if you are on a whole foods 'diet'

[abreakfromlife]

I dislike the word diet, b/c it's not really a diet, it's a way of eating. But ykwim. If you are basically eating whole foods, real food, non processed food, etc..........what are you doing for breakfasts? I'm kind of in a muffin/pancake rut and I'm really sick of using the oven when it's so hot, so I'm looking for some new breakfast ideas.

[Twinmom]

I'm doing a lot of smoothies for breakfast, with a dollop of egg protein thrown in!

[charlotteb]

I will drink a smoothie (strawberry, banana, blueberries and orange juice with 2 tbs of yougurt) or dry cheerios with mixed berries. Or 100% whole wheat toast or bagel with misc. fruit.

[Diana in OR]

We eat a lot of granola. You can make your own or buy it. Fwiw, I have not found much cost difference between granola that I make myself, and the bulk organic granola I can buy from my co-op. We've also been known to put dry oatmeal in a bowl, throw some trail mix on top (or raisins,nuts, etc.), and a little honey. Eat it with milk, just like cold cereal.

 

Sometimes I'll boil some eggs at the beginning of the week,and we have hard boiled eggs and toast for breakfast.

 

I sometimes have Kashi cold cereal (although I don't let my ds' near it b/c it's expensive and they just eat too much these days, lol!).

[clwcain]

I don't know if this is germane, but we do avoid processed foods as much as possible.

 

Typical breakfast in our house:

Egg: we keep some boiled in the fridge at all times so that I can grab it and go if there isn't time to fry one. On weekends we'll get wild and make a fritata with some leftover roasted peppers, tomatoes, goat cheese, etc. (generally, whatever needs to be eaten).

 

English muffin or sourdough toast: homemade when we can, but generally store-bought. We sometimes substitute pancakes if there are some leftover from Sunday brunch in the fridge.

 

When we find it on special we'll snag Canadian Bacon, which can be eaten cold or hot. I've also been known to just grab some beef jerky when I really need meat. Every now and then I'll get my wife some smoked salmon. I can't stand the stuff, but she loves it.

 

Coffee w/ heavy cream

 

Very often we'll add a bowl of homemade yogurt w/ homemade granola if we need more sustenance.

 

In winter the toast is often replaced with grits or farina, and the fried egg is then mixed into that.

 

I usually get hungry around midmorning and have some roasted almonds and a string cheese or similar food.

 

We're not rigid about the above, though. If we have a good cold soup in the fridge, I'll have that in lieu of the yogurt and sometimes instead of the coffee. I keep some premixed cold coffee for the mornings when I don't want hot coffee, etc.

 

Our kids usually have cereal and milk or leftovers out of the fridge. Rarely does my wife cook anything for them specifically.

 

HTH

[Janet in Toronto]

I've been eating a lot of steel cut oats and 8-grain hot cereal (both Bob's Red Mill). I usually top it with walnuts, raisins, some fruit, maple syrup from our family sugar bush, and cream.

 

Toast (from homemade bread) and cheese is another favorite breakfast, or toast with a poached (organic) egg. I confess to using Becel (margarine) in the summer because I can't find a way to keep butter soft but not melty. Local fruit is plentiful and relatively cheap here in Ontario in the summer, so that fills the rest of my plate or bowl.

[Pensguys]

oatmeal or yogurt and fruit; or Ezekial 4:9 cereal

[LauraGB]

I second the granola. We make ours. I've got a yummy recipe, if you'd like me to post it - let me know. Also, french toast is quick and easy; I know it relies on the stovetop, but its fairly fast. Eggs and toast. You can crock oatmeal the night before and add fruit in the morning. Sometimes, we just do bagels and fruit. Heck, even a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread and fruit works. I usually don't make breakfast, so everything has to be easy enough for dc to do it themselves.

[Jenny in Atl]

I usually have Greek yogurt and fruit. Saturdays were splurge and have GF pancakes and eggs.

[iquilt]

We make granola, our family goes through a double-batch every 2 weeks or so. We also have breads, I usually make my banana or apple bread in a double-batch and then freeze one for another morning. We only do eggs once a week as it's really only dh who loves that and he only eats breakfast on the weekends. Thanks for the reminders about smoothies, we haven't done that yet this summer!

