Breakfast ideas

We have not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you are have any health related symptoms or concerns, you should contact your doctor who will be able to give you advice specific to your situation.

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    I always have porridge with milk and a little honey for breakfast. Usually toast, butter and marmalade too. I can cope with scrambled egg sometimes but know it will be hard to stop my porridge. Added to the complication is I am vegetarian. Porridge keeps me going until around 2pm when eaten at 7am so does not spike my blood sugar. It will be very hard to find something else I can enjoy! I would appreciate some help with this. I know breakfast is not needed for all but I do need it. Without it I will struggle to avoid a mini binge mid morning. I am ditching the carbs slowly as it is the only way I can do this.

  • posted by Queenbee
    on
    permalink

    Good morning and we have the same dilemma at our breakfast table too.
    I think uncut oats are okay, but instead of toast and trimmings, how about bulking out the scrambled eggs? Maybe turn into an omelette with peas and sweet corn, or peppers?

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    Two other complications….I live in France, I can get a box of Quaker Oats here and although in the UK for a few days and planning a trip to Tesco need a regular supply. Once home will investigate Amazon. My other problem is I have a wood burning oven! It takes a while to crank it up in the morning. Porridge done in the microwave is acceptable, eggs are not! I have a fledgling smallholding with lots to do first thing ( chickens, ducks and geese and bees arriving soon). This is all a learning curve and I will gradually work it out. It has to fit with my lifestyle to work. I am also on a clean food campaign!

  • posted by sooze39
    on
    permalink

    Hi Aly (when are you home, btw?)

    I’m not much of a breakfast eater really…..often go without. I do quite like porridge, I make it with water and add a splash of milk when it’s cooked, however, it doesn’t keep me going and I will feel hungry a couple of hours later. If I eat eggs though (scrambled, poached or an omelette with bacon), that fills me up and keeps me going for several hours. I sometimes have Greek yogurt with berries – nice, but that doesn’t really fill me up or keep me going either. A slice of homemade rye toast is another thing that fills me up.

    I guess it depends how strict you want to be…..we’re following the principles of this diet but aren’t being strict about sticking to the 800 cals, in fact I just don’t bother counting them because I know we are definitely eating less calories with our food choices. And we are still losing weight! I don’t see a problem with you eating oats for breakfast (maybe don’t follow it with toast though!), so long as you eat very few carbs the rest of the day. Well, that’s my view anyhow.

    Sue

  • posted by sooze39
    on
    permalink

    PS I nearly always cook scrambled eggs in the microwave!

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    Home tomorrow! We came to collect a special car hubby bought and are going back via the tunnel in the morning. The plan is to never get on another ferry after that awful crossing Monday evening!
    Just went to Amazon Uk, found jumbo oats but they wanted £100 to deliver! Looked on Amazon Fr and found the same thing delivers for €9.99. Still a bit steep but am happy with that so have ordered Jumbo organic oats. Will have that for breakfast from the time I get home.
    I will not count calories either just try to stick with healthy choices. I have Rose Elliots’ book on order for low carb vegetarian cooking which I hope will help.
    I can get lentil, red kidney beans and chick peas in France but will need to hunt for more variety. We have a shop called Bio Co Op that may well have what I want.
    Gradually I will make the changes. I did it with moving to clean food so am sure I can do this.

  • posted by Chameleonbeetle
    on
    permalink

    I know this might be weird but try soup. In winter I sometimes have eggs, mushroom and onion poached in miso soup.

  • posted by theblackspot
    on
    permalink

    Hi folks, my breakfasts always used to be oats cold, or porridge hot!, since I’ve been doing this I’ve had a few good cooked breakfast type dishes, eg poached eggs & asparagus, mushroom omlet, smoked salmon cream cheese omlet… etc.
    But I really find these small calorie dense meals less satisfying than a plate full.
    I’ve had Mexican eggs (stir fried peppers onions and spinach with a couple of scrambled or fried eggs) which hits the spot.
    As it’s initially only for 8 weeks I’ve also been having salads and tinned or smoked fish for breakfast. Sometimes with pickles, or soy & sesame dressing.
    If I get hungry I want to binge, but by eating loads of colourful vegie and salads with a good protein hit I’m not feeling.

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    This is the one meal I really struggle with. I cannot eat savoury food first thing. Although I am still working my way through my stash of cheap Tesco porridge, bought on my last trip, I have some jumbo oats ready. Dr M says jumbo oats are better. So I always have a bowl of porridge made with full milk and add a little local honey. ( next year I hope to have my own honey). This keeps me full for ages and out of the biscuit tin. I can do without my toast, butter and marmalade, but I do miss it. I have several decades of conditioned behavior to deal with. Breakfast is cereal and toast!

