Most important meal of the day...

We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  You're literally "breaking the fast" (get it?) that your body has undergone during hours of sleep. Breakfast gets your blood sugar in check, jump-starts your metabolism and has been shown to aid in weight loss and weight management.  If you think skipping breakfast will help save you the calories, you should rethink that plan.  Most people who don't eat a healthy meal at the start of their day (protein + healthy fat + complex carbs) end up eating more during the day than they would otherwise.

Lately coffee has been my breakfast of champions.....not good.  Don't I ever listen to myself??  A few extra minutes of sleep or a "too busy"morning got in my way, and I was feeling it.  So this morning I woke up and decided that it's time to get back on track.

Making a healthy breakfast isn't time consuming at all. One of my faves is a peanut butter & banana smoothie: 1 banana, a couple tablespoons of peanut butter, a handful of ice cubes, and a splash of milk.  Some inspired Sundays I'll whip up a batch of my granola to have during the week, mixed with some plain Greek yogurt.  Both of these are fast and easy and give me the protein my body needs to start the day.  But if I have a little extra time, like this morning, I like to cook up some eggs.  Obviously great on the protein scale, but it also offers me a chance to sneak in some of the five veggie servings I try to get each day. Throw in whatever you've got: onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, squash. 

I whisked a couple eggs with a little water (makes it puffy and light), salt, pepper and a smidge of Gruyere (just a smidge, I swear!), some chopped chives and little strips of baby spinach.  I poured it into a pan over medium heat and let it sit, scraping around the sides a little bit to let the egg settle.  When only the center is a little loose, I popped a lid on it to cook it all the way through, and watch it puff up....

Once you take the lid off, the puff dies down, but it is seriously yummy.  And it only takes about five minutes (come on, you know you've got that).  I tossed a few fresh cherry tomatoes on top, and I'd call that a pretty yummy way to start the day, and it kept me focused and satisfied right up 'til lunch time.  So do your body a favor....feed it something healthy within an hour of waking (no, doughnuts don't count!)

Yum it up!