[Jennifer in MI]

We're pretty boring here. Eggs (scrambled and hard boiled), oatmeal (not the instant kind), homemade granola, toast (homemade bread). We have a fruit snack around 10 or 10:30 - usually berries with nuts or yogurt and berries or a fruit smoothie. Holds us over until lunch!

 

Good luck finding something that works for you!

[abreakfromlife]

 

I've got a yummy recipe, if you'd like me to post it

I'd love to see it. I've tried granola before but it hasn't' gone over very well....so I must have not had a good enough recipe since so many ppl are using it, LOL.

[Queen_Zarga]

French toast made with cinnamon and vanilla is a hit here.

[DB in NJ]

I usually have either natural peanut butter on ezekiel bread or kashi with fat free yogurt and blueberries. Sometimes I'll have a glass of soy milk with it (when I have the sandwich, not the cereal) and an apple.

[Lakeside]

Our breakfast staples are eggs or oatmeal. Both can be used a variety of ways. In addition to cooked oatmeal, we make our own muesli. Occasionally we'll make granola, but muesli is a whole lot faster! ;)

 

We also have smoothies or green drinks. Dh likes to make smoothies, so he tends to make these more than I do. This time of year is good for the green drinks because of all the fresh greens!

 

We also have other hot cereals: Bear Mush (basically cream of wheat, but it is 100% whole wheat), rice cereal, quinoa cereal.

[LauraGB]

Here it is in its original form - I wish I could give credit to who came up with it, but I don't remember the author. I do make some changes, which I will share in parenthesis.

 

Killer Granola

 

To a glass 9x13 pan, add and mix well:

4 c rolled oats - not quick

1 c shredded coconut

1/2 c sesame seeds (I use flax seeds)

1/2 c sunflower seeds

1/2 c wheat bran (I use oat bran)

1 c walnuts, ground

2 Tbs cinnamon (yes, that's Tablespoons)

 

In a lg liquid measuring cup, combine:

1/2 c sesame oil (I use coconut oil or olive oil)

1/2 c raw honey

2 Tbs vanilla (yes, that's Tablespoons)

Pour over oat mixture in the pan, stir well. Bake at 350F about 30-40 min or until a lovely golden color and your kitchen smells divine, stirring after every 15 min.

 

After baking add:

1 c raisins or date pieces.

 

Makes about 2 qts (I store it in a 2qt mason jar in the fridge).

 

Some alterations I have made due to ingredients on hand were to chop some apples, peel and all, and add that w/the oat mixture and used maple syrup instead of honey, although, it really wasn't as sweet. I've also subbed chopped almonds for the walnuts and added a bit of almond extract. Its a good, tasty basic recipe that has plenty of room for adjustments to personal taste.

[muffinmom]

Here's what we're usually eating around here:

 

scrambled eggs or turkey bacon or frozen turkey sausage links +

 

Kashi blueberry frozen waffles or healthy cold cereal or hot cereal or muffins or biscuits or toast and jam +

 

fruit

 

I often make a double batch of muffins the night before, freeze some for later, then do a quick reheat in the microwave in the morning. I do this because my kids seem to want to eat the moment they get out of bed and can't wait for me to make them in the a.m.

[Jenny in Florida]

I make smoothies for my son and myself (and my husband when he's home for breakfast) with orange juice, strawberry Spiru-tein powder, bananas and frozen strawberries.

 

Usually, I just drink the smoothie, but the rest of the family usually eats something, too. Frequent choices are oatmeal, waffles, toast and (ashamed as I am to say it) frozen hash brown patties.

[mumztheword]

My kids love "Banana Splits" for breakfast: french toast with sliced bananas, maybe a drizzle of chocolate (OK, that's kinda cheating on the whole foods concept) and a dollup of whipped cream.

[Emmy]

great ideas in this thread - I can't wait to try the granola recipe!

[abbeyej]

Sprouted multi-grain bread toast with sunflower butter, sliced avocado, or butter.

 

Fresh fruit.

 

Steel-cut oatmeal.

 

Smoothie with fruit and perhaps fresh spinach.

