Breakfast help
 

So, in an effort to a) be healthier and b) not spend a fortune (much as I love a Starbucks brekkie, my bank balance doesn't!), I have started making breakfast and eating it on my commute. But I am already starting to get bored so need some ideas! Today I had a 1 egg plus egg white omelette in a multigrain wrap with spicy black bean spread. Last week I had scrambled egg whites with red peppers and scallions in a wrap with either hummus, guacamole, or salsa.

The ideal breakfast should be a) filling, so I don't get the munchies around 9am, b) preppable in advance (night before) with minimal morning time effort (microwave for a minute is about my tolerance!), c) vegetarian (eggs and cheese ok) and d) around the 250 calorie mark. Other than that, I don't really like cereals and don't like mushrooms or celery.

Any ideas?

I don't know how travel computes in to your math here but I'm never really home enough to justify buying "raw material" groceries unless I can cut quantities to a weekend or so worth. I hate spending $200 at an organic grocery store and then chunking/giving away everything on Sunday.

My latest tweak to my breakfast routine is a bit Mediterranean. At home (and virtually everywhere I travel) it is typically pretty easy to find a Middle Eastern grocery. I get some olives and white cheese, which seems to have a decent tolerance to being out of the fridge for a few hours (I'm still alive, so working to this point). I pack baggies of olives and 2 or 3 triangles of the cheese. I eat one at the hotel and one as I'm leaving. I stick the last in my laptop bag and eat it around noon. That holds me until an early dinner and, since I'm not eating as late as I used to, I have an easier time getting to sleep and have less in my belly during my inactive periods.

The best part is I've been able to get this concoction through airport security 99.99% of the time....I only failed once. While the olives have olive oil on them, I guess the round shapes don't draw attention on the xray.

The only travel the breakfast has to withstand is the train as sadly I am not travelling much for work these days. Olives and cheese sounds good - thanks!

Breakfast is must for me and I never skimp out on breakfast. Usually my wife makes some extra muffins and freeze them. When I need them, I take them from the freezer before sometime for breakfast. I put them in baking stone and pop into a 350 degree over about 8 to 10 minutes and they become almost as good as fresh. I enjoy them with a cup of tea or milk.

Some fruit in there? Most of it comes in it's own packaged and easy to prepare. It should have enough sugar to get the motor running and can snacked on again at 9am to help stave off the hungries.

If not fresh, then dried.

You can do some amazing things cooking mini quiches in cup cake liners. They can be frozen and put in a ziplock in the freezer and warmed up for a minute or two in the microwave before you leave, or simply allowed to thaw overnight and eaten on the coldish side.

While not a fan, there are plenty of people having oatmeal on the train, bringing a commuter cup of hot water into instant oatmeal.

Quiche sounds good, will look into cup cake portions.

Oatmeal has never been my thing, but maybe come the cooler months it might be worth revisiting.

Fruit is fine, but I've never found it especially satisfying - bananas are ok but beyond that, not much. I tend to snack of veggies with cottage cheese or hummus mid morning, more savory minded I guess! Perhaps an apple and peanut butter could work for breakfast now I ponder... Hmmmm!

Thanks everyone!

I find that refried beans, eggs, cheese and salsa make a great filling breakfast burrito/wrap. I usually have some bacon or sausage in mine, but they're still good without it.

[edit] Just noticed this is very similar to what you're getting tired of. Oh well...

Chocolate covered raisins? A little fruit, a little fat, a little sweet?

Yoghurt? Plain with your own added items, or pre-flavored.

I've done this. The "cup quiches" are decent and can be filling. Mine came out very bland after freezing, however.

Personally, I just like to have a bowl of cereal in the morning. It's fast and convenient. Choose a cereal that doesn't have too much sugar and more fiber and it will be more filling. I like Post Great Grains and Shredded Wheat and Bran (the latter with some Splenda or a banana).

Beware of instant oatmeal: it's often had its fiber removed and a lot of sugar added. So, it's high in calories but won't keep you full for long.

Oh, a slice of toast with some peanut butter on it is also a good standby. Whole wheat toast, preferably.

it isn't a traditional brekky food - but I save a heap of money and time by buying LOTS of chicken breasts and poaching them with various herbs/spics/sauces. Once cooked I portion out into takeaway style containers and freeze them (also add in veges if desired).

Quick to microwave, and it comes out soft and juicy.

I use Ziplock steamer bags to make my omelette in the morning, usually I thow in some combination of spinach, broccoli, asparagus, whatever chopped vegetables i have on hand etc plus fresh herbs. I use turkey sausage for extra flavor & texture, but you could use cheese (I don't do dairy).

Or I will make a frittata on Sunday night and reheat portions thoughout the week using the same basic ingredients. After heating, I sprinkle fresh chopped chives (I cut with scissors) on top as that seems to brighten it up.

I use a combination of 1 egg, egg whites, and then almond milk to add more body, maybe with a tbsp of butter or margarine. My prep & cooking time in the morning is no more than 3 minutes, usually much less.

I eat out of a reusable plastic container, usually while on the way to my workout. Easy to throw away if I don't have somewhere to quickly wash it but usually less messy than eating a wrap.

My other breakfast option usually involves some leftover black beans mixed with chiles and whatever chopped vegetables I have on hand. As with the eggs, I just reheat in a plastic container in the morning. A quick grab & go breakfast without settling on junk.

I'd love to eat chocolate covered raisins for breakfast, but I am not sure they would come under the 'healthy' banner.

Yogurt is another idea to add to the list - thanks!

I've never found a cereal I actually like! I can put up with one bowl once in a while but that is about it. I guess I am not a huge milk fan to begin with, and dry cereal is a bit like eating cardboard. Tried yogurt, but that is a bit like eating yogurt with bits of cardboard in! The only cereal I have ever revisited is the cinnamon 'pillow' cereal, no idea of its name, but it is so sugar laden, again, it is not 'healthy'.

Peanut butter on toast is a good option, thanks.

Afraid I am veggie, so not an option for me. Thanks tho!