Breakfast Five by Five

Here is a 5-by-5 take on quick ways to get the day off to a great start for yourself or your whole family!

Toast FIVE Ways

1. Bite into whole-grain toast topped with peanut butter, a spoonful of honey, and fruit that is on sale. Instead of bread, you can toast a whole-wheat waffle.
2. Try low-fat cottage cheese instead of cream cheese on your toast. Drizzle jelly and a handful of your favorite nuts on top. Add a piece of fruit on the side.
3. Make a breakfast pizza! On a tortilla, pile a handful of your favorites from this list: tomato sauce (or fresh/canned tomato slices), cheese, onions, lettuce, peppers, mushrooms, beans, or salsa. Melt everything on top in the microwave or toaster oven.
4. Top a slice of toast with three big spoonfuls of low-fat cottage cheese, a tomato slice, a couple of avocado slices, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Try mashed bananas on toast. Just mash ½ banana with a fork, and spoon it on a toasted English muffin. As a side, have string cheese or a hard-boiled egg.

Oatmeal FIVE ways

1. Slice half a banana for your oatmeal. When cooked, it makes your oatmeal grow into a bigger portion without a lot of extra calories. Because of the fruit’s sweetness, add less sugar. Add a teaspoon each of vanilla extract and cinnamon to boost the flavor.
2. Cook oatmeal in water. Afterwards, add two big spoonfuls of low-fat, plain yogurt with a pinch of cinnamon.
3. In-season fruits are less expensive. Find them under “sale” signs at your grocery store. Frozen and canned fruits (in water or own juice) are good all year long! Put these fruits in your oatmeal.
4. For PB&J oatmeal, mix in a spoonful of nuts and a spoonful of jelly.
5. If you’re making pancakes, mix oats into your batter.

Eggs FIVE ways

1. Scramble eggs with spinach (fresh, frozen, or canned) and onions with fruit as a side. If using frozen spinach, thaw it and squeeze the water out first!
2. Sandwich a fried or poached egg between a whole-wheat English Muffin. Stack on vegetables and a slice of cheese.
3. Brown-shelled eggs are no better for you than white-shelled eggs. Stick to the cheaper variety and buy extra veggies to add to a burrito. If you don’t have fresh veggies on hand, scramble your eggs with salsa. Scoop it all into a tortilla.
4. Leftover veggies from yesterday’s dinner? Heat them in a skillet and top them with two eggs and a spoonful of cheese. Then, spice up your dish with herbs or salsa.
5. Mix eggs into your batter for pancakes, muffins, or French toast.

Fruit FIVE ways

1. Look for price mark-downs on fresh fruits. These fruits will cost less during the months they are in season: citrus fruits will be cheaper in the winter, berries in the spring and summer, and apples in the fall.
2. Frozen fruits are always cheap. Find them in the frozen foods section in the grocery store. When you’re ready to eat them, thaw the fruit on the counter, in the microwave, or in the refrigerator. Use them as a topping for pancakes, waffles, or cereal.
3. At a farmer’s market, ask for “seconds.” These fruits are cheaper because they are mildly bruised or marked. Peel off the discolored parts and mix what’s left with low-fat plain yogurt. Add a spoonful of sugar, nuts, and a pinch of cinnamon.
4. Cut fruit into small pieces for dipping into peanut butter, yogurt, or low-fat whipped cream! Buying pre-cut fruit is expensive.
5. Make an edible bowl! Slice a small cantaloupe in half. Scoop out the seeds. Scoop in low-fat cottage cheese, cereal, and a spoonful of sugar.

Vegetables FIVE ways

1. Sauté onions with sweet potato pieces. “Sauté” means using a spoonful or two of oil, butter, or another fat to cook your food in a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop.
2. Keep the skins on your potatoes and slice them very thin. Sauté them with onions, garlic, and peppers.
3. Fill an omelet with frozen or leftover vegetables.
4. A quesadilla for breakfast? Try a six-inch whole-wheat tortilla stuffed with cheese and vegetables.
5. Mix chopped, cooked veggies into your scrambled eggs. Top with a spoonful of grated cheese.