Favorite weekday breakfast recipe…hmmmm. Does anyone actually have time to make a recipe for breakfast during the week? I do need to eat breakfast because without it, I am grumpy, and hungry. I like to reserve eggs for the weekend, unless they are hard boiled, in which case I will eat one with sea salt and pepper. I think a slice of rosemary toast, with butter and raspberry jam is divine, but that’s not really a recipe, now is it?

Mid-week breakfast – my recipe
Serves 1
Disclaimer: Written for office commuters. Can be adapted easily in the stay at home/home office kitchen by simply ignoring the “to go” jargon and just implementing at home. The broiler is a fine substitute for a toaster oven (in fact, the toaster oven is actually the substitute for the broiler in the commuter world).

Flailing about in the morning of a weekday, having barely shaken off dinner from the night before, I find a pack-and-go kind of breakfast to be the best choice. In my case, often, it is the only choice. I don’t always (okay, rarely) make lunch in the evening since I spend my time making dinner, however, I do need to have something for breakfast and if it means spending 5 minutes less putting on eyeshadow or ironing my top, well, priorities and all. 5 minutes is like 5 cents was to buy a gum ball once, and time being precious these days (all days really), I pack it and tackle it at work (multi-tasking, of course).

INGREDIENTS

Alarm clock – set 5 minutes earlier than the 20 minute “snooze” button.
Good black coffee, pre-set to go off without any effort (Tom always comes through).
Pantry and fridge stocked with healthy ingredients (such as fruit, yogurt, juice, cheese and grains).
A magic bullet or good blender.
Dogs that do their business without lolly-gagging.
Small bowls, cups and baggies “to go”.
The ability and inhibition to throw things together quickly (while half-asleep) and finish assembling at the office to eat while reading email.
An office that has a toaster oven, a microwave and white porcelain plates.

INSTRUCTIONS

“Don’t sweat the small stuff”. “Variety is the spice of life”. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. Eat well, work smart and remember the important stuff!

A few of my favorites:

THE GOOD
Avocado half with sea salt and citrus

This might be one of the easiest and most perfect breakfasts for someone like me on a weekday in that, it is self contained, creates it’s own bowl, is healthy, is filling and is an avocado (which might actually be one of the most perfect foods – I heart avocado). My sister-in-law, Irma, taught me this and all I could think was, “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?”.

STEP 1

Grab an avocado and a lime on your way out the door.

STEP 2

Go to the office, log onto your computer, then head to the kitchenette. Yes, yes, get some water; must stay hydrated.

STEP 3

Cut the avocado in half, lengthwise. Cover the half with the seed in wrap, to save for the next day (or share with a co-worker). Cut a wedge of lime. To the other half avocado, sprinkle with sea salt (do you keep yours in your drawer?) and squeeze over the lime.

STEP 4

Get to that meeting you are late for, avocado in the palm of your hand. Eat avocado, scooping with a spoon as you converse with meeting attendees. This is of course conducive behavior for some meetings and some – not; use your judgement.

You could even add a scoop of cottage cheese if you are feeling fancy (or rather, not so fancy).

THE BAD
English muffin with tomato, basil and cheese

Not bad in it tastes bad, or even that it is bad for you. This is healthier than a “typical” breakfast sandwich, quick, easy to assemble and cook, but best of all, feels like a civilized breakfast that can be transported to the office with almost no effort. Share one-half with a co-worker; no need to be an oinker.

STEP 1

Pack an English muffin (I use whole wheat), a small tomato, a few leaves fresh basil and a few slices of cheese into a travel bag. For the cheese, I switch between fresh and hard mozzarella, cheddar, Comte, gruyere, lite Jarlsberg, or whatever specialty cheese I might have picked up that week. It is extra convenient (and requires even less time) to use pre-sliced cheese (not Kraft singles) which is what I resort to on the busiest of mornings (pre-sliced cheese, not Kraft that is).

STEP 2

Go to the office, log onto your computer, then head to the kitchenette.

STEP 3

Toast the English muffin lightly in the toaster. While it is toasting, slice the tomato, sprinkle with sea salt (which I keep at the office) and fill up a glass with ice water (to keep hydrated).

STEP 4

Put the toasted muffin halves on a piece of foil and lay a slice of cheese on the top of each muffin half; top with basil leaves then tomato. If you prefer a bubbly top, reverse the tomato with the cheese. Put the muffins into a toaster oven (in a pinch, use the microwave) and set it to “toast” which should take a few minutes during which you can begin reading emails or doing something work-related.

STEP 5

Eat at your desk as you read/answer emails. Be sure to wash your hands and your keyboard/mouse often.

THE UGLY (to make you feel pretty):
Super healthy smoothie “to go”

Okay, so here is a solid (or not so solid, pun-intended) recipe; I am not on the juicing craze of the rest of the world, but I have to admit that when my husband went out of town a few months ago, I got into the habit of doing this (he would remind me I also ended up in the hospital, but, it had nothing to do with this, honest). I would fill the cup of my Magic Bullet with fruits, spices and yogurt the night before to be ready for a fresh puréeing of it in the morning, right as I walked out the door (glass with lid, in one). The combination below is my favorite; the addition of citrus and ginger, combined with extra cinnamon and cardamon make for a bright, sunny flavor. I don’t actually measure, rather haphazardly throw the various ingredients into the cup (but the quantities listed below, I tested for you). I use Grays Harbor plain yogurt (a local yogurt in Washington) which is not low-fat but has much less fat than a full-fat Greek yogurt would have. The wheatgrass powder adds an extra dose of healthy; helping to extend energy, detoxify and increase our immune system (and who doesn’t want to do that?).

STEP 1

Quickly, very quickly, throw the following ingredients into the cup of a Magic Bullet, Vita-mix, or food processor and purée until smooth:

1/4 banana, peeled
A handful blueberries
A few slices fresh mango
1 TB wheatgrass powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamon
4-5 slivers of peeled fresh ginger (or just grate some in, to taste)
Juice of wedge lemon or lime
1/4 – 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup or so fresh squeezed grapefruit (or apple) juice

You can do this the night before and purée just before heading out the door; still do it quickly or else you have missed the whole point. If you don’t have a Magic Bullet, transfer the smoothie to a glass jar with a lid after puréeing.

STEP 2

Go to the office. Yes, you will still be logging onto your computer, then going to the kitchenette (to get water, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate).

STEP 3

You can join a meeting, head to your desk or whatever your calendar has in store for your morning. A sippy cup is usually acceptable in most of the above. It is also okay to have already finished the smoothie in the car, bus, train, subway (you get the idea). Easy! Healthy! Makes you pretty (yes, even you, pretty-boy).

Share your favorites. I would love to hear how your week goes down and how you feed it in the a.m.