I have an extremely large cup of coffee with a blueberry muffin or payday candy bar. That sounds sinful after reading all these answers...lol. I like the sound of RNmomof2's "breakfast in a jar" made the night before. I am always in a hurry in the mornings.

2 eggs, usually scrambled, because that is how DH likes them. Plenty of butter. This holds me through feeding horses, cleaning the barn, and Zumba class. The toast, oatmeal, etc., just run your blood sugar up and the resulting crash causes hunger.

Wow. I am failing this whole adult thing. I have a double chocolate Oreo and a half a pot or so of black tea.

I like the VitaTops Cranberry Bran muffin tops.

1g fat, 4g fiber, 4g protein, 140mg sodium, cholesterol free. Kosher bran muffins. 100 calories

I use a lot of greek yogurt so I don't know that any of this is going to actually be helpful! Oatmeal, steel cut oats, healthy muffins, toast, etc. alone for breakfast leaves me hungry shortly after. Muffins fall close to that biscuit category for me (food trigger thread) so I don't like to have them around. Most days I eat some form of eggs. I like different types of omelets. I very much enjoy panfakes.

Panfakes - makes 2 large

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 c greek yogurt

ground flax seed if you wish

Mix together and fry in butter or coconut oil. I add about 1/8 c more greek yogurt to the top along with fresh peaches or blueberries, etc. It's one of the few recipes where I actually feel like I'm eating the real thing. I think the yogurt on top helps makes these, but I think they'd be tasty with cooked down fruit as a topping too.

Some days I'll drink a smoothie. They're ok and are fast. I like salads, but I find them tedious to make as I don't use store bought dressings. It's an easy way for me to get two cups of packed greens. I'll add some type of fruit, about 1/2 cup greek yogurt, a little water, and whatever else floats my boat that day -ground flax seed, chia, coconut oil, pb, vanilla, or cocoa powder.

I make my own tortilla wraps and freeze them. I'll fill them with eggs and/or turkey sasuage that I also make. I'll change up the toppings with cheese, salsa, greek yogurt. Actually, the made wrap freezes well (minus salsa and yogurt!) and can be a time saver.

Lately I've been enjoying a slice of toasted Ezekiel bread topped with chicken or canned tuna mixed with a little safflower mayo and cracked pepper.

Ate tomato sandwiches on a slice of Ezekiel bread a lot this summer.

Once in a while I'll take rolled oats or steel cut oats in a glass container with a little almond milk, blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries, and almonds. I'll leave it 'marinade' in the fridge overnight and eat it cold. I usually have some type of protein along with this.

Sometimes I'll cut up an apple and mix with greek yogurt and a little pb swirled together. This is usually for days I didn't eat right away when I got up and I need something quick to hold me over until lunch.

I'm getting ready to try a recipe for cranberry orange granola for topping on greek yogurt. I'm getting a little tired of eggs lately!

No milk, cheese or yogurt, on it's own. That's a tough one.

I pretty much have a winter breakfast (steel cut oatmeal with dried cherries and 1/4t br sugar, or with pumpkin puree and spices) and a summer breakfast (smoothies), both typically 250 cals. I never want oatmeal in July, and conversely I never want smoothies when it is cold out (at least not first thing in the morning... brr!). My smoothies start w greek yogurt, misc frozen fruit, a handful of spinach, some frozen banana (as soon as they start to go bad, slice and freeze so it's always on hand) and usually a little bit of fresh OJ or water to get the right consistency.

Do you like almond butter? You could have that on a rice cake. Or any nut butter on a graham cracker with sliced banana or sliced apple. It's also nice to dip apples or banana in PB and then roll in wheat germ. The woman who cooks for us makes those a a snack for the kids, but i like them too.

My breakfast hardship is I don't much like eggs. But I do like to make mini crustless quiches in muffin cups. I usually put in a lot of veggies, more whites than yolks, and not much cheese. But you can take that too far and get something pretty awful to eat, so leave in a bit of fat!

What about variations on eggs with spinach or greens?

