by Amanda Coers

Created on: February 18, 2010

In our house, my husband and I usually get up at 6 a.m. Notice I say “usually," there are plenty of times when we don't do this. But, we strive to get up at 6 a.m. and exercise. Right now we're grooving out to “The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max”and it's kicking our bottoms. Literally.

After our workout, my husband goes to shower and get ready for work and I – being the sweet wifey that I sometimes can be – make our breakfast. His breakfast looks different from mine. But we’re not here to talk about his breakfast. Otherwise this article would be filed under something like “Breakfast options for people who aren't that worried about their weight” – and who wants to read that? No, we’re talking about breakfast solutions for the rest of us.

First off, let’s talk about some standard foods that need to be in your kitchen in order for you to whip up a quick, low-cal, healthy and inexpensive breakfast.

* Eggs

* Bananas

* Oatmeal

* Laughing Cow Cheese

* English Muffins

* Deli-shaved Ham

* V-8 Fruit Fushion juice

* Low-calorie cereals, such as Kellog's Product 19

* Store-brand “Splenda” type sweetener – I use Wal-Mart’s “Altern”

* Skim or low-fat milk

With these items readily available you’re able to fix yourself a nice little breakfast. Let’s talk about my favorite: Laughing Cow cheese on an english muffin. One wedge of the “light” version of Laughing Cow has only 35 calories. When paired with a toasted english muffin, the taste is fabulous and this treat is under 200 calories. I like to have an english muffin, smeared with light Laughing Cow and a glass of V-8 fruit fushion. With this little meal I’m getting veggies, fruit, protein and carbs for around 300 calories. Every once in a while I’ll have a boiled or even a fried egg with this breakfast for a little extra protein.

When I fix that for myself, I’ll usually fix an english muffin sandwichfor my husband. He has this with an orange and some V-8 juice and it works for him. If you follow the link posted in the above sentence, you’ll come across miss Christy Jordan’s wonderfully easy recipe for this yummy breakfast.

When I crave something sweet in the morning, I like to whip up a nice bowl of oatmeal – nothing fancy, no brand names, just oatmeal  – and have some sliced banana in it with a tablespoon of margarine, sweetened with store-brand "Splenda." This fantastic meal tastes like banana bread and it’s around 250 calories. Plus, it fills me up until lunchtime.

For an easy breakfast to take with you on the road, try a serving of Joseph’s Lavash Bread with one scrambled egg and a half serving of deli-sliced ham.

If you're just too pressed for time to cook anything in the morning, make sure you have a healthy cold cereal option on hand.

Breakfast can be quick and easy! Ditch the donuts and treat yourself right.

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