Recipes

During the week, I am almost always eating breakfast either as I am rushing around to get ready, or sadly sometimes in my car on the way to work. I keep telling myself I am going to start waking up earlier so I can sit and eat a peaceful breakfast, but the snooze button always wins. Here are my five favorite go to quick and easy breakfasts.  Please add yours as well in the comments!

1. Microwave Egg Cups: 2 weight watchers pointsplus
These are definitely a favorite on lots of weight loss blogs for a reason, because they are quick, easy and delicious.  I usually make mine by spraying the inside of a coffee mug with cooking spray and then pouring in either 1/4 cup of egg Beaters or 3 egg whites, some veggies (usually spinach and tomatoes), and a 2 tbsps of low fat feta or low fat shredded cheese.  Pop it in the microwave for 1-1.5 minutes and viola – eggs on the go.  There are literally endless variations of this easy recipe.

2.  Non Fat Greek Yogurt with Apple or Pear Sauce and Almonds – 4 weight watchers points plus
I have tried Greek yogurt a lot of different ways and my favorite is a cup of Greek yogurt (8 oz for 3 points) with  1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce (0 points) and 8 almonds (1 point).  Usually I sprinkle a little cinnamon and nutmeg on the top and sometimes swirl in a couple drops of vanilla or almond extract.  The protein from the yogurt and almonds usually keeps me full all morning.

3.  Savory Breakfast Muffins – 2 weight watchers pointsplus
Last week I posted a recipe for savory red pepper feta muffins and these are a go to for me in the morning.  I make a batch on Sunday with whatever veggies and cheese I have around and then can grab them on my way out of the door and eat them on my way to work.  Usually I pair these with a banana or apple to add in some fiber and round out the meal.

4.  Coffee Banana Smoothie – 3 weight watchers points plus
I found the recipe for this smoothie in Eating Well a while back and although I was initially a little scared to try it, I have found it is something I constantly come back to.  It tastes like a yummy coffee smoothie but has tons of protein and is much healthier.  To make it you add 1 cup of skim milk, 1 banana, 1 tbsp of instant coffee, a couple of ice cubes, 1/2 tsp splenda sugar mix, a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg, and 3 oz of silken tofu in a blender.  You can substitute non fat yogurt for the tofu, but honestly I love it with the tofu and think it is worth trying as tofu has so many health benefits.   If you use yogurt, I would recommend Greek yogurt as it is firmer and will create a thicker smoothie.

5.  Cliff Peanut Butter Pretzel Mojo Bars – 5 weight watchers pointsplus
Like many people I imagine, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with energy bars and go through periods where I eat them a lot and then burn out and won’t eat them for months.  However, when I do reach for an energy bar or finding myself needing to buy something for breakfast at work, the Cliff Peanut Butter Pretzel Mojo bar is by far my favorite.  It is full of salty pretzels and sweet peanut butter and peanut butter chips.  I also find that it keeps me full all morning which isn’t true of a lot of energy bars for me.