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The Easiest Breakfast Ever!

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on March 6, 2014

Written by Teri R Belisle (Giordano), PharmD, RD, LDN.

Since everyone is sharing their favorite quick and easy breakfast ideas this week I thought I would share my go-to morning meal with you as well. I will admit I am a procrastinator and often don’t leave myself a lot of time in the morning for breakfast. I like things that only take a few minutes to put together and are easy to transport. So most mornings when I am in a hurry to get out the door, I will grab an English muffin with peanut butter and a low-fat cup of yogurt. This is a great meal because it is moderate in carbohydrates and packed with protein, and it keeps me feeling full!

I specifically like the Whole-Wheat British muffins from Trader Joe’s, but any whole-wheat muffin will do as long as it is around 120-140 calories per muffin. I also like using low-sodium peanut butter (right now I am using JIF Natural) because consuming unnecessary sodium is so easy to do. Since I am a huge fan of multitasking, I usually pop the muffin into the toaster while I am making my coffee or packing my lunch. Once it is toasted I top it with about one tablespoonful of PB, wrap it in foil (to hold in the heat), and toss it in my bag so I can eat it discretely on the train or safely in my car- although I do not advocate eating while driving 😉

I know many of you are thinking “but what about the fat?”  If you read food labels you will notice that a serving of PB (2 tablespoons) contains about 16 grams of fat. An important fact to note is of those 16 grams only 3 grams are saturated fat (i.e.”bad” fat), and the rest is monounsaturated fat (i.e. “good” fat). That’s about 80% “good” fat per serving. PB is considered a heart-healthy food because monounsaturated fats help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels in your blood, which helps protect your heart. Another important thing to note is that foods with fat make your stomach empty more slowly. This helps keep you feeling full longer and may even help reduce large blood sugar spikes after your meal.  Also, keep in mind, that foods higher in fat tend to be higher in calories, so it is important to watch portion sizes. I try my best to use just 1 tablespoon of PB on my English muffin to keep the calorie count down.

To complete my morning meal I toss a single serving of low-fat Greek yogurt in my bag to eat once I get to work. One of my favorites is the Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt. Most varieties have just 80 calories and 8 grams of carbohydrates. The yogurt adds calcium, which is good for strong bones, and extra protein to my meal which is helps me feel full longer.

So the next time you are at the grocery store pick up these few simple items for a quick and easy breakfast for those busy mornings on the go!

Nutritional information for entire meal:

Calories: 295 kcal, Fat: 10 g, Carb: 39 g, Sodium: 325 mg, Protein: 22.5 g