  • posted by theblackspot
    on
    permalink

    Hi Aly,
    The rolled oats will be good when they get there. Am amazed the French don’t have them?! Makes me think we might actually have a food culture!
    As an alternative I came across the idea of mixed grain porridge recently like… damn can’t post the link,
    Quinoa porridge, or Quinta oat mix. Means a Lower GL more protein so feeling full longer for less carbs.
    A bit of propper wholemeal toast rye or wheat, with butter and marmite or other not jam toppings is OK too I guess better than jam and honey.

  • posted by orchid
    on
    permalink

    Hi Aly,
    Like you I am vegetarian and a savoury breakfast once a week is fine, but every day was making my stomach turn! I did have eggs either scrambled, poached or boiled every day for a few weeks, but I had to find an alternative.
    I have modified the muesli recipe that I loved from the recipe book that supported the 5:2 book (Mimi Spencer and Sarah Schenker: ‘The Fast Diet Recipe Book’). The recipe is called ‘Fast Day Muesli with cherry yoghurt’. I removed the oats, oat bran, coconut and ground almonds and changed the yoghurt from fat free to Greek yoghurt, reducing the quantity to keep to a calorie count under 200.
    I use 60 grams Greek yoghurt, 30 grams blueberries, 3 grams flax seeds, 3 grams pumpkin seeds, 3 grams sunflower seeds, plus 3 almonds shopped and a pinch of cinnamon. That comes in at 166 cals: 6 grams protein, 12 grams fats, and 10 grams carbs.
    This was also the first time in many years that I have not used a low fat option for yoghurt (or milk) and yes, it keeps me full for 4 -5 hours comfortably.
    I have just got rolled oats from the health food shop and will experiment with them for this muesli recipe once I start the 5:2; 8 days to go till the end of my 8 weeks.
    I have also started planning for the ‘5’ part of the 5:2 diet and was looking for ‘Mediterranean – Style’ cooking. I remembered a French Cookbook I bought in the 90’s that had the most wonderful vegetarian stock recipes I have ever tasted. The only issue was they used 3 tablespoons of butter in them and as I never touched butter – too high fat – I never really used it again.
    Given you live in France and, the French rarely us the terms vegetarian and French together…. I thought I would pass on the book details. You have access to the variety of fresh vegetables much easier than we do in the UK – eg Tian of Celery Root, Turnip, Fennel and Rutabaga; Fresh Fava Beans Baked with Whole Baby Garlic. There are a lot of lovely recipes, cooked seasonally and many look easy to make full quantities and freeze 3-4 portions for later consumption. Yes, she uses bread and potatoes in some places, but they are easy to substitute.
    The author is a Californian who spend 50% of her time in France each year and did run a smallholding in France. The book is ‘France, the Vegetarian Table’ by Georgeanne Brennan, published 1996. She has a website if you search on her name. This book is out of publication, but still available for very little on ABE Books – one is £0.69p and £3.50 postage to France or Amazon. I also purchased ‘Potager – French Garden Cooking in the French Style’ by the same author, again out of print, but available through ABE books. A recipe I am going to try in this is Cream of Ratatouille Soup (minus the croutons).
    Does anyone know the copyright situation for out of print books on closed forums? I have been reluctant to post any of these recipes I try as the author is still alive and publishing. I would happily give attribution when I post?

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    Thank you so much Orchid. We have a fairly new shop here called Bio Coop. I need to investigate as our normal supermarkets do not sell the seeds. I am deep in rural Normandy amongst dairy farmers. I have no doubt these things can be bought in bigger more affluent areas. Amazon supply some things but delivery can be more than the item you buy. Holland and Barrat deliver here too so will have a look at their online shop. I need to get more creative.

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    Books ordered, both in stock but I bought the last one of each.

  • posted by hashimoto
    on
    permalink

    Hi chameleonbeetle when my son was young he would. ONLY have home made lentil soup or beans for breakfast so you are not alone 🙂

  • posted by orchid
    on
    permalink

    hope you enjoy them!

  • posted by Christi1948
    on
    permalink

    Hi aly,
    I have problems with breakfast too, as I usually have oat bran with yogurt or hot milk, I have found the melon, spinach and blueberry shake filling, it’s one quarter galia melon, 50g blueberries, 200ml almond milk, 2 handfuls of spinach leaves, sprinkle of sunflower seeds, put melon, berries, spinach and milk in blender wizz until smooth, pour into a container and chill, then sprinkle the sunflower seeds on and enjoy, (although I haven’t time to let it brew’ in the fridge so I have it right away’) Also yogurt with passion fruit and almonds, ( are almonds ok?) toast 1tbs flaked almonds, put 150g pot plain yogurt in a dish stir in the almonds and scoop the passion fruit out into the mixture and enjoy, Another one is blueberries and green tea shake, boil 200ml water to make the green tea, soak the tea bag for 4 mins then put in a cup in the fridge overnight, blend the tea with 2tbs Greek yogurt 1tbs almonds 50g blueberries and 1tbs flaxseeds(linseeds) and again enjoy, when I first did these for my breakfast I didn’t think I would last long before I felt hungry, however I was able to last until lunch so I hope these are helpful to you.

