Medical-Study Approved Breakfast Round #2

A while ago I wrote a post on a light, healthy breakfast that I might make on the weekends. To fit with the medical study I'm in, I shoot for less than 500 calories for breakfast. I thought I'd share other options for breakfast that I'm experimenting with. 

My normal is still a cup of yogurt mixed with a crunchy cereal, or fresh fruit.

Figure: Breakfast example - varies based on contents of my fridge and pantry on any given day.

Calories: yogurt (100 cal) + 1/2C. Fiber One cereal (60 cal) + 1/4C. raisins (130 cal) = 290 cal and 14g fiber.

But when I have time I like a change of pace, and I've found a nice portable option is muffins. (They also freeze well - hi Grandma!) Muffins can be tricky, because they CAN be just little cakes - pretending to be healthy, but full of sugar and fat.

However I noticed on the back of my crunchy cereal box, there was a recipe for fiber muffins. That can't be all bad, right?

Figure: Inspiration strikes!

This is a recipe for fruited bran muffins, with All-Bran cereal, banana, molasses, chopped apple, and blueberries. Yum!

Figure: A little smaller than my usual muffins. A good portion of the batter didn't make it into the cups...

Calories: two muffins = 320 calories and 10g fiber

Then I got really fancy, and decided to try orange fruit cups. This is a recipe from Cooking Light, from the subscription I get (hi Grandma again!).

Figure: Gourmet is what that is, I'm telling you.

Actually it's not so hard, you just chop up whatever fruit you have (must include oranges, though), pop it in the orange halves, dust with cinnamon sugar.

Calories: get this, it's only 80 calories per cup. Fruit! It's amazing!

And finally, here's what I made this Sunday - cinnamon-spiced bananas.

Figure: Add bananas, brown sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon to pot. Heat.

 The bananas simmer down into sweet gooey loveliness, a warm topping for whatever strikes your fancy.

Figure: Reduction de banana, you might say. 

Now you might suspect I put it on toast, or yogurt. Or perhaps I whipped out some organic fiber saltines, or, I don't know, slivers of toasted oat and flaxseed. (What would a sliver of flaxseed even look like?)

But come on, it was Sunday.

I had it over ice cream. For lunch. :)

But still! The calories: 1C. banana heaven + 1/2C. vanilla ice cream = 422 calories.

Ice cream as calorie-conscious brunch? It's a stretch I'm willing to make. :)