Quick and Easy Breakfasts
Especially for people new to low-carb eating, it can be challenging to figure out what to make for breakfast. If you’re used to reaching for the cereal box, the loaf of bread, or the packet of oatmeal, it can come as a bit of a shock to realize that you have to come up with a totally different breakfast plan.
But don’t worry, there are a variety of low-carb breakfast foods.
Tips for Extra-Quick Low-Carb Breakfasts
Eggs
I know what you’re thinking: "How can I possibly cook something first thing in the morning?" Happily, eggs don’t have to be just for lazy Sunday mornings. Here are some ways to make them quick and easy:
Eggs for Beginners - A one-page primer on how to make eggs in many ways, easily. There's even microwaved eggs!
Make a vegetable frittata and then freeze or refrigerate servings to pull out and microwave. A frittata is sort of a cross between an omelet and a quiche, made on the stove and sometimes finished in the oven. They are a great way to use leftover vegetables, because you can put any vegetable you want in it. In Italy, frittatas are common items in lunches brought from home. They don’t take long to make, and then you can use it for several meals.
Of course, it’s even easier to simply scramble leftover veggies and cheese with eggs. You can make a big batch of this and save the extra; zip-type plastic bags work well.
Omelets are great vehicles for leftovers.
A serving of regular scrambled or fried eggs is quick to make. I recently mastered flipping fried eggs just with the pan. It's fun, and cuts down on the cleanup. Serve with low-sugar fruit and a flax muffin, and you’ve got a complete breakfast.
Eggs Florentine is an easy recipe using frozen spinach.
Cereals
Cereals are a hard one, because they are high in carbohydrate by their very nature. Here are some ways around it:
Some cold cereals, such as Special K, now come in a low-carb form. Even better are some of the high-fiber cereals, such as All Bran and Fiber One. (Check the labels, as formulations change. At this writing, there are three different kinds of All Bran, for example, all with different carb levels.)
There are some special low-carb cereals, such as “Flax-O-Meal”, that can be purchased online. Or make this flax cereal right in your bowl.
You can make your own Low-Carb Granola.
Cream of “Wheat” is a hot “cereal” developed by innovative low carbers using eggs and ricotta cheese. Here's a recipe for a pumpkin version.
Unlikely as it sounds, TVP “Oatmeal” is surprisingly like the real thing.
Breakfast Breads
Muffins, biscuits and other breads can be made from flax meal, almond meal, and other low-carb ingredients. There are several low-carb bread recipes you can try.
Buy a low-carb pancake mix, or make them from scratch.
Microwave "breakfast puddings" are a good option. I don't know what else to call this. Put flax meal and/or almond meal in a bowl with water, egg, and flavorings such as berries, cream cheese, peanut butter... use your imagination. Two examples:
Blueberry Almond Breakfast Pudding
Easy Flax Breakfast Pudding
Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Ricotta, Tofu
Spoon able dairy products can be combined with fruit, such as frozen berries, and nuts or flax seed to make a quick breakfast.
Any of the above can be used to make a shake with protein powder and fruit or flavorings. Or the shake can be made with just the protein powder and unsweetened soy milk, kefir, or water. For example:
Satisfying Breakfast Shake
Berry Protein Shake
Use tofu as the central protein. A shake can be made from soft tofu, while the firmer types can be used in tofu scrambles and other dishes.