Breakfast of Champions

I can’t believe it..one week left of the job that consumed my whole summer. I learned SO much about everything food/cooking related, gained a lot of great friends, found out that I can survive a full-time job and still balance a life, and  created another great experience to add to my life list. And did I mention getting to eat some of the best food ever? Yeah, how could I forget that? So here’s the latest pictures of meals we’ve served…

Basil and tomato bruschetta (recipe here)

(no picture)

Lentil Potage, tossed salads, baguettes

Cream of vegetable soup, whole wheat round rolls, tossed salads, homemade croutons (for the soup), and shredded parmesan cheese (for the soup).

Cuban picadillo served over rice and bananas, mixed steamed veggies, tossed salad, and oatmeal buttermilk bread.

 

No picture unfortunately, but everyone loved my kangaroo!! :-)

Penne pasta with sautéed summer squash and ricotta, lemon chicken breast, tossed salads, brown bread.

Now onto the main focus of this post..breakfast. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ve probably noticed that number one, I am addicted to cereals, and number two, I am in love with breakfast. What does this mean for you? I always have new cereals to review, and more meals to share!

Mother’s Natural Peanut Butter Bumpers

These bring me back to the days of high-school mornings, when I would sit in front of the tv, procrastinating to leave for school, and munching on a bowl of Reeses Puffs. Of course Reeses Puffs aren’t the picture perfect healthy breakfast, which is where Peanut Butter Bumpers come in---made with real natural peanut butter, and they are sweetened with molasses and honey.

(Disclaimer: free product)

Nature’s Path Organic Heritage Bites

These taste just like Chex cereal, except you’re definitely getting more in the nutritional department…

Organic whole wheat meal, organic wheat bran, organic evaporated cane juice, organic oat bran, organic whole oat flour, organic Kamut Khorasan wheat flour, organic millet, sea salt, organic barley flour, organic barley malt extract, organic quinoa.

Dave’s Killer Bread Sin Dawg Bread

Loved this! You can tell it’s healthy, but it still has a sinful taste!

Organic cinnamon roll, 100% whole grain, and a good source of fiber.

Dave’s Killer Bread Good Seed Loaf

Hearty enough to hold up even the biggest sandwich, and I found that the nutty texture/taste of this bread goes great with peanut butter spread on top and sprinkled with banana slices.

13g of whole grains per slice, 4g of fiber per slice, certified organic, 610mg Omega-3 ALA per slice.

 

Manna Organics Multigrain Flax Sourdough Bread

Since your typical sourdough bread is a white bread, I wasn’t really expecting an “authentic” sourdough taste from this bread—however, I was surprised how this bread combined the wholeness of a grain bread plus the tang of sourdough. This bread would be a top choice for some French toast!

Excellent source of fiber, low fat, no added sugars, 0g of trans fat, cholesterol free, vegetarian, 50% whole grain, 0.8g of Omega 3’s per serving.

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So when you’re at home, you can always plan on having some sort of healthy breakfast—you know what you have in your pantry, what is stocked in your fridge, etc. But what about when you travel and have to stay in a hotel? And say the hotel has a continental breakfast jam-packed with pastries, sugary cereals, and refined fruit juices? Well here’s some tips to keeping a continental breakfast on the healthier side of things.

• Fruit platter: Almost all Continental Breakfast spreads feature an assortment of fresh strawberries, melon, oranges, and grapefruit. Fill up on as much fresh fruit as you want to, and enjoy the exotic fruit medley.

• Granola: It's becoming more common to find granola on the breakfast menu, so enjoy a small serving (1/2 cup or less) to for some healthy carbohydrates and sugar. Granola does contain a significant amount of fat, however, so mix this up with any yogurt, skim milk, and fruit for a complete meal.
• Oatmeal: Oatmeal is usually served as a cereal choice at the restaurant, so enjoy yours with lowfat yogurt or skim milk, fresh fruit, and a sprinkling of granola.
• Hard-boiled eggs: Provide ample protein to power you through the morning.
• Scrambled eggs: Usually hotels serve up egg beaters, which are lower in calories than actual eggs. Skip the cheese and go for the salsa instead.

One of my typical hotel breakfasts—scrambled eggs, bowl of cereal (wheat Chex) with skim milk, and a banana (not pictured). 

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And of course, occasionally it’s fun to go out for breakfast and have someone else do the cooking for you. Recently I went to one of the top breakfast chains out there, Perkins.

I got the Border Grilled Chicken Omelet.

Grilled chicken and Egg Beaters^®, green peppers, onions, and a tangy Southwest sauce . Served with a slice of dry toast and fruit.

This meal was a hit with me! The chicken/egg combo kept me full for quite sometime, and I also got some breakfast potatoes on the side!

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In other random foodie news…I decided to finally cave an buy a coffee maker so that I can kick my crazy $4 Caribou iced coffee addiction before I drain my bank account :-) And yes, of course the coffee maker needs to be pink, and lucky me it came with a mini electric skillet and an iron—all for $20--steal!

 

What do you typically eat for breakfast?