I will once again sing the praises of pumpkin waffles,made w whole wheat flour and flax seed.

I like the same cereals as GScience, esp Shredded Wheat n Bran. Love the ingredients list, I think it says "wheat".

I've also made my own granola (one i loved with pistachios), which I like with fresh ricotta, and I have made my own granola bars.

Eli Zabar's Heatlh loaf (or any really good bread with a zillion grains and seeds in it), toasted with butter and a clementine on the side.

two eggs--one minute in microwave, 1/2 grapefruit, 2-3 cups coffee = perfect to increase/jump started metabolism.

Hmmm...I don't see how oatmeal can cause a "round face". Prednisone will cause "moon face" but oatmeal? Overeating can cause a round face, if that's where you gain weight, but I wouldn't condemn a single food which is widely considered reasonably healthy.

Like everything there's a nuance,. In my opinion, instant oatmeal, especially the dreadful stuff in packets, which I think has a lot of sugar, is not terribly healthy. I only eat the steel cut and I actually have a quarter teaspoon measuring spoon in my sugar bowl. Reminds me of salads ... people can ruin a good thing by piling junk on it and adding a lot of calories just because they think they're eating healthy.

http://www.self.com/flash/diet-blog/2011/09/why-oatmeal-make-you-gain-weight

I really appreciate this thread as I too am trying to work on eating breakfast daily-- or at least more regularly. It's tough because I don't really like eating in the morning and I also need to stay away from milk/yogurt. I love eggs but not so much in the morning.

Typically, I have a whole wheat english muffin and grapefruit slices (or berries in season). This time of year, I really like steel cut oats with nuts, saigon cinnamon and just a touch of butter and brown sugar. Sometimes I'll swap the brown sugar with dried cherries, cranberries or blueberries if I have them. If i am feeling really indulgent, I'll add a touch of half and half.

I have tried a number of whole grain hot cereals a favorite is a blend from a small company in Maine, Fidler's Green Farm. The one I've had is Izzy's Oats. IIRC, it's a blend of steel cut oats, almonds and millet.

I had started eating an apple each morning-- but I am found I was getting really bloated and uncomfortable with the apples. You'd think apples would have the opposite affect but it was the change to my diet in the same time period.

Just a few days ago, I saw a recipe for whole wheat sweet potato pancakes with a nut butter. I am going to give that a try. I am not a big fan of syrup so I'd stick to the nut butter -- or maybe honey butter.

I usually only make them for guests but I really like Bob's Red Mill 10 grain pancake and waffle mix. I know it's super easy to make pancakes/waffles from scratch but I like the 10 grain mix. It's especially good with pecans.

I know this sound odd but years ago, I used to like white bean soup for breakfast. It works for me because I don't usually want something all that flavorful in the morning and it sticks with you!

Well, yes. If oatmeal becomes a sugar and fat delivery mechanism in a large portion size...but in and of itself, it isn't an issue.

Love Brian Wansink and his work. If you haven't seen this, it's an eye opener.

During the week, on most days, I pretty much stick with a smoothie. 3 cups spinach, 1 banana, 1 cup plain Kefir yogurt, protein powder (my favorite is SDC About Time Whey) and ice. It seems to set me off in a healthy eating direction for the rest of the day.

Sometimes I'm really in the mood for eggs so I make a modified version of Huevos Rancheros - refried black beans, feta, fried eggs (non stick pan with 1 tsp of olive oil) and pico de gallo. Sometimes some avocado slices.

I'll also make tacos of all kinds. My current favorite is corn tortilla, sweet potato, black beans, feta and cilantro. Of course a little avocado doesn't hurt on this one either!

We switch off among egg whites, fruit and a slice of whole wheat toast. Or Shredded Wheat 'n Bran and fruit. Or steel cut oats and fruit. I've recently switched to almond milk on my oatmeal and cereal. I like it better than regular milk on cereal, but it tastes horrible (to me) in coffee, so I use the real thing there.

the only breakfast I've found that gets me through to lunch without hunger every time is:

slice of toast with peanut butter; and 5 prunes

I've read Wansink's book, so interesting. I read recently somewhere an article that basically said we have a finite amount of, for lack of a better word, willpower, we are willing to use any given day. They did an experiment where I think they showed something like if someone did a good deed they overate later in the day… It was kind of funny. Anyone else see this?

sorry, the breakfast thread is starting to morph into the trigger thread!

