Grab and Go Healthy Breakfasts Recipes (Guest Post)

Grab and Go Healthy Breakfasts Recipes
By Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest

Rule #1, Eat Breakfast, Eat Breakfast, Eat Breakfast! When you eat too few calories, your body slows down and hangs on to what it has- this is called homeostasis - and stores more fat as a result. Even worse is trying to cut calories by skipping breakfast.  In a Korean study, people who didn't eat breakfast ate more fat and desserts later in the day. Breakfast skippers in Minnesota experienced big drops in late-morning blood sugar, which can increase hunger. Other studies show that going without breakfast leads to increased appetite, worse food choices later in the day, poor diet quality overall, and a heightened risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 

Here are some simple and healthy grab-and-go breakfast recipes from The Digest Diet Cookbook. 

Homemade Instant Oatmeal
Excerpted from The Digest Diet CookbookBy Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest

Hands-On Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 6 minutes
Makes: 1 serving

Make up a whole bunch of these instant oatmeal packets to have on hand for a quick breakfast at home or at the office. The cooked oatmeal can be sweetened to taste with honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup. Start with 1 teaspoon sweetener and see if you can manage with a minimum. You can also make this in the microwave (especially helpful if you're planning on taking this to work): Place the oatmeal mixture in a 2-cup microwave-safe bowl or mug and stir to combine. Add 1 cup water and stir well. Cook on high for 45 seconds. Stir. Cook on high for 30 seconds. Stir and let sit for 1 minute.

Fat Releasers 
Oats, coconut, cinnamon

½ cup quick-cooking oats
1 tablespoon powdered coconut milk or buttermilk powder
1 tablespoon chopped dried fruit
1 tablespoon chopped nuts (optional)
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Combine all the ingredients in a sandwich bag and seal. Store in an airtight container or in the refrigerator. Label it so you know what you put in it. If making oatmeal for multiple days, mix up each portion separately to ensure that you get the right distribution of ingredients.

2. When ready to cook, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the oatmeal mixture and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for 1 minute.

Per serving: 228 calories - 7g protein - 4g fat (1g saturated) - 7.5g fiber - 39mg calcium - 0mg vitamin C - 41g carbohydrate - 16mg sodium

© 2012 Liz Vaccariello, author of The Digest Diet Cookbook

Butternut Breakfast Bread
Excerpted from The Digest Diet CookbookBy Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes + cooling time
Makes: one 9-inch loaf

This is a dense, moist, and only lightly sweetened bread. It’s brimming with beta-carotene and good fats, and it has over 4 grams of protein per slice. To make this a complete breakfast, have 2 slices (toasted, if you want) and top each with 2 tablespoons 0% Greek yogurt or 1 tablespoon fat-free cream cheese.

Fat Releasers 
Almond flour, cinnamon, coconut oil, honey, eggs, butternut squash

2 cups white whole-wheat flour, spooned into the cup and then leveled
1 cup almond flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
⅓ cup water
¼ cup honey, preferably dark
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
3 cups grated butternut squash (10 ounces)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with olive oil spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt and blend well. Beat in the oil, water, honey, whole egg, and egg whites. Fold in the squash.

3. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

4. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.

SAVE FOR A SNACK: After the bread is completely cooled, cut the loaf into ½-inch slices. Lay them on a tray or baking sheet and freeze solid. Once they are frozen, pack them into a large freezer storage bag. Then you can microwave or toast individual slices when you want one for breakfast.

Per ½-inch slice: 143 calories - 4g protein - 7.5g fat (4g saturated) - 3g fiber - 35mg calcium - 3mg vitamin C - 17g carbohydrate - 191mg sodium

© 2012 Liz Vaccariello, author of The Digest Diet Cookbook

Oatmeal Breakfast Cakes
Excerpted from The Digest Diet
By Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of Reader's Digest

Hands-On Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
Fat Releasers: 
Oats, nuts, honey, flaxseed, yogurt, olive oil, egg
An oatmeal cake is the perfect solution for someone who wants to have that bowl of oatmeal but is always on the go. These breakfast cakes are great to freeze; just pop them in the toaster oven or the microwave to warm them up. Have them with a serving of dairy and some fruit on top.
1½ cups quick-cooking oats
¼ cup (1 ounce) finely chopped nuts/seeds (see Options below)
¼ cup flaxseed meal
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons chopped dates (about 5 dates)
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-light olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg
Nut/Seed Options: Spanish peanuts (good source of resveratrol), regular peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans, pistachios, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, nuts/seeds, flaxseed meal, baking soda, and salt until very well combined. Work in the dates with your hands, separating the clumps and making sure they're evenly distributed.
3. Make a well in the center of the oat mixture and add the yogurt, oil, honey, and egg. Beat the wet ingredients together with a fork, then start stirring in the oat mixture to form a wet dough.
4. With a ¼-cup measure, scoop out the dough and plop 1 inch apart on the baking sheet (you should get 8 cakes). With wet hands, pat the dough into even cakes about ½ inch high. Bake until lightly golden but still nice and soft, 16 to 18 minutes.
5. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in the fridge or the freezer.
Per 1-cake serving: 177 calories - 5g protein - 8.5g fat (1g saturated) - 3.5g fiber 54mg calcium - 0mg vitamin C - 21g carbohydrate - 171mg sodium

Copyright © 2012 Liz Vaccariello, author of The Digest Diet and The Digest Diet Cookbook

Author Bio

Liz Vaccariello is the editor-in-chief and chief content officer of Reader's Digest, which reaches more than 26 million readers. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Digest Diet, The Digest Diet Cookbook, and coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flat Belly Diet! and 400 Calorie Fix. Vaccariello regularly appears on national programs such as Good Morning America and The Doctors and has been featured on The Biggest Loser, Today, Rachel Ray, and The View. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of Prevention. She lives in New Jersey with her family.
For more information please visit http://www.digestdiet.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter