Instead, I plan ahead. When I wrap up a granola bar for myself the night before I keep it on the kitchen counter next to my car keys so I don’t forget it or I make muffins and wrap leftovers individually in plastic wrap so I can defrost them one at a time. As I’m rushing out the door, it’s easy to just grab my breakfast and enjoy it once I get to work.
Here are some of my favorite grab and go breakfast recipes:
Apricot-Walnut Cereal Bars (see recipe below) – Crisp and chewy, this bar is a good-for-you alternative to store-bought cereal bars. The secret ingredient, silken tofu, will give your day a protein-packed start. The recipe also works with other fruit-and-nut combinations.
Lemon-Raspberry Muffins – The secret to the sparkling flavor of these delicately crumbed muffins is the strips of lemon zest finely ground into the sugar. Enjoy the muffins warm right from the oven.
Southwestern Omelet Wrap – Folding a flat omelet in a whole-wheat wrapper makes a high-protein breakfast (or lunch) that is totable and fun. If you want to start the day with a hot egg breakfast, but don't want to fuss with cooking in the morning, you can make this wrap the night before. In the morning, just microwave and go.
Tofu-Fruit Breakfast Smoothie – Add protein to your smoothie with silken tofu. Use whatever frozen fruit you have on hand.
Low-Fat Granola Bars – Storebought granola bars sure are convenient, but they’re often loaded with undesirable amounts of fat. These come together in minutes. Try using chopped dates or dried cranberries in place of the raisins.
Apricot-Walnut Cereal Bars
Active time: 30 minutes | Total: 2 hours (including cooling time) |
To make ahead: Individually wrap in plastic and keep at room
temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at
room temperature or remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and
defrost according to your microwave’s directions.
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces)
3 cups unsweetened puffed-grain cereal, such as Kashi
2 cups chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces silken tofu, drained (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 large egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a large (15 1/4-by-10 1/4-inch)
jellyroll-style pan with cooking spray.
2. Spread oats and walnuts on a baking sheet with sides. Bake until
fragrant and light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large
bowl and add puffed cereal, dried apricots, flour and salt; stir to
combine.
3. Meanwhile, puree tofu, egg, oil, honey, vanilla and lemon zest
in a food processor or blender until smooth, scraping down the
sides as needed. Make a well in the center of the oat mixture; fold
in the tofu mixture until combined. Spread evenly in the prepared
pan.
4. Bake until firm in the center and golden brown, 35 to 40
minutes. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before
cutting into bars with a sharp knife.
Makes 16 servings.
Per serving: 306 calories; 12 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 46 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 87 mg sodium; 367 mg potassium.
By Hilary Meyer
EatingWell assistant editor Hilary Meyer spends much of her time in the EatingWell Test Kitchen, testing and developing healthy recipes. She is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute.
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