Breakfast was not deemed the most important meal of the day for nothing. Numerous studies have shown that eating breakfast improves attention, mental clarity, problem-solving skills and memory. And this should come as no surprise - after sleeping through an entire night, your body is deprived of nutrients, and your brain needs energy to function. If you skip breakfast (the initial chance to refuel your body), you’re shocking your body and are likely to be more hungry throughout the day and crave simple carbohydrates (sweets, bread, pasta, etc.) to compensate for postponing the refueling process. Cue Jesse Pinkman again, “Yeah, science!”
My go-to breakfast is a turkey, cheese and honey mustard sandwich on white bread, lovingly turned from boring into warm, melty and crusty by my trusty Cuisinart sandwich grill. Since the turkey I use is highly processed and full of sodium, the cheese is pure fat, and white bread consists of simple carbs that don’t provide lasting energy, my breakfast is pretty sh*tty from a nutritional standpoint. But aside from a lack of nutrients, the rush of glucose from white bread can cause insulin to store that energy for future energy outages, which in turn results in a long-lasting fatigue, which is exactly what you don’t want your breakfast to do. But what can I say, I love my breakfast sandwiches and usually make up for the sleepiness with extra coffee throughout the afternoon.
I’ve been thinking about savory breakfast options I could have instead and turned to the almighty quinoa, which is an excellent source of complex carbs, fiber and protein that provide long-lasting energy. Eggs were the next addition for their high protein, calcium and vitamin B-12 content, which is also important for regulating energy. For this recipe I used one whole egg and one egg white; although the yolk stores most of the vitamins and minerals in an egg, it does have a lot of fat so I only used one. Lastly, I added some sweet tomatoes for a serving of vegetables, basil for freshness and cheese for fun.
(Yield: 1 breakfast)
Ingredients:
3/4 c cooked quinoa, warm or at room temp.
1/2 c grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp basil ribbons
A pinch of sea salt
1 tsp butter
1 egg + 1 egg white
1 tsp grated Parmesan
Salt + freshly ground black pepper
Procedure: Combine quinoa, tomatoes and basil with a pinch of sea salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside. Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Heat a small pan over medium-low heat and melt butter in pan. Add eggs and start moving eggs from outside in using a spatula. Keep agitating eggs until they begin to solidify, about 20 seconds. Cook eggs for another 10-20 seconds until no longer runny. Place eggs alongside quinoa salad and season with black pepper and cheese. Serve immediately.
What is your go-to breakfast?
super healthy breakfast! good for you!
This looks so simple, and sounds so good - def trying it soon!