belly-full breakfast

I have simply had enough of people unabashedly admitting to skipping breakfast, instead guzzling an acidic cup of black coffee, or even worse, an empty-calorie laden venti mocha-caramel-fudge-drizzled-extra-shot-of-whipped-cream frappuccino (I just made that up quite clearly, but its just as scary as some of the things you people call breakfast!).

Breakfast is the most essential time to fuel your body and your brain with the energy it needs to function properly, to effectively crunch numbers in the safety of your cozy cubicle, or to have enough horsepower to chase down a bunch of kids in the classroom or perhaps simply enough energy to sit down and write a both informative, yet mildly entertaining and eye-opening blog post (hmm….maybe I need more breakfast?). Without it, you are a gas tank running on empty; even if you have the most state-of-the-art automobile (preferably an audi r8, if you must know) that gas tank, without a little morning sustenance, just ain’t gonna run.

I used to strive for a low-calorie breakfast, to make me feel as though I was starting the day on the right foot – the skinny foot. Yet, embarrassingly enormous stomach growl after stomach growl later, I soon realized that these allegedly low-calorie breakfasts did me no good. And in fact, they did me more harm than good, as an hour and a half later I was left not only unsatisfied, but un-satiated, craving more food, and craving worse-for-the-waistline foods. Plus, rationing out 3/4 of a cup – 1 cup of cereal was less than satisfying in and of itself, as this pretty much does not even cover the bottom of a regular sized bowl. And if you keep pouring that low calorie cereal to truly fill that bowl, it definitely ain’t gonna be low calorie no more, and you’ll be quickly and blindly consuming even more carbohydrates than in one full bagel (which by the way would probably keep you full for longer, through the illusion of you feeling “guilty” for eating an oh-so-sinful “bagel” – c’mon, lets be honest, we all know that the poor soul who decides to eat the bagel for breakfast is secretly cast judging looks from everyone else around the table).

Rather, lets use our brains, and fill our stomachs. Lets fill them with high-quality calories to last us throughout the morning. I promise you, you diet kings & queens out there, do not let the calories in some of these breakfast meal ideas scare you away – they will save you in the long run, whilst your big ol’ bowl of three servings of Special K will simply trip you up.

My “go-to” Belly-Full Breakfast – Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Banana, Berries & Milk:

– 1/2 C oats (150 cals)
– 3/4 C 2 percent or whole (the horror of fat!) milk or almond milk (40-100 cals)
– 2 small tablespoons peanut butter or almond butter (180 cals)
– 1 small-medium banana (100 cals)
– 1 handful frozen berries (30 cals)

(Approximately 500-600 calories)

This breakfast might seem like a lot of calories for you calorie-restricting, afraid-of-fat dieters, and if this is the case, cut down on the serving sizes. But do not, I repeat, do not, take out the natural sources of fat – this is what keeps you both full and satisfied, which is what keeps your trim & healthy!

Eat a real breakfast, keep your taste buds happy, your self skinny, and your belly full.