After a few days, I've settled on two go-to breakfasts. Both are eaten at home, nutritious, low-cal, convenient/fast and get my day off to a good start.The first is cereal in soy milk. Hey, it's probably just a me thing, but regular milk doesn't do it for me at all. I like my cereal low-cal, sweet, and crunchy/crispy. I have two favorites: Kashi GOLEAN Crunch! and Kashi GOLEAN Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble.
Kashi Go Lean Crunch (0.75 cup, 53g)
190 calories, 3g fat, 9g protein, 37g carbs, 8g fiber
Kashi Go Lean Crisp Toasted Berry Crumble (0.75 cup, 51g)
180 calories, 3.5g fat, 9g protein, 35g carbs, 8g fiber
Nutritionally, they're pretty much a toss-up. I'm into the Berry Crumble version at the moment because the dehydrated cranberries and blueberries make it more interesting; I'd eaten the Go Lean Crunch for years.
As for milk, I'm partial to Westsoy Soy Slender Vanilla Soymilk. The vanilla makes the soymilk go better with cereal and makes it sweet enough to be a healthy satisfying snack on its own. And it's only 70 calories per cup!
Westsoy Soy Slender Vanilla Soymilk (1 cup, 8 fl. oz.)
70 calories, 3g fat, 6g protein, 4g carbs, 3g fiber
So, my Kashi Go Lean Crisp Toasted Berry Crumble and Westsoy Soy Slender Vanilla Soymilk breakfast totals:250 calories, 6.5g fat, 15g protein, 39g carbs, and 11g fiber
The second and more satisfying breakfast option is the E-Z Egg Muffin. I got the idea on the web (sorry, I can't find the site). The original recipe is to spray a coffee mug with PAM, put an egg and a splash of milk in the mug and stir like crazy to scramble. Put it in the microwave for 1 minute and out pops a perfect McD***ld's like egg ready for putting on top a toasted muffin with cheese. The result is that you can have a hot Egg M*Muffin in about 3 minutes for very little money.
I have made a couple of modifications.1: I leave off the PAM. I never have it around and don't want to buy a can just for this, so I use a small bowl instead of a mug (easier to clean).
2: I replace the cheese with 2 Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties. I could use non-fat cheese, but I like the sausage taste better. I guess I could be decadent and use both, but I'll save that for the end of the diet and maintenance time.
3: You *must* add black pepper, as it says in the original recipe. A pinch of salt does wonders, too. I'm a chili head, so I opt for a teaspoon of Huy Fong "Sriracha" Hot Chili Sauce (5 calories, salt and heat).
4: I started off using the original Thomas' English Muffins for that classic M*Muffin look and feel, but I've since tried some lower calorie choices.
- Mission Carb Balance Plus Small Whole Wheat Tortillas - they're only 80 calories and you can get the breakfast burrito thing going. Downside, only 30 calories less than the English Muffin, so I don't think it's worth it.
- Thomas Whole Wheat Breakfast Thins -- they look a little like sawed off English Muffins. But, again, it's still 80 calories, so not worth it either.
- Oroweat Light Whole Wheat Bread -- Who doesn't like toast? Two slices is only 80 calories and makes a great sandwich base.
- Finally, my favorite choice is to go for the breakfast bowl (inspired by Matsuya, a Japanese fast-food chain). Get a larger bowl, put in your egg and sausage, cut it all up into small bite size pieces, and dig in. But, to make it a little more exciting without adding a lot of calories, I add nappa kimchi. No, a big hit of red pepper and garlic in the morning isn't for everyone, and you can't eat breakfast without thoroughly brushing afterward, but I love it. It gives me vegetables, flavor, and some crunchy texture for about 50 calories. Give it a try! You can even use the extra calories to add a piece of toast, too! FYI: I've tried many brands. the latest brand of kimchi I'm using is Chonga -- it's quite tasty. Only caveat: kimchi is salty, so if sodium's a problem for you, stay away!
70 calories, 4g fat, 6g protein
2 Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties:
160 calories, 6g fat, 20g protein, 6g carbs, 2g fiber
1 Portion of Cut Nappa Kimchi (100g)
33 calories, 0.25g fat, 2.2g protein, 5.6g carbs, 2.5g fiber
1 Slice of Oroweat Light Whole Wheat Bread
40 calories, 0.25g fat, 2g protein, 9g carbs, 3.5g fiber
TOTAL303 calories, 10.5g fat, 30.2g protein, 20.6g carbs, 8g fiber
Either way, I'm off with a tasty breakfast that's 300 calories or less and has given me a great start on my day's protein and fiber.
You wouldn’t go golfing without a set of clubs. Don’t go dieting without a kitchen scale!Two critical parts of a successful diet are portion control (you need a scale) and counting calories (you need a scale). Have I convinced you yet? I hope so. Don’t make me continue…I bought a Soehnle Vera digital kitchen scale almost nine years ago, and despite multiple moves and several years of inactivity, it started up just fine when I needed it for this diet. It’s easy to use, attractive enough for my wife to let me keep it on the counter, and it was about $65. I don’t think they make it any more, but the newer ones look cooler and cost less, something that makes me very happy.If I were shopping for another one, I think I’d check out the Soehnle 65105, Style Digital Kitchen Scale, Silver for only $26.59! I know there are plenty of other scales, some of them cheaper, but this one looks nice enough for your spouse not to complain when you leave it out. In the words of Mastercard, that’s “priceless”.