I can barely function in the morning. Could never see myself putting together some of these breakfasts. I have a couple cups of black coffee (Starbucks French Roast -- brewed at home) and a bowl of Barbara's Morning Oats cereal with either banana slices of berries. Sometimes I skip the fruit.

I have yogurt, a banana with peanut butter, and a mixture of orange juice/cranberry juice.

I have seen the study about eating organic and self-righteousness...or why the customers at whole foods are so rude. But then I've read articles that say that self-discipline is like a muscle and that the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.

I saw that article, Mtn.. or maybe it was different but similar. It was either part of.. or linked from the article saying people who shop organic/whole foods buy more "junk food". I only scanned it.. seemed like poor survey setup for the sake of sensationalism (but I've become a cynic about the "scientific studies" as reported in mainstream media.)

My daughter is vegan and alternates between total junk food and expensive, organic, harvested by monks, watered with angel tears food products. I think it is because adhering to vegan standards can be difficult so sometimes when she gets hungry she just says "to heck with it" and gets junk.

Kashi cereal (12g protein) with raisins (no milk). Or on my days off, when I am trying to get my skinny husband to eat something, blueberry waffles, bacon and real Maple syrup or spinach, parm and chives scramble. Yum.

LOL, Dee.

Yes, Annie and Funky, that was it.

I loved the link you posted on self-discipline Annie, I was just trying to explain that to DD2 the other day, but the article is much more thorough than I was. I will print it out for dinner table discussion. The kids will just love that.

As far as whether it is a muscle you can develop, or a finite store you must conserve, I am not sure. I tend to go through phases. For a bit I will be hitting it on all fronts, perfectly self-disciplined in every area of life. Then, when something goes a bit awry, I slack off on everything all at once! Moderation, moderation, that is always the hard part.

Well, I hope you don't all think I am nuts but I am trying to lose weight and find this breakfast works for me. I put 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1/4 cup egg whites, 1 tablespoon flax seed powder, 1 small banana, and 1 scoop nutribar powder in a blender. Then I am very satisfied till around 3 when I will have a fruit or some almonds. Then a healthy small normal dinner.

i know I should not have the nutribar powder or slimfast powder, but it us working.

Annie - interesting link. My sister is an organic vegetarian and holier-than-thou doesn't begin to describe her I'm-better-than-you attitude towards the rest of us. She tends to mention it at least twice during a family gathering.

My mornings always start with a banana as I'm either off to the gym or a run and then when I get back my workout or run dictates what I have for breakfast which I don't eat until around 8:30. It could be cereal or oatmeal but always includes cheese - only because I love cheese. There is a lot of self-discipline involved in my cheese-eating.

I cook a substantial breakfast for my kids before school and so I end up eating 2-3 eggs fried in butter. With coffee. In fact there are weeks when I eat eggs every morning.

I love smoothies but cannot stand the sound of my blender at 6 a.m. This is the reason why I ditched my electric toothbrush... I'm very sensitive to noise for the first few hours of my day.

Nothing exciting: a hard boiled egg and a can of low sodium V-8 juice and a cup of coffee with milk. I pack it all up and drink the coffee on my 20-25 minute drive to work. By the time I arrive at work (7-ish) I am hungry for my egg and V-8.

I am surprised by how few of you eat no non traditional breakfast foods. I can easily eat pizza, salmon, rice, turnip greens etc. for breakfast. However, I also like dessert with coffee and I only drink coffee in the early am , so I sometimes have something very sweet with my coffee.

I'll eat non-traditional in the form of leftovers, but it's never planned that way and I don't bother heating them up ... roasted veggies, baked beans, pasta e fagioli, etc.

