Just about everyone I talk to is looking for quick and easy options for breakfast. They need something that is “grab and go.” Or, they just skip breakfast and use coffee to put off eating until lunch.
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It gives your body the fuel it needs to make it until lunch. Research has shown time and again that eating breakfast helps with weight maintenance and weight loss. In fact, research is starting to turn our daily meals around with the idea that breakfast should be the largest meal of the day – not dinner.
Breakfast also seems to be a meal that people fall into a rut with – always having the same thing. Why not spice it up a bit? Like with bread pudding! I hear you – “Bread pudding for breakfast? She’s got to be kidding! That’s dessert!” Well, yes it is dessert, but you can use the idea of bread pudding to make an amazing breakfast that freezes well and is grab and go. You can make a couple of batches in muffin tins, put one or two to a freezer bag and freeze them. Then grab a bag as you head out and they’ll be thawed by the time you get to work. Or, pop into the oven for a few minutes and you’ve got a tasty, filling breakfast. They also go great in combination with a low-fat yogurt. I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but it came out of the Canyon Ranch Cooking cookbook. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups non-fat milk
- 2 tbsp corn oil margarine, melted
- 4 egg whites
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 12 slices whole-wheat bread, diced into ½ inch cubes
- 2/3 cup dark raisins
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350oF.
- Lightly spray a 9×12-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. (Can also be made into 12 sprayed muffin tins or custard cups. Shorten cooking time by about 5 minutes.)
- Combine all ingredients, except the bread and raisins, in a large bowl and mix well. Stir in the bread and raisins and allow to soak for 5 minutes.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until firm and nicely browned. Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before cutting into squares 3×4 inches in size.
Yield: 12 servings.
Calories: 143; Fat 3g; Sodium 195g; Carbohydrates: 25g; Protein 4g
Remember – make breakfast a part of you day! Enjoy!