Wednesday, August 4, 2010

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…

Italianbruschetta

Basil and tomato bruschetta (recipe here)

june20th

(no picture)

greeklentilpov

Lentil Potage, tossed salads, baguettes

creamofveg

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

cubannight

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

 july29

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

zucchinilinguine

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

Photo2676

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!

bumpers

Mother’s Natural Peanut Butter Bumpers

pb

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.

CIMG2528

(Disclaimer: free product)

Nature’s Path Organic Heritage Bites

CIMG2529

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.

CIMG2093

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.

CIMG2091

CIMG2092
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.

CIMG2676 

CIMG2677

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.

-----------

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.

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

-------

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.

perkins

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!

-----

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!

CIMG2788

CIMG2789

CIMG2796 

What do you typically eat for breakfast?

 

 

11 comments:

Kelly said...

I adore those pink appliances. I'm sad to hear your summer job is coming to an end as it looks like it was a great way to practice your skills!

sophia said...

I actually usually skip breakfast, because I eat a very heavy dinner and after-dinner....feast. Heh.

YAY! I'm glad you earned so much from your summer job. You're so blessed! And aren't Sin Dawg the GREATEST? I couldn't stop eating it and finished it within 1.5 days!

Krista said...

One week left??? Holy smokes...that went fast!

Great post about breakfast! You know I love my oats....

Erica said...

So glad you've enjoyed your summer job! learning to balance it all is definitely a life skill. I've wanted to try that Dave's killer bread for a while now. I need to buy some. For breakfast: smoothie, parfait, or fruit and nut butter

Mary Bergfeld said...

I'm so glad you enjoyed your summer job. I can tell you I surely enjoyed this post. My favorite breakfast is fried rice. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Kerstin said...

What cute appliances! I'm glad you enjoyed your job this summer - it certainly sounded fun!

Kim said...

Sorry I haven't been around commenting for awhile. My oldest has been keeping me busy while she is out of summer break. I'm loving your pink coffee maker, the pink skillet and the pink iron. They look so cute! Sounds like you have learned a lot on the job this summer and also had some fun doing it. That is great news! I'm loving the peanut butter bumpers and all the other products you tried out. Getting ready to catch up on all your other posts!!

Sook said...

Looks like you've been cooking! :) That kangaroo is so cute, by the way. You're an artist! :)

Amy (Healthy>Thin) said...

I LOVE cereal, I eat it daily but never really for breakfast. (Weird?) Usually I eat it as a bedtime snack.

SheFit said...

OMG! I love love love cereal. I have to keep it out of the house because I end up eating the whole box in one sitting :) My breakfast usually consists of pb toast with cottage cheese or a protein shake.

Rebecca said...

Yum! I love bruchetta!

Your pink appliances are super cute!