3/4 cup of gluten free cold cereal, with a sliced banana and some type of berries on top along with rice milk - I have a milk allergy. I try to reduce carbs but I love them too much to eliminate them. I have a cup of hot white tea for a drink.

does anyone actually like steel cut oats? I've tried it several times because it's supposed to be "better" but just cannot get past the texture. However, I love regular flaked oatmeal; all it needs is a spoonful of maple syrup, yum.

Violet, for me it's the strong oat flavor that's a turn off. My dad used to put steel cut oats in goetta (a German breakfast food) and that was fine, but to eat as a cereal ... no thanks. Much prefer old fashioned rolled oats.

I love them.. especially with nuts! I like the bite and the flavor.

I never cared for oatmeal until I found steel cut. To me, the OFQO stuff brings to mind Goodnight Moon's "a comb and a brush and bowl full of mush".

Have you tired McCann's 5-minute steel cut? I microwave mine with skim milk and dried cherries already in it ... they plump more when heated that way. A sprinkle of brown sugar and yum.

It may help if you think of it as something different than oatmeal, rather than comparing it. Kind of like a veggie burger is totally different than a burger. Or maybe it's more like comparing a baguette to a miche.

ugh- my hub will occasionally eat cream of rice or (used to) wheat, and THAT is MUSH!!!! yuck!

instant oatmeal turns to mush, but it seems that regular oatmeal is sortof like pasta- will turn to mush if you cook it to death, but if you cook it and watch it it can maintain a little texture... but, of course it's still oatmeal!! steel cut does have a bit more 'texture' and flavor! I rarely eat either in the morning, but love a bowl full of oatmeal and fruit/nuts for dinner if I'm by myself!

I loved Cream of Wheat as a kid.

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats have a bit of chew if cooked correctly ... if not then they're more creamy. I prefer the former.

malt o meal!

Green fresh juice is yummy sometimes, and to bumblebeez point, we usually have raw veggies too. I need to try hummus with my kids again. Darn it, I just ordered groceries and I forgot again!

so somethings that we have that I am not sure were mentioned: roasted small cut potatoes (love the vidalia chopper), potato waffle with salsa, lots of fresh fruit, raw veggies, roasted veggies with balsamic and mustard (so good even for breakfast - with the right balsamic they are slightly sweet), some nuts, homemade granola is really pretty easy, there are a lot of 5 ingredient types out there. I am going to try a sunbutter mix this weekend to see if the kids can bring it for a snack to school (nut free school)

of course when in a rush - cereal - I have settled on the Puffins kind for now but have 3-4 low sugar kinds pinned to try for the kids when they get bored of puffins and oat milk. :)

I keep meaning to look for sunbutter (p/nut allergies) but keep forgetting- do u get your sunbutter at grocery store and is it with the pnb??

Yes busybee - my kids dont have allergies, but they like this: sunbutter and it is by the PB at my shoprite, also the KInd pumpkin seed granola bars, sunbutter bars and these are nice to have in the freezer if you are in a pinch frozen sunbutter sandwiches

For Cream of Wheat, my husband's family would add egg to it. They would use 1 egg per serving (I use 1 egg per 2 servings). The eggs are separated. The yolks are put in a bowl and then the hot cream of what poured on top and mixed (with the heat from the cereal warming the eggs). Then, the whites are whipped and folded in giving a light and fluffy result. It is served with cinnamon sugar. That is more effort that I am willing to put forth most mornings, but it is good. To my tastes, Malt-O-Meal has a funny aftertaste. Now, we just buy farina from the bulk bins at Sprouts.

I don't know Bumble, but I guess we are more traditional with breakfast foods at our house. We both really like breakfast and sometimes will have it for dinner. I have eaten roasted veggies and rice for breakfast but I like just a bit of olive oil and seasoning on the veggies. No sweet tasting veggies for me. I absolutely love sweets (my downfall) but we try to eat healthy and sweets are usually "treats" or special occasions around here (baked goods).