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    Thanks Christie
    A problem I have with living in France is that foods are mostly local and seasonal. It is something I found hard when I first moved here being used to English supermarkets. I plan to try and find some blueberry bushes I can plant then freeze the fruit for future use. It is how I manage with lots of fruit and veg, grow it myself then freeze, bottle or dry it for winter. I really look forward to summer when all the berries are ready.

  • posted by Allychat
    on
    permalink

    Hi Aly. So long as they arent the quick oats you can have oats if you bulk them up so that they are not the entire meal. I make up 30g raw oats with water and a pinch of ground cinnamon then after it has cooled down a bit i add either half a banana (about 50g) or 40g of raspberries or blueberries and last of all 60 full fat greek yoghurt. I dont ever eat more than half a banana at a meal as in this diet it is a tropical fruit (nor recommended) and a whole one would be too high for glycaemic load. This also works brilliantly with 30g cooked quinoa (made up with water) instead of the oats. When quinoa is really chilled these combinations make it actually tastes like dessert and I find all versions have good fibre levels and keep me full till lunchtime (esp the banana version) without a big sugar spike). I do have 100ml of milk in a sugarless cafe latte as well. If i dont have the cafe latte i up the quantities of the yoghurt and oats. On its own the
    Banana oats version in quantities given is 146 calories. All other versions with different fruit are lower in cals. (I do track cals as i find small differences in quantities of some foods can make big differences).

    To mix it up and increase the protein I sometimes add 10gram of almonds to increase the good fat and protein. This quantity of almonds adds 63calories and can keep me going until 2pm.

    Ive lost 7kg in the 4 weeks ive been doing the diet. The first week in spite of drinking 2-3 litres of water a day I became constipated so i have been making more high fibre choices in my overall calorie count and tracking fibre since then to good effect. Good luck as you explore your options.

  • posted by Aly
    on
    permalink

    I have jumbo oats, apparently they are ok. Bizarrely I found them on Amazon France although they are not available in the shops here.
    I have a small amount with a bit of full milk and hot water. I add 1/2 tsp honey. With a black sugarless coffee this keeps me going ages. Keeping this in my eating plan makes it work for me. First thing in the morning is very busy for me so I do not have time for much else. I have three cats to feed, 2 dogs, 17 chickens, 13 ducks and two geese! Thankfully hubby sorts himself out!

  • posted by Fredforest
    on
    permalink

    Luckily I’m not a veggie so can make do and mend. 5 days a week I have breakfast at work. A boiled egg! I used to have a Miso broth too but they were too salty for me so I ditched that. Weekends I have a brunch so yesterday it was a smoked salmon fillet and today it was it’s twin. Very nice too. Last week it was smoked haddock.

    Not sure what to do over the Easter, 2 days at home sans boiled egg 🙂

  • posted by Hawks
    on
    permalink

    I have found a breakfast “cereal” than is cereal free. It is locally made here, so not something you can get, but the ingredients might be something you can make up easily:
    I have put the ingredients in order of volume with the main one at the top

    flaked almonds
    sunflower, flax, pumpkin & sesame seeds
    shredded coconut
    small amount of dried apricot
    cinnamon for sweetness

    I sprinkle it over full fat yoghurt and then chop an apple or pear over this

  • posted by hashimoto
    on
    permalink

    Hawks that sounds delicious 🙂

  • posted by Flyingicarus
    on
    permalink

    Hi – I live n France too and porridge oats are readily available from supermarkets or bio shops it’s called avoine or falcons d’avoine complete. Both my big Leclercs also sell Scotts porridge oats. However, porridge is not recommended on the first 8 weeks as too many carbs.

  • posted by sunshine-girl
    on
    permalink

    Hi Aly, only just seen this post. I have just answered the same question on Day 4 And Struggling posted by aussiegirl. So I dont have to repeat my long list of suggestions you might go have a look at that. As flyingicarus say, porridge is freely available in France and a lot cheaper than buying the big UK brands from the English counter. It is in among the normal breakfast cereals and, as previously said it is called avoine or flacons d’avoine. It is around 1.80 per box as opposed to about 4 or 5 euros for the UK brands.

    I see you want to grow your own blueberries. Okay, be aware that a bush can take about 5 years before it produces any berries. Unless you are very greenfingered it will probably die at the first frost. In year 4 I got 4 berries from mine and then it died. Get yourself to Picard and buy a bag of frozen, as well as raspberries and strawberries. Great addition to your freezer. Good luck. Where in France are you and flyingicarus. Nice to say hello.

Please log in or register to post a reply.