Too many of us awake in the morning still feeling tired, but it doesn’t have to be that way if you start your day with a healthy breakfast, the most important meal of the day because your body needs fuel for the upcoming day’s activities.

A nourishing breakfast gets the metabolism up and running. Without a meal when you awake, you can lack concentration and feel sluggish all day.

Breakfast Tips

We know that it can be hard to fit in breakfast when you are busy. It seems easier to stop at a fast food restaurant, but not all of their choices are healthy for you.

First, choose meals that are easy to prepare ahead of time. You can fix your breakfast the night before so that you just have to pop it in the microwave to warm it up.

Make a big portion and divide it up for the entire week. That way, breakfast is always easy for you and the family, and each person has the right amount so that they don’t overeat.

Planning ahead is best when it comes to making sure that you get breakfast. Get your family to help you so that everyone participates.

Breakfast Food Ideas

Here are some ideas for breakfast foods that will nourish you and give you energy:

* Smoothies – fruit smoothies are full of antioxidants and fill you with energy. Try strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Smoothie ingredients can be placed in a cup ready to be blended with yogurt and ice in the morning.

* Granola cereal – You can top a cup of yogurt with it, add it to oatmeal, and make granola bars with it, or you can eat it alone. Whole grains give you sustained energy throughout the day and the fiber fills you up for hours.

* Eat whole fruit – When all else fails, eat an apple or a banana. Breakfast doesn’t have to be a big meal, but you do need to eat something that will be good for your body. Fruits like apples and bananas are full of fiber so they fill you up better than drinking fruit juice. Dried fruit can also be used as a quick snack later in the day.

* Oatmeal – This makes a better breakfast idea on the weekends. But if you have enough time, you can make oatmeal in the morning. It is a hot hearty meal that will get all your systems moving.

Are you looking to put a little energy back in your day? Start with a proper breakfast.

We all love to eat carbohydrates, especially bread. If you have a bread craving, here are some ways to make it healthy so you can eat it more often.

There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. You would think that you need simple ones, but just the opposite is true. Simple carbohydrates are sugars and processed foods full of sugar. They are metabolized quickly, leading to sugar spikes in the blood, which is not good. You will gain a lot of energy but it will be short-lived unless you get a new infusion of sugar.

Complex carbohydrates include whole grains. These grains differ from products labeled “wheat” or “whole wheat” because they are made using the entire seed of the grain. In processing the portion of the seed that contains the fiber and nutrients, these are stripped away, leaving little to no nutritional value unless fortified with vitamins. That is the main problem with white flour products.

Using whole grains to make breads yields lots of good benefits. For one, you get lots of fiber. It keeps your digestive system moving, as well as keeping you full and satisfied when eaten with vegetables and protein.

Secondly, bread is a perfect place to hide other good ingredients. For instance, how about banana bread? Bananas are a good source of potassium, which is good for your heart muscle and can keep you from cramping during exercise. When the banana skin begins to darken, that is when the fruit inside is sweetest. You can reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe and still enjoy the taste.

Bread Recipes

One way to make bread is to use a bread machine. It allows you to combine the ingredients and make the dough without standing and kneading in your kitchen. Add wholesome ingredients such as dried cranberries, orange pieces, raisins and nuts to increase your carbohydrate and protein content.

Many types of bread do not need yeast or a period of rising. These are your sweet breads that can also be healthy when you substitute ingredients. For breads like this, use a combination of whole wheat and white flour. Using whole wheat flour by itself can change the taste of your bread. Instead, read the instructions on the package. It is usually a 50/50 mixture or a 75/25 mixture of white flour to wheat flour. Also, try whole wheat pastry flour which has less gluten than regular whole wheat flour.

For milk, try skim milk, or low-fat buttermilk if the recipe calls for it. Any sour cream or cream cheese can be substituted with the fat free recipe. As for oil, use half as much oil and add natural applesauce to make up the rest. The bread will retain its moisture, but contain fewer calories.

Examples of bread recipes you can substitute and also fix in a flash with healthy staples on hand include:

* Raisin bread
* Banana bread
* Zucchini bread
* Date nut bread
* Chocolate chip walnut bread.

Your staples include:

* Whole wheat pastry flour (from whole foods store)
* Nuts
* Dried fruits
* Bananas
* Chocolate chips
* Eggs
* Healthy canola oil (or olive oil – halve it and substitute applesauce for the other half)
* White flour.

Healthy breads don’t have to take long to fix and enjoy, and leftovers can be frozen for up to a month.

Ingredients:
1 (32 oz) package of frozen hash brown potatoes
8 oz cooked ham, diced
2 (10.75 oz) cans condensed cream of potato soup
1 (16 oz) container sour cream
1 1/4 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups strong Cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 9×13 inch casserole dish.

Combine cream of potato soup, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, ham and has brown in a large bowl. Mix well. Place into greased casserole dish, top with Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for about one hour. The casserole should be nice and brown and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

(makes 2 big servings)

Ingredients:
1 cup of instant oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter
Salt
Honey to taste
Handful of unsalted cashews

Method:
Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Simmer for about 2 – 3 minutes until hot.

Serve immediately and enjoy this super-healthy and delicious spicy oatmeal

Tomato & Herb Omelet (Serves 1)

2 ripe tomatoes, skinned (if you don’t like the skin) and chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh or dried basil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten

How to:
In a small saucepan melt the olive oil and fry the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and mix in the basil. Season well!

Return the saucepan to the fire and wait for it to heat up again, stir the tomatos as not to let it burn, when it starts to foam drop the eggs in, move the saucepan a bit when eggs star to sit. Start to lift the cooked edges of the omelet and once the bottom of the omelet has browned, fold in half.

** you could also mix all of it together when the eggs starts to harden and make scramble eggs!

Serve immediately with a tossed green salad.

Ricotta Cheese Buttermilk Flapjacks
Low Fat, and fluffy too, with lots of protein to help you feel full.

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs, separated
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

Instructions:
1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl.
3. Whisk together being sure all the ingredients are blended together well.
4. Place the egg yolks in a separate bowl.
5. Pour in the buttermilk.
6. Add the ricotta cheese and lemon peel and whisk until completely blended.
7. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl.
8. Beat with an electric mixer on medium high speed until soft peaks begin forming.
9. Add the ricotta cheese mixture to the flour mixture and blend until just combined.
10. Carefully fold in the egg whites.
11. Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot.
12. Coat the skillet with oil.
13. Pour a 1/4 cup of batter onto the prepared skillet.
14. Cook 2 minutes or until bubbles appear around the edge.
15. Flip and continue cooking 1 minute or until a light brown.
16. Continue until all the batter has been used.
17. Place cooked flapjacks on an oven safe platter in the heated oven to keep them warm until ready to serve.

Makes 15 flapjacks

Nutritional Information (Approximate Values)
75 calories
2.5 g fat
1 g saturated fat
3.5 g protein
9.5 g carbohydrates
35 mg cholesterol
160 mg sodium
.5 g fiber

Ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 (6 oz) bag dried mixed tropical fruit
3 cups regular oats
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/3 cup roasted sunflower kernels
1/2 cup flaked sweetened coconut
2 tbsp non-fat dry milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine water, sugar, cranberries and tropical fruit, mix well and let stand for about 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine oats and other ingredients and mix together with the dried fruit mixture. Spread out evenly on a baking pan and bake for an hour. Give the mixture a quick stir every 15 minutes. Let the granola cool off and place in an airtight container.