The Most Important(?) Meal of the Day

Breakfast for non-breakfast people.

Confession: I am not a breakfast person. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always preferred to break my fast around noon (often even later, much to my mother’s chagrin). 

That being said, my wife happens to enjoy eating earlier in the morning and as the resident hash slinger, I try to be efficient about preparing meals at the same time and avoid piling up dishes at various intervals throughout the day.

If I lived in a luxurious fantasy world, my dream morning meal would be a traditional Japanese breakfast spread (miso soup! A delicate piece of grilled fish! Fresh rice! A slice of tamagoyaki! A little bowl of vegetables!), but alas, here in reality I have a full-time job and many other demands on my time, so speed and convenience are ultimately the name of the game. 

Because I don’t typically feel hungry until the afternoon, I like to make things I can slowly chip away at until I’m ready for a more substantial meal. I also try to get a head start on my nutrients for the day, à la registered dietician Abbey Sharp’s Hunger Crushing Combo of protein, fiber, and fats. 

Here are five of my go-tos currently in rotation: 

1. Eggs in various formats

Eggs are a classic breakfast food and the quickest and easiest ways to prepare them are either scrambled or fried, plus some toast with jam, bacon, or a bit of fruit on the side. 

If I feel like pulling out a couple extra ingredients, I throw some spinach and cheddar into my scrambled eggs for a deconstructed omelet situation — both because it’s a more convenient method and because my non-stick pans are no longer all that non-stick.

2. Tamago kake gohan

Speaking of eggs, tamago kake gohan is a simple but popular Japanese breakfast in which you rapidly stir raw egg into steaming hot rice, which both cooks the egg and creates a fluffy, almost-whipped texture. If raw egg freaks you out, stick your bowl into the microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute so that the egg cooks just a little bit more while maintaining that dreamy lightness. Season with soy sauce, furikake, toasted sesame seeds, or anything else you enjoy (I’m personally a big fan of kimchi).

The version above is made with Bibigo’s microwave sticky rice that I buy in bulk from Costco, plus a drizzle of light soy sauce, a sprinkle of furikake and sesame seeds, a dash of shichimi togarashi, and a little pinch of MSG.

Check out J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s version via Serious Eats or on YouTube for more details! 

3. Big Green Smoothie 

I have a smoothie at least two to three times per week and it typically contains a combination of the following: 

• ¼-⅓ cup full-fat, plain Greek yogurt 

  • Fun fact: full-fat dairy products often offer greater satiety and fewer additives than their non- or low-fat counterparts!

• ¼ cup of rolled oats 

• 1 banana 

• Frozen peaches, pineapple, and/or mango - measured with my heart

• A few handfuls of spinach or kale 

• 1 TBS hemp seeds

• A drizzle of honey if needed

  

As other produce comes into season, I also enjoy adding:

• Kiwi

• Cucumber

• Avocado 

• Green apple

I prefer to use yellow fruits so that the color is bright green, as I’ve found that adding berries makes the smoothie a muddier brown or purple, which is less appetizing to me. I also don’t like super sweet flavors, so the version listed above is the perfect amount of sweetness for my palate, but as with everything, cook (or blend, in this case) to your personal tastes! 

4. Yogurt or oatmeal bowl 

I love a good bowl of Stuff and my yogurt or oatmeal bowls are pretty ubiquitous throughout all seasons. 

Here’s my general formula: 

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt or rolled oats

  • If making oatmeal, 1.5x the amount of milk to oats

• 1 TBS honey

• 1 TBS chia seeds and/or hemp seeds

• Fresh or frozen berries, or pomegranate seeds if they’re in season!

• Granola or a handful of nuts for crunch 

  • My favorite granola is Nature’s Path Organic Love Crunch Granola, Dark Chocolate & Red Berries

5. Overnight oats

More flavored mush! Overnight oats are great for the days when I’m at work and Dunkin’s siren call is coming from literally half a block away from my office. I mix it up in a jar the night before, stick it in the fridge, and then just throw the jar into my bag in the morning. 

If I still choose to pick up Dunkin, my donut is in addition to all the various nutrients contained in that jar, as opposed to Just a Donut, which does immediately send me to sleep at my desk.

There are endless varieties of overnight oat concoctions, but mine typically looks a bit like this:

• ½ cup rolled oats 

  • FYI, steel-cut oats do not really work for this because the texture gets really weird.

• 1 cup milk 

  • You may need more or less, depending on your preferences, but a 1:2 ratio of oats to milk is a good place to start

• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt if you like your oats a bit creamier 

• 1 TBS chia and/or hemp seeds

• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

• Honey/brown sugar/maple syrup to your taste - I typically end up with 1.5ish TBS

• A pinch of salt - about 1/2 tsp

  • Do not skip this! Similar to baked goods, the pinch of salt brings out all the other flavors without making the whole thing salty.

• Fruit of choice 

  • Jam or preserves also work in a pinch!

• Other flavorings to your taste (ex: cocoa powder, instant coffee, peanut butter, Nutella, etc.)

For more overnight oats ideas, Sarah Lynn from The Domestic Geek, Lisa from Downshiftology, and many, many others have some great variations! 

---

Weekday breakfast honorable mentions go to: toast & peanut butter, literally any leftovers, a bowl of cereal, and a couple of hard-boiled eggs.

What’s your favorite breakfast? Leave a comment, I’d love to give it a try.