Breakfast Ideas

The Deb has a serious weakness for women's magazines. There are few things as enjoyable as popping some low-calorie popcorn and lolling on the couch with a frivolous magazine. Now, while I don't condone the overall message of these magazines (You're Fat! You should pleasure your husband more often!* No One Likes You Unless You Weigh 4 lbs! Why Can't You Buy More $500 Pairs of Shoes?!), I have noticed that they all have one thing in common when talking about weight loss -- they all tell you to have breakfast.

When your Deb was in high school, she remembers that the wrestling coach actually told his boys to SKIP breakfast... when they were trying to GAIN weight! So surely between old Coach Hunt and every women's magazine on the planet, they're on to something.

And I don't know about you, but I despise when a recipe book extols a breakfast idea s "quick!" when it involves Bisquick. Quick = the time it takes to toast something, not the time it takes to preheat an oven, prepare a recipe and then bake it. And the Deb is a busy girl, as she images ya'll to be. She is busy putting her face on in the morning -- she saves her suave supper skills for, well, supper time.

Therefore, the Deb recommends that you do, certainly eat breakfast. And you should probably skip those weird sugary breakfast bars. Instead, I find it infinitely more satisfying to toast something -- it makes you feel like you're cooking, but doesn't take much time, and smells like real food. I'm partial to the Thomas English Muffins. They have 100 calorie ones, and, my favorite, the light multi-grain. These have lots of fiber and are still as crumbly and delicious as anything. Plus, only around that same 100 calorie mark. So toast yourself a nice English muffin OR two slices of white-wheat bread -- both options are only 1 pt. on WW, around 100 calories (for two slices of the bread). Spray it with some fat free butter spray before toasting, and then top with one of the following for a complete, easy breakfast that will make itself while you're busy making important wardrobe decisions:

Savories -- each topping only an addition point on WW or around 100 calories:

2 tsp. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter -- tons of protein, delicious and filling

1/4 ripe avocado, mashed with a little lemon juice and garlic salt -- high in the "good" fat, and incredibly filling, very savory

1 1 oz. slice of Canadian bacon, topped with a teeny bit of shredded Parmesan cheese -- if you have a toaster oven, just toss the slice in there while you're toasting your English muffin and it'll cook to just the right warm temp. Then you've got a nice little sandwich for breakfast!

1 oz. Reduced Fat cheddar cheese, melted onto the toasted bread (either in the microwave or with a toaster oven), with a little pepper on top -- so savory and good. Like the cheese toast of your childhood without the guilt!


Sweeties -- also only an additional point on WW (on top of your bread choice)

1/2 banana, sprinkled with a pinch of cinnamon and sugar -- sweet but good for you! Loads of potassium!

1 T. any sugar-free jam or jelly -- nice and sweet, great for days on the run. Also, did you know it's better for your metabolism if you eat your sweets earlier in the day? The sugar has an easier time of processing within your system if you've got all day to do it.

1/4 C. fresh raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries, squeeze of lemon juice, sprinkled with a pinch of powdered sugar -- again, sweet and delicious without the calories of french toast. Plus you get a nice amount of antioxidants from the darker berries and a fruit serving! You can totally use frozen, too. Just defrost a handful the night before in your fridge.

3 slices apple, drizzled with low-fat maple syrup -- Apples have more goodness in them than we really know what to do with. This is a perfect start for what's bound to be a hectic day!

So happy Breakfasting, lovelies! It's an important meal and eating early will help you not over-indulge from starvation later on. Don't just chug that coffee; enjoy one of these genuinely easy little morning treats!



* MORE often?! Please. That poor boy would explode.

Bacon-ghetti

Lord do I love bacon. It was the absolutely worst part about my semester abroad in England -- I couldn't get good bacon. It was either unrecognizable or undercooked. Gah. First thing I did when I got back? Made me some bacon.

Here's a nice way to incorporate the smoky deliciousness of bacon even if you're watching your figure. I use Canadian-style bacon because I feel it imbues the sauce with more flavor, but I've also made this with pancetta and with regular bacon. They were also quite good, though I maintain that Canadian-style gives this sauce more oomph. Also, this recipe is cheap, easy and perfect with just a nice salad and maybe garlic bread. Great for the middle of the week when you want real food but aren't feeling like an hour in the kitchen. It's 257 calories per serving (it's 5 WW points), and this makes 4 nice sized servings.

Bacon-ghetti

You'll need:
8 oz. uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 t. olive oil
5 oz. Canadian-syle bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan cheese, for garnish

Cook the spaghetti al dente and reserve 1/4 C. cooking water before draining and keeping warm.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking until browned. Add in the onion and garlic, also cooking until lightly browned. Finally, add the tomatoes and then red pepper flakes. Let simmer together for about 10 minutes.

Combine the sauce with the pasta, reserved pasta water, and salt and pepper to taste. Top each serving with a little parmesan cheese.

You can also always double or triple the sauce recipe and keep some in a jar in the fridge for a super quick meal in the future. It keeps forever... at least 3 months. But I'd try to use it within a month of making it.