Next week I'm starting a new job that requires that I actually leave my house in order to do the work. It's going to force me to change my routine fairly significantly and one of the things I'm going to have to do is get a whole lot more organized about food. I've never been good about making time to eat breakfast in the past when I've done the 9 to 5 gig and so I've been pondering ways to make it easier to ensure that I eat something in the morning.
One thing I'm planning to do is bake up a batch of Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (my mother's recipe is after the jump). I could go buy myself a box of breakfast bars, but when you make them yourself, you can control what goes into them, ensuring that they are lower in sugar, fat and chemicals than the ones you buy ready-made.
Okay Slashfooders, now it's your turn. How do you make sure that you eat a fairly healthy breakfast each day?Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
¾ cup brown sugar firmly packed
½ cup butter
1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups ripe mashed bananas (about 2 medium)
¾ cup crunchy or regular peanut butter
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups uncooked oats (quick or old fashioned)
½ cup raisins or other bits of chopped dried fruit
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl beat brown sugar and butter until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Add bananas and peanut butter, beat well. Add combined flours, spice baking soda and salt, mix until blended. Add raisins.
Drop 2 to 3 tablespoon heaps of dough about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Don't over bake. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-20-2008 @ 3:20PM
Hugo said...
Being in the office from 8-6 I quickly decided that I would eat breakfast in the office. My daily routine is a nice bowl of oatmeal with some steelcut and other grains thrown in there for good measure. I top it off with some unsweetened silk soymilk and a cup of tea. It's been very satisfying.
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2-20-2008 @ 3:31PM
feriorrenna said...
I'm a baker and rather than eating the fatty, sugary things I find myself almost swimming in daily - I take a little container of steelcut oatmeal with me to work daily. I usually top this with whatever strikes my fancy at work - most often a dribble of honey, a bit of butter, or some fresh berries. Top this off with a cup of skim milk and a banana, apple or orange and you have my daily breakfast for the past few months.
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2-20-2008 @ 3:58PM
DD said...
On Sunday night, I cook up at batch of Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain Cereal, and then reheat a portion each morning, often with sliced banana or some dried fruit added, but it's good with just a little honey or molasses, too.
http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdetails&product_ID=2
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2-20-2008 @ 4:18PM
Becky said...
I keep a box of individually packaged instant (plain, unflavored) oatmeal in my desk, next to a package of maple flakes, and a bag of dried cherries. If I'm feeling particularly hungry I'll pick up a stonyfield farm yogurt on the way to work.
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2-20-2008 @ 4:37PM
slorgcatcher said...
i make a big old batch of muffins every other week or so.(http://www.recipezaar.com/179506) i bring 5 in on monday morning to keep in the office fridge. i also keep oatmeal and dried figs in my desk. just in case.
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2-20-2008 @ 4:43PM
ABT said...
Same as Hugo and feriorrenna.
If using regular oats, I nuke it in the microwave while I'm getting ready in the morning. Takes 2 minutes. If using steel cut, I put them in my rice cooker the night before, flip it on in the morning, shower etc., then breakfast is ready. I take it to work in a container after adding any combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, yogurt, flax seed oil or hemp seed oil, etc. When I'm done with it it's more like a warm muesli.
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2-20-2008 @ 4:48PM
Bear Silber said...
A bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, strawberries and light yogurt mixed in, every morning. So tasty, so filling.
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2-20-2008 @ 7:05PM
Janis said...
My key is to making breakfast a priority. I carve out a half hour of my morning routine for oatmeal, an egg along with a glass of milk. Overall, my body has appreciated the good nutrients!
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2-20-2008 @ 9:51PM
Porcalina said...
got a calorie count on those by any chance? haha
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2-20-2008 @ 10:25PM
Lu Zeng said...
For the last two years (or so), my parents and I have been nuking eggs for breakfast. Without any grease, we crack an egg into a corning (microwave-safe glass?) bowl, break the yolk, and microwave for 35 seconds. Ketchup/vinegar can be added before or after, and the egg fits perfectly in an english muffin.
Eggs = nature's breakfast bar.
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2-21-2008 @ 12:08AM
Stef said...
I make my own cereal bars with Fiber One cereal, honey, natural peanut butter and brown sugar with a variety of nuts, dried fruits or chocolate chips in each batch. I'm still working on the perfect recipe, but I'm averaging about 350 calories and 11 grams of fiber per bar; I get about 16 bars out of one batch. The fat runs about 14 grams per bar, though, from the peanut butter.
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2-21-2008 @ 8:34AM
janiselilly said...
Trader Joes Gluten Free banana waffles with a spoonful of almond butter between them. So good.
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2-21-2008 @ 1:45PM
RobynT said...
ABT: How much flax/hemp oil do you put? This sounds like a good idea... make my oatmeal more filling...
My mom's been making what she calls energy bars for years: rice krispie treats, peanut butter, marshmallow, peanuts, raisins... she's recently used differnet nuts and different berries too. I think they are pretty healthy and can also be tweaked to be made healthier.
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2-21-2008 @ 3:53PM
Lindsey said...
I keep a box of instant oatmeal packets and a bag of flaxseed meal at my desk. Every morning, I add two tablespoons of flaxseed to one packet of oatmeal and stir in hot water from the coffee machine. Of course, it helps that our coffee machine actually dispenses hot water. Otherwise, I'd have to do the whole microwave thing. And I know instant oatmeal isn't exactly as heatlhy as steel-cut oats, but hey, it's fast and better than a fast food sandwich, eh?
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2-22-2008 @ 10:46AM
MJ said...
This is a good one breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I need to start eating it even if its not breakfast food. Usually I like breakfast fooods at night!
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2-25-2008 @ 12:24PM
contentqb said...
Thanks for this recipe - we will give it a whirl. We've been wanting to try something like this with our kids, so it is nice to see we aren't alone. As a fill in, we will buy the Kashi TLCs (tasty little cookies) for a breakfast choice. There is one that has chocolate chips, so my kids will eat it, sans complaint.
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