September 10, 2009

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, all the kiddos are back in school and moms across the country are breathing a big sigh of relief. Am I right? 🙂

Our son started back on August 27th, so he's been back for a couple of weeks now but we're still trying to get used to the morning routine again. It's not like we ever got to sleep in much during the Summer because he always wanted to be at the beach surfing before 7:00. He's definitely not as excited about getting up for school as he was when he was waking up to go surfing, so our mornings are a little challenging right now.

I'm a HUGE breakfast person and have pretty much drilled into my kids' heads that it IS the most important meal of the day and NO MATTER WHAT, they don't leave the house without eating breakfast. (I've been known to go running out the door after them with a banana in hand if they ever manage to escape without eating breakfast.)

During the week, I keep our breakfasts pretty fast and easy. I'll make either a fruit salad, a wheat English muffin with peanut butter and banana, a egg bagel sandwich, a bowl of oatmeal, yogurt and fruit, or maybe a bowl of cheerios.

We're so lucky to live within walking distance to the high school so during the week, we always have breakfast at home. But, sometimes on the weekend, we drive through somewhere quick and easy for breakfast, while out and about. It's definitely hard to make good choices at most fast food places, but I've been on the lookout for some better choices and have found a couple that I really like.

My favorite so far is the Starbucks Egg White, Spinach, and Feta Wrap. It was full of flavor, thanks to the spinach, the feta, and the tomatoes and was actually so filling that I didn't finish the other half. It's a little high in sodium for me to treat myself to one very often, but in a pinch, this is a great choice.

PER SERVING (1 wrap): 280 calories, 9g fat, 1,140mg sodium, 35g carbs, 8g fiber, 4g sugars, 19g protein

And another great option from Starbucks is their Perfect Oatmeal. You have a choice of three add-ins: a package of brown sugar for 50 calories, mixed nuts for 100 calories, or dried fruit for 100 calories. I choose the mixed nuts but just used half the package. This was really good and very easy if you're in a hurry.

PER SERVING (1 container, nothing added): 140 calories, 2.5g fat, 105mg sodium, 25g carbs, 4g fiber, 0g sugars, 5g protein

Dunkin Donuts is supposed to have a good Egg White Veggie Flatbread, but since we don't have Dunkin Donuts around here, I won't be trying one of these until we go back to Chicago. (They love their Dunkin Donuts in Chicago!)

Dunkin Donuts Egg White Veggie Flatbread

PER SERVING (1 sandwich): 290 calories, 9g fat, 680mg sodium, 39g carbs, 3g fiber, 4g sugars, 11g protein

This might not be quick and easy to grab before school or work, but I just heard about the IHOP Spinach, Mushroom, and Tomato Omelette from the IHOP For Me Menu. HayHay is always wanting me to take him to IHOP for the Grand Slam, so I'm happy to hear that they have a healthy choice for me.

This is made with a fat-free egg substitute and is stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, onions, and swiss cheese. I'd have to take the onions off but this sounds really good! We'll try this some weekend when we have a little more time.

IHOP Spinach, Mushroom, and Tomato Omelette

PER SERVING (1 order): 330 calories, 7g fat, 660mg sodium, 37g carbs, fiber n.a., sugars n.a., 30g protein

I hope you can make time to start your day off right and have a healthy breakfast; whether at home or on the go! At least now, if you're in a hurry, it's easier than it used to be to find something that's at least halfway healthy.

~LilSis