I (Ann) must admit that I’m a little bi-polar when it comes to breakfasts. On weekends, one of my greatest pleasures is getting out of bed and heading straight to the kitchen to prepare a simple but delicious breakfast, then I hold the plate high as I climb back under the covers in my bed, lean against the headboard, and eat while watching HGTV. There’s something about the leisure of the morning that makes the ritual lovely and enticing — something I crave all week long. (I’ve learned to find recipes for make-ahead breakfasts that I can eat all week long to savor a bit of this feeling during the busy week. More on that below.)
On weekdays, however, the story is drastically different. The tasks and focus of the day immediately capture my consciousness after awaking, and I rarely walk out the door with anything in my stomach. I get so wrapped up in accomplishing my goals for the day that breakfast seems like a time-waster, and when 10:30 rolls around, I inevitably regret skipping breakfast. I’ve shared previously that my eating habits are clearly linked to emotional ups and downs, and I’m working toward changing. Breakfasts are still a work in progress, but I’ve found a few key processes that help me better take care of myself on those busy weekday mornings. Here are a few simple recipes I love, which you can make ahead to grab and go in the morning.
ANDIE MITCHELL’S OATMEAL RECIPE
A while back I stumbled upon Andie Mitchell’s blog, Can You Stay for Dinner, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. She has an incredible story of losing a significant amount of weight several years ago, and, more importantly, revitalizing her definition of health and wellness within her relationship with food. I love her attitude about health — it’s not about deprivation. It’s about choices and about knowing yourself. Her daily breakfast oatmeal has become a favorite of mine.
Photo by Can You Stay For Dinner
I’ve made a similar version to eat off of all week by cooking up a large vat of steel-cut oats and separating them into five different tupperware containers to store in the fridge all week. I’ve also taken smaller containers and separated out peanut butter and nuts, as well as having banana-halves on hand. In the morning before work, I grab a container of the oatmeal, smaller containers with the nuts and peanut butter, and a banana half, and I tote them to work with me. I reheat the oatmeal in the employee lunch room before going to my desk, mix in the nuts and peanut butter when the oatmeal is hot, chop up the banana to put it on top, and have a delicious, healthy, filling breakfast while combing through my email inbox. You could also add a few squirts of honey to get a salty-sweet flavor. Add a dash of cinnamon if you’re feeling particularly spicy. Andie’s got some great thoughts about her ritual for eating this breakfast here.
PARFAITS FOR THE POOR
For a while, if I was really hungry on the way to work, I’d stop at Panera on the way and pick up a fruit and yogurt parfait. While I applaud myself for choosing something relatively healthy on their menu of delicious options, I realized after a couple of these stop-offs that I was spending way too much money on yogurt, fruit, and granola. And I’m not sure what I was thinking about the logic of not having enough time to eat at home but stopping off at Panera on the way. My favorite make-ahead breakfast is currently my own version of the fruit and yogurt parfait, and it’s pretty silly to even put any instructions here: Pour the yogurt in a bowl. Dump the granola on the yogurt. Drop some fruit in. Eat.
Again, I separate the yogurt into individual containers to put in the fridge, so I can grab and go. It’s important to keep the fruit and granola in separate containers until you eat, so the granola doesn’t get mushy and the fruit doesn’t get runny. I’ll put those in their own small containers, and grab all 3 when I’m headed out the door. I’ve taken to keeping a collection of plastic spoons in my desk drawer, so once I get to my desk, I just pour, mix, eat. Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.
EASY MINI-QUICHE WITH SPINACH, BACON, AND BRIE
I couldn’t find a quiche recipe that was quite right for me, so I combined some elements of a few different recipes and made my own. These decadent little treats are easier than they look, because I used pre-made dough for the crust. These take a bit of prep-work, like the oatmeal, but they’re a great little option for a yummy breakfast.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Pre-made Crescent Roll Dough
- 5-6 eggs
- A few handfulls of fresh spinach
- 4 strips of bacon
- Cooking spray
- A dash of milk or cream
- A few spoonfuls of brie or another favorite soft cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit Spray a muffin tin with 12 slots with cooking spray, being sure to coat the edges well. Open your crescent rolls and unroll the dough. Rip the triangles in half, and first press the large end into the muffin tin cups. Use the skinny end to form around the uncovered side, creating a cup of dough.
Put the formed dough in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients.
Fry up the bacon until it’s crispy. Though the recipe only calls for 4 slices, I went ahead and fried up the whole package, so I could use some of the bacon crumbles on salads this week for lunch. While the bacon is frying, chop up the spinach.
Chop the bacon when it’s cooked and cooled, and set aside your chopped spinach, bacon, and brie for a bit.
In a bowl, whisk together your eggs with about 1/2 cup milk or cream, being sure all the yolks are broken and mixed in. Cook your eggs in a pan over medium heat. In my experience, the key to cooking good scrambled eggs is to cook them slowly over medium heat. If you cook them too fast, they become rubbery. Mix in your spinach, a few spoonfuls of brie, and chopped bacon. Remove the mixture from the heat after it’s solidified but still runny. The eggs will finish cooking in the oven.
Spoon the egg mixture into the dough cups.
Bake the filled cups for 12-15 minutes, or until the egg has solidified and the edges of the dough are light brown. Your kitchen will be filled with a heavenly smell.
After consuming one delicious, rich cup with a bowl of yogurt, I bagged up four of them and put them in the fridge for breakfasts this week. Because the egg is contained in a cup, you can even eat it like a muffin after reheating. Its salty, smooth taste and buttery crust are sure to bring the aura of weekend brunch to your busy morning. Stop and enjoy a few bites.
I put the remaining cups in the freezer for later consumption — either for my own or for unexpected guests.
