7 Great Breakfasts For American In Week

My sister is never a morning person, and she lives alone. Most likely, she would rush out of the door to get to work without having a cup of coffee.

Sounds like you, right? Seems like most people, I guess.

I am Abigail, a foodie and an enthusiast about anything remotely related to food, including my husband who, incidentally, is also in the food business, supplying meat and fish to restaurants and supermarkets.

So when you talk about breakfast, we have the best ones at home. I cook, and he prepares, and what he cooks, I love to eat.

Breakfast is usually his task, and I love the different surprise meals he comes up with.

What constitutes a good breakfast?

We sleep for 8 hours during the night, and most often wake up hungry. Thus the name of the first meal – break fast, intentionally referring to the need to eat after long hours of fasting while asleep.

A good breakfast should be a combination of:

Protein to fuel you through a productive morning;
Carbohydrates to give you a full feeling so you don’t binge the next time you see food;
Fruit, especially those high in fiber.

For people like my sister, here are some breakfast ideas that you can do quickly and painlessly.

You can mix and match them depending on what is available in your pantry or refrigerator.

Remember to get one item from protein, another one from carbohydrates, and the last one from the fruits.

Protein breakfasts to jumpstart your day:

Eggs

You can have boiled eggs, to eat with a little salt. If you have left-overs from previous dinner, like chicken, you can make an omelet with the chicken bits in it. You can also do sunny side-up eggs.

Bacon

Yes, bacon with all its dripping fat. Eat just a couple of strips, not a whole pack of it, and it’s still okay. My husband cures meat to make our own bacon, and I’d like to think our version is healthier as bacons rate.

Yogurt

I like the plain ones, but I mix in some dried fruits, nuts and figs. I also use yogurt with cereals.

Sausage

Here is another favorite of mine. There are now vegetarian varieties of it, but I like mine all pork and greasy. Again, eat moderately, and if you do, there is nothing wrong with sausages at least once a week. I eat a couple for breakfast, and it fills me up good.

Milk

In the old days, it’s what comes from the cow, but now there are a million varieties including but not limited to low-fat, non-fat, soya, skimmed and anything in between. I wish I could say we have a cow in our backyard from where I get my milk, but alas, mine comes in a bottle from the supermarket.

Ham

This belongs in the category of bacons and sausages – very delicious and filling, but to be taken in moderation. For breakfast, ham can be enjoyed with bread or a bagel.

Peanut butter

Who would think this makes a great breakfast? I do. Peanut butter and jelly on toast, and I can live through a horrendous morning. It’s very easy to prepare, too.

Carbohydrates breakfast to fill you up:

Oatmeal

My husband has a new twist to this. He adds in fruit or vegetable puree instead of milk. My favorite is pumpkin puree. When I feel I need more kick to get my morning going, I put in some chocolate syrup.

Cereals

There is a cereal for every person, I so believe that now as I go through a couple of aisles in the supermarket devoted to this breakfast favorite.I use milk or yogurt on it, and just in case I need to rush out of the house, I also stock a few cereal bars for breakfast-on-the-go.

Bagel

Do you know bagels originated in Poland? My favorite bagel shop told me. I get my fill of chocolate-flavored ones, and for good measure, I get a couple of poppy seed varieties. Two bagels are a good source of carbo for breakfast.

Pancakes

For quick fix, we cook pancakes in a big batch during weekends. Then we vacuum-seal and freeze some of them for another breakfast during the week. When needed, we warm it up in the toaster, pair it with syrup, usually maple, and add in a few fruits on top or whipped cream or yogurt.

Hash browns

We make big batch during weekends, and put it in the freezer, and during the week, we heat it in a skillet with some onions, and it becomes a very nutritious breakfast. I eat a couple of this, and I am ready to conquer the world.

Bread

All-time breakfast go-to. It makes into a filling sandwich, or eaten with sunny-side up eggs. For a complete meal with protein, carbo and fruit, you can toast a whole-wheat bread, smear on it some smashed avocado seasoned with salt and pepper, then top it with a sunny-side up egg.

How is that for a complete breakfast?

Muffins

When we have free weekends, we like to bake a big batch of muffins for storage, but most often, we buy ours from the bakery near our restaurant just before we go home at night so we enjoy some discount.

We vacuum seal and freeze it easily with a foodsaver vacuum sealer, and when we are in the mood for it, we just pop it in the toaster for a quick heat-up. This can be enjoyed with bacon or sausages.

Fruit breakfasts for the vitamins and fiber:

Oranges

These are rich in vitamin C to keep away diseases, and are also rich in fiber.

Banana

This fruit is high in potassium and is a great breakfast food to see you through the morning.

You can slice up your banana and mix it in your oatmeal, or you can put it as toppings on your pancakes with a little drizzle of chocolate syrup.

But the best thing is that we should make delicious smoothies with bananas to enjoy.

Apple

Apples can be eaten as is, or sliced and eaten with yogurt or with cereals. This fruit is also rich in potassium for strength.

Avocado

Avocado is a good source of fats. Like everything else, we always say eat in moderation. The fruit can be enjoyed with yoghurt. Or, it can be eaten with gusto by just slicing it open, put some brown sugar in it, and scoop up!

Berries

A bowl of mixed berries go great with yogurt or can be mixed in with oatmeal or cereals. You can make a parfait for breakfast using yoghurt with different layers of berries. Looks good, tastes even better. It is also rich in anti-oxidants.

Grapefruit

This is a good fruit option if you are trying to lose weight. Grapefruit has fat-burning properties, as well as it hydrates you and boosts immune system.

Watermelon

Very aptly named, this fruit is hydrating and rich in fiber. It gives you a full feeling, but without the calories.

Coffee, tea, or me?

It’s a toss-up, and comes down to preference. For me, it’s neither since I don’t like both, but prefer hot chocolate when I need something hot.

Coffee is rich in anti-oxidants that can protect you from diseases. As everything, drink moderately. One cup in a day is healthy enough. Also, to keep it healthy, don’t load up on the sugar and cream. Drink your coffee with skim milk instead.

Tea has less caffeine in it, and actually hydrates the body. You can choose from black tea, white tea or green tea, which is healthiest option. Tea can not only perk you up for the morning, but it can also help you lose weight.

The right breakfast mix

Remember, the right breakfast mix is a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and fruits. So choose one of each daily.

Making take-away protein smoothies for breakfast is my family’s favorite. Very simple, I usually use my ninja blender or a blender food processor combo to make the nutritious breakfasts.

Try not to repeat the choices during the week to keep it healthy. For example, we don’t want you eating ham two days in a row, followed by three days of sausages. Eat in moderation and variation.

Also, keep it fun. Mix it up as you go along. Remember the toast with the avocado and the egg on top? How about you try the frozen banana with peanut butter, with dried berries sticking on it?

So easy to make: skewer the peeled banana and lay it down on the baking sheet. Smear peanut butter unto it. Sprinkle the berries on the peanut butter. Put the whole sheet in the freezer. Tomorrow when you wake up, you have breakfast on the stick!