Violet, I do like the steel cut oats but they have to have "stuff" added such as nuts, dried cranberries, etc. For baked oatmeal I use rolled oats of course. I like the texture of baked oatmeal, I prefer it over the "mushiness" of cooked oatmeal. We don't do instant oatmeal. I've never been a fan of cream of white or grits, although I do like cheese grits. My husband loves grits with a full breakfast (bacon or sausage, eggs, biscuits, etc.) but that is something we rarely have.

I have these weird smell associations with certain foods. With steel cut oats it's something slightly barn-like. With blue cheese it's regurgitated food and with kimchi it's the smell of a garbage truck in the summer months. Doesn't matter how good any of those foods are ... I just can't get past the smell.

i am not a breakfast person and never have been except on special occasions and that really leans towards brunch. Otherwise a cup of coffee before getting dressed and a big glass of ice water on my way to work. I usually have a bigger meal at out at lunch although I try to keep it heathy, and a lighter supper tonight just a chicken breast (sometimes a veggie/ fruit smoothie that always must include a banana). I do like eggs, so sometimes we will have breakfast for supper or I will have a couple of poached eggs and GF toast for supper (especially if DH has already eaten before I get home). I always have to have a bedtime snack (which is probably why I don't eat breakfast), usually a small yogurt, but sometimes gelato, a nutty energy bar' or a handful of trail mix. I've found for me a little something at bedtime (not too much or too heavy though) helps me sleep. Weight has never been much of an issue, but if it starts creeping a pound or two, I tend to try to go easy and cut back a bit until I'm back to optimum.

I can easily eat non traditional foods for breakfast. I'm a fan of cold pizza. I'm a fan of any type of pizza. Really. Not a picky pizza person here. :) When we do have leftovers I prefer to use them for lunch or dinner.

does anyone actually like steel cut oats?

Eeeeh, they're ok. I like the texture. I prefer them to rolled oats. I don't think I've ever really loved them just something to throw into rotation once in a while. Kind of like my smoothies. I'd prefer to skip breakfast, but don't believe that's good to do.

I like to add pumpkin as much as I can this time of year. Quinoa, pumpkin, nuts, cinnamon, tiny bit of honey.

And now I'm hungry for Cream of Wheat with butter.

The Cream of Wheat and oatmeal references remind me of my childhood breakfasts. We lived in the country but my mom must have thought we walked to school instead of waited a few minutes for the bus at the end of the road. She filled us up!

I don't like carbs for breakfast--they make me sleepy. I have found if I have only protein for breakfast, I'm more alert and less sluggish.

LynnNM's recent thread, though, has me making farro with honey and milk for my kids instead of oatmeal. They LOVE farro for breakfast. (Thanks, Lynn!)

now I want pizza

Do ya'll see the Houzz pizza picture at the bottom?! Doughy, cheesy, goodness.

No pizza photos for me.

If you can't stomach steel cut oats, another grain that is good for an oatmeal-like dish is barley-- I really got out of the swing but I used to make a baked apple/barley dish that was delicious. Barley is a whole grain that is not going to spike your blood sugar (low glycemic index) and it is packed with nutrients. I haven't tried any of these recipes but I thought she had some good combos

Barley breakfast ideas

Mom wasn't too big into nutrition when I was a kid, so I remember breakfasts of donuts or cream of rice with chocolate shots and milk...Now I think it's been 5 years since I've eaten a donut and probably 30 years since I've had cream of rice. I remember in the dorm how the kids would go for leftover pizza for breakfast, but the smell alone in the a.m. would make me ill, let alone cold pizza. Yuck. Now we limit our pizza to twice a year.

It's amazing to think how my diet has changed over the years. If I ate then like I do now, I'd be skinny like a rail. Instead now I struggle to take off a few lbs. But then again, I can remember coming home after a full day of work, getting out to the yard to mow the lawn with the push mower and change quickly as Mom was coming over to pick me up for aerobics class. Somehow, I don't think I'd do that today....

cindymac... ever have limburger cheese?? I wonder what you would compare that smell to!? I actually used to like it (my mom used to like and buy it occasionally) but haven't had or smelled it since I was a preteen or teen, so I can't even remember what the taste or smell really was... I love blue cheese too!!