It’s the most important meal of the day, right? It is in my book. Let’s look at the word a little closer. BREAK- FAST. Breaking the fast. Breakfast breaks the fast after a night’s sleep. Breakfast gives you fuel for the day and gets your metabolism fired up. Breakfast does not have to be breakfast foods, but I do encourage people to include at least 3 food groups at breakfast. For example: oatmeal with fruit and nuts, toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk or yogurt with fruit and granola. If you are in a hurry, a granola bar, hard boiled egg and an apple.
Below I have included a recipe that a colleague (and friend) Tracey Soulia, Registered Dietitian and owner of My Health Bites, PLLC developed (http://myhealthybites.com/). Oatmeal is a good source of soluble fiber, which has been proven to lower cholesterol levels. With the addition of fruit and nuts, it can provide you with a satisfying balanced breakfast. This recipe does make a fairly large amount. If you are cooking for one, you can store this in the refrigerator for a few days and pre-portion oatmeal for every day of the week! Spice it up and add different fruits or nuts for some variety and additional vitamins and minerals.
INGREDIENTS:
3 egg whites, or ½ cup egg whites in the box
1 cup Skim Milk
1 Tablespoon olive or canola oil
6 Tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
3 Tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 cups regular oatmeal (rolled oats)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix ingredients together
3. Spread into 9×13 sprayed baking dish
4. Add your favorite fruit (if you want them cooked). Don’t worry if it looks a little watery – the oatmeal will soak up all the liquid while cooking
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges
If you want fruit that was not cooked – chop and place on individual servings
Nutrition Analysis: (without fruit) Makes 6 servings: – Per Serving: Calories 243, Total Fat 5g, Saturated Fat 1g, Monounsaturated Fat 2 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 2g, Cholesterol 1mg, Total Carbs 41g, Fiber 5g, Protein 10g, Sodium 308 mg (if you use ¼ tsp salt), Calcium 17%, Iron 12%, Zinc 10%
Exchanges: 2 Grains, ½ Lean meat, ½ Other carbs
Picture: copyright cmacera2016