 

Occasionally a Kashi cereal (Heart to Heart or Go Lean) with milk.

 

Ds is dangerously allergic to eggs, so we almost never have them in the house. If I get the chance to have a lots-of-veggies omelette though, I sure enjoy it! :)

[Mamagistra]

Here's a great hot weather breakfast. It may sound weird but it's super-yum.

 

Swiss Oatmeal

 

1 red apple, cored and coarsely chopped (or grated)

1 green apple, cored and coarsely chopped (or grated)

Juice of half a lemon

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (I use old-fashioned, which is what I have)

1 tablespoon yogurt (I use vanilla sometimes)

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

2 tablespoons raisins

 

In a large bowl, combine apples and lemon juice. Toss the apples to moisten. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate overnight.

 

May be kept in the refrigerator for up to two days (if it lasts). :001_smile:

 

Currants and/or other dried fruit are great in this, too. Experiment! ;)

[Cindy in C-ville]

Bump! Want to come back later and read and possibly add to it. But I'm guessing you ladies probably have it all covered by now!

 

:) Cindy

 

http://welcomingkatya.blog.com/

[Cindy in C-ville]

I was right, you really have it all covered. I will echo someone (I can't remember who) who mentioned the green smoothies. We've started doing this and some of the kids ask for them now. I LOVE that I can get in ~ 10-15 servings of fruits/veggies so easily. I make a blender full and then keep half of it in the fridge to drink through the day. Dh likes it, but calls it algae. :) That's okay - he's drinking it!

 

A fun thing we do sometimes is make banana pops. After dinner, each kid smears a banana with natural peanut butter and then rolls it in toppings - homemade granola, oats, nuts, raisins, whatever. We pop them in the freezer and then they eat it for breakfast the next morning.

 

Other ideas?

:) Cindy

 

http://welcomingkatya.blog.com/

[LauraGB]

I was right, you really have it all covered. I will echo someone (I can't remember who) who mentioned the green smoothies. We've started doing this and some of the kids ask for them now. I LOVE that I can get in ~ 10-15 servings of fruits/veggies so easily. I make a blender full and then keep half of it in the fridge to drink through the day. Dh likes it, but calls it algae. :) That's okay - he's drinking it!

 

Cindy, what's in your "green" drinks?

Thanks

[Cindy in C-ville]

Kale is the base. You can use any greens, but I'm just using kale right now. Then I core an apple (leave the peel on), add some fresh ginger, a frozen banana, a T of bee pollen, a T of hemp protein powder, a handful of carrots, and top it off with frozen berries. It sounds weird, but it's really good.

 

~C

http://welcomingkatya.blog.com/

[Lakeside]

Coffee w/ heavy cream

HTH

 

We started using heavy cream in our coffee daily while living in Germany. It was so good. The butterfat content was so high that there would be little pools of it on top. Yum!

[Lakeside]

A fun thing we do sometimes is make banana pops. After dinner, each kid smears a banana with natural peanut butter and then rolls it in toppings - homemade granola, oats, nuts, raisins, whatever. We pop them in the freezer and then they eat it for breakfast the next morning.

 

 

What a fun idea! We'll have to try this!

[Lakeside]

Another good breakfast is beans on toast. Dh picked this up while he was living in England. The beans they use are similar to what we think of as baked beans, but the sauce is just a tomato sauce. No pork or molasses. You can find the Heinz beans in the States, but we usually just use vegetarian baked beans.

 

It is warm and filling!

[Cindy in C-ville]

Beans on toast. I'm sure I would have a revolt around here. For mine, it really needs to be "breakfast food."

 

~Cindy

[Quiver0f10]

Dh and I have oatmeal just about every day. I add raisins or apples or a mashed banana and a tiny bit of walnuts. We sweeten it with a touch of real maple syrup or honey. On the days I want something different I have a whole grain bagel with some natural peanutbutter.

[Quiver0f10]

My kids love "Banana Splits" for breakfast: french toast with sliced bananas, maybe a drizzle of chocolate (OK, that's kinda cheating on the whole foods concept) and a dollup of whipped cream.

 

 

This sounds wonderful! :)