) in a bowl, stir it up, and nuke it in the microwave for about it minute. Instant faux-scrambled eggs! You could make it and then put it in a little container for later, or you could bring some eggs/Eggbeaters to work and make it there. Hardboiled eggs are also an option.

I also third (fourth?) the Morningstar recommendation. Or Boca! Both brands have a nice variety of veggie-based fake-meat thingies that actually have a decent amount of protein and are (in my opinion, anyway) pretty tasty.

Can you do soy cheeses/hard cheese? I'm not a big meat-eater, so pretty much rely on cheese to get my daily dose of protein. I'd also recommend Almond Breeze almond milk, if you don't like soy milk. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I prefer it to other types of soy/almond milk.

Beans are also a good option. You could make use refried or black beans, put them on a tortilla with veggies/shredded cheese, store it in the fridge overnight, and then nuke it in the microwave at work.

Oh, and trail mix! That's a lifesaver for me on the days when nothing sounds appetizing.

I like to put a little Eggbeaters (or a real egg!) in a bowl, stir it up, and nuke it in the microwave for about it minute.

The salsa that we get has a recipe which involves mixing the salsa with cheese and egg to make a dip thing to put on chips -- they suggested this complicated layering thing and baking it, but I put it in the microwave. Cheesy salsa custard! It's pretty awesome. Doing it without the cheese would probably also be pretty awesome.

Ooh, that's clever!

Oatmeal's not a bad option, either. For quick & easy, get a microwave safe tupperware type container. Then, I go for the quaker instant packets (cinnamon & spice), some dried fruits for fun (raisins, blueberries, blackberries, all from central market, usually), and if i'm feeling extra healthy, a couple of tablespoons of forti-flax, also found at central market. The oatmeal gives you about 4 grams of protein, the forti-flax is good for fiber and omega-3's, and once you hit work all you need is hot water or water+microwave.

It's kind of high in fat, but I ate a PB&J sandwich (sometimes on toast) for breakfast for a good portion of my life. I've more recently dropped the "J" and just have peanut butter on either whole wheat bread or a wheat bagel. Fast, sweet and savory, and sees me well towards lunch.

I do muffin or bread with either tofu or turkey and tahini for breakfast--I need protein to start the day, too!

Can you store a container of oatmeal, a thingie of honey (or bag of brown sugar), and a jar of almond or peanut butter at work? My current breakfast is...

1/2 to 3/4 cup Trader Joe's old-fashioned oats (depending on how hungry I am)
Water (I used to measure, now I just eyeball enough to get it wet and have a little water above the flakes)
Microwave for 1:25 on high (more or less depending your microwave and the texture you like)
I add spices to it for extra health & taste benefits (you could skip or use a shaker that you've already mixed the spices in--I use cardamom, cinnamon, and a little nutmeg).
Toss in a couple tablespoons of Trader Joe's almond butter with flax seeds, which is inexpensive and very healthy.
Add some honey or brown sugar (I've recently been using fair trade Filipino moscovado from Whole Foods, yummy and full of extra healthy stuff).
Stir, top with a sliced banana if you want.

This takes about 5 minutes to make, and it tastes like a peanut-butter cookie and leaves me feeling more full and more energized than any breakfast I've ever had--no more hunger pangs at 11 AM!

It's dependent on your willingness to rinse out a bowl and a spoon, of course, but man, I do think it's the best breakfast ever. :)

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Suggestions for breakfasts...

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