Muscle Building Breakfast

Muscle Building Breakfast

You'll Need:

2 Eggs

Bell Pepper

Plain Greek Yogurt

Blueberries and Strawberries

1. Wash and cut out top of bell pepper and slice 2 rings about a half inch tall.

2. Crack egg into center of the bell pepper ring, cook on low/medium heat for 12-15 or until egg is thoroughly cooked.

3. Top your side of yogurt with blueberries and diced strawberries.

Enjoy! =]

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Principles for Eating Right for Life!

Principles for Eating Right for Life!

ü  Eat 5 to 6 small meals per day

ü  Eat breakfast everyday, within an hour of rising

ü  Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal

ü  Eat sufficient (two or three servings) healthy fats everyday

ü  Drink two to three liters of water per day

ü  Carry a cooler packed with clean foods everyday

ü  Depend on fresh fruits and veggies for fiber, vitamins and minerals

ü  Learn proper portion sizes

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Food Firsts (2)

You may remember that one of the things on my to do list is to try a new recipe each month. This actually ended up turning into one new recipe a week on average. They are not anything special; they are just an attempt at trying something NEW, not fancy. And it's fun!  Now if I can just get myself to try a new activity each month as well... Here are three of my favorite breakfast recipes from the last few months.

1. Breakfast Quinoa (adapted from this recipe): I love quinoa and was excited to find that I could eat it for breakfast! One of my favorite ways to eat it is to cook it as mentioned below and then add fresh fruit, a few nuts and some almond milk for a yummy and fast breakfast!

Ingredients
2 cups almond milk
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 tablespoon honey
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup craisins or raisins

Bring milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Add quinoa, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, until three-quarters of the milk has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, until almost all the milk has been absorbed, about 8 minutes.

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2. Overnight Oats (adapted from this recipe): I liked these because you can make them the night before and then just grab and go in the morning. They also make a great gift for a basket. The recipient just has to add milk and leave in the fridge and they are all set. Easy! 

1/3 cup steel cut oats 

1 cup almond milk

1/4 cup nuts

1/4 cup raisins or craisins

1/4 cup shredded coconut

2 tsp brown sugar or honey (or to taste; you may want a little more)

Mix all ingredients together in a jar or lidded Tupperware.  Stir well. Leave in fridge overnight. In the morning, stir and enjoy! They are a little chewy but very good! (**I eat this as two servings) 

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3. Homemade Granola (recipe adapted from here): This recipe is kind of an estimate, as I like to throw in a bit of this and a bit of that and sweeten to taste, which for me is not very sweet. So, you can use this as a guideline and add what you want! This makes about 6 cups. Each half cup serving is about 220 calories. 

4 cups oats

2 tbsp flax

¼ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup almonds

2 tbsp honey

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp brown sugar

½ cup unsweet coconut

Mix all ingredients together and spread on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes at 325. Take out and stir around. Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Stir again. Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Oats should be golden brown. Let cool and store in airtight container. It should last a couple of weeks on the shelf.

For more recipes I am thinking of trying, or to find me on pinterest, go HERE.

Have you tried any of these? Have you made any new recipes lately? What do you normally eat for breakfast?

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Building a Better Breakfast!

This is taken from the IDEA fit tips September issue.

Many people fail to consider is that the body awakes in an energy-deprived state. Depending on when dinner or the last evening snack was consumed, a person may have gone 10–15 hours without food. Normally, the body gets energy from fat and carbohydrates. Glucose, or sugar from carbohydrates, is needed to metabolize fat and is the exclusive fuel source for the brain and red blood cells. The liver’s stored glycogen supplies the body with glucose throughout the night.


Breakfast not only provides readily available calories for morning activity; it is also integral to obtaining essential nutrients. Protein is needed for muscle building and repair, as well as for other functions, including maintenance of hormones and enzymes.

Breakfast Choice:
Poor Breakfast Choices: doughnut or pastry; croissant; pancakes; white bagel; black coffee; sugary cereal with milk.

Better Breakfast Choices: muffin with extra fiber; breakfast/protein bar; whole-grain pancakes, easy on the syrup; whole-grain bagel; high-fiber cereal with added fruit and nuts plus milk.


Best Breakfast Choices: oatmeal or other hot-cooked grain cereal like Kashi® with added fruit and nuts; high-fiber, whole-grain cereal with milk, almond milk or soymilk, topped with fruit and nuts; whole-grain pancakes topped with unsweetened applesauce and fresh fruit; whole-grain toast topped with avocado, peanut butter or hummus; fruit with yogurt and coffee with milk or soymilk; regular or egg-white omelet with added vegetables or beans. I always recommend eggs as the perfect breakfast with a whole grain bagel or English muffin.

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Health Magazine's top 10 healthiest fast-food breakfasts

Health asked a team of experts to choose and rank what they thought represented the best mix of complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats in fast food breakfasts.  Here they are in order:

1 - spinach florentine breakfast wrap (Cosi)

2 - Protein Artisan Snack Plate ( Starbucks)

3 - Berry Topper Ideal Meal (Jamba Juice)

4 - Apple cinnamon Oatmeal (AuBonPain)

5 - Scambled egg whites, chicken sausage, and fruit (Denny's)

6 - Fruit & Maple Oatmeal (McDonald's)

7 - Simple & Fit veggie Omelette (IHOP)

8 - Western Egg White & Cheese Muffin Melt (Subway)

9 - Egg White Turkey Sausage Wake up Wrap (Dunkin' Donuts)

10 -  Breakfast Power Sandwich (Panera Bread)

I thought the breakfast power sandwich would have ranked higher.

More information click here.

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