Low-calorie breakfast CHALLENGE

[Flaxbee]

OK, I need to help my husband shed a few winter pounds.

I'm good at lunches and dinners that are low-calorie (mostly just salads and veggies). But not very good with the breakfast ideas, because he does NOT like:

eggs
bread
sausage, bacon, etc.
fruit


He loves:

vegetables
nuts
vinegar-based dressings, condiments, etc.


So, Friends of the Lounge. Can you give me some breakfast ideas that don't include any of the above ingredients? I'm at a loss. I feel my only option is to chop up a cucumber and call it breakfast. I'm not a terribly creative cook; I'd love some suggestions.

Thanks :hi:

[Kali]

1. go ethnic

Turkish breakfast: tomatos, cucumbers, olives, bread, cheese, maybe some honey or preserves
I love non-American breakfast
In Asia soups are often eaten for breakfast - Mexico, some refried beans, corn tortillas maybe an egg or even better, chilaquillas - crunched up corn tortillas and red chile (enchilada sauce) with a little cheese on top - yum!

Who says breakfast has to be breakfast food?

[Flaxbee]

7. great idea, actually. I traveled through Turkey and Egypt one

fall, and I loved the breakfasts ... yum!

[grasswire]

2. I just eat a handful of walnuts and a glass of 1 percent milk.

That's been my breakfast for several months now.

How does he feel about cheese? Yogurt?

And what would he eat if you weren't feeding him?

How about a healthy plate: unsalted nuts, whole grain crackers, cheese slices, baby carrots, sugar snap peas, etc.

[TK421]

5. I'm curious, how did you find out about that?

I'm talking about the walnuts and milk breakfast..did someone suggest that to you, or did you read about it somewhere? I ask because I like walnuts and 1 percent milk ( but with 3 other roommates keeping milk around is impossible ) Do you get a fair amount of energy from it? I may try it since I'm trying to avoid the diner down the street with the usual three eggs over easy and sausage

[Flaxbee]

8. the only problem is, with him, a handful of nuts is impossible

He cannot stop. I have to buy a package of nuts, separate the nuts into snack-baggie size plastic bags, and hide everything else all around the house or they will be gone in one sitting.

But - he'd probably do that with some yogurt; he doesn't like milk. Loves cheese, though.

[Raffi Ella]

3. I hate eating breakfast

but I've been forcing myself to eat it lately. I'm doing high protein so I'll slice up a tomato, put some mozzarella on top of a couple of slices and then drizzle it with some olive oil and put it in the toaster.

Or a smoothie. I make it with ice cubes and protein powder stuff and a little fruit and cottage cheese or olive oil. I'm no cook so it's not exactly 'good' but it is nutritious and fast. You could try coming up with a smoothie recipe he'd like.

[Flaxbee]

9. good idea. And tomatoes would be great once we get

our tomato plant producing - I refuse to buy tomatoes at $3.99/lb

Smoothie sounds nice, too. Thanks for all the ideas! I love traditional breakfasts -- eggs, cheese, toast, orange juice... but he doesn't.

[Gormy Cuss]

4. Salad with nuts

and maybe chunks of leftover grilled or roasted meats. The nuts and/or meat provide protein for stamina, the salad is vitamins and filler.

[Flaxbee]

10. that's often what our lunch and dinner is like ...

but I might be able to mix in a bit of fruit with nuts and raisins -- could try a different kind of morning salad.

[struggle4progress]

6. Fresh chopped salad or fruit mixed with cottage cheese or yoghurt is good

I say this as a person with little enthusiasm for either cottage cheese or yoghurt, plain. But mixed with salad or fruit or stir-fry, either yoghurt or cottage cheese tastes quite good to me. Try, say, cottage cheese with lots of diced cucumber and tomato

If he doesn't like breakfast food, serve "lunch lite" -- (say) apple, cheese, crackers, milk

[Flaxbee]

11. yeah - that's what it'll have to be - "lunch lite"

Hard for me, because I love eggs, toast, etc. But I'll give it a whirl.

[grasswire]

12. here's something I like

cottage cheese mixed with chopped raw veggies and a good sprinkle of dried dill weed. That with some crackers is delicious to me. Add a glass of V-8 and I feel quite healthy! LOL.

Walnuts and 1 percent milk? Walnuts are supposed to be one of the best anti-oxidents. And I just keep going lower on milk fat. Down to 1 percent now. But I'm a type 2 diabetic -- so YMMV.

[GoCubsGo]

13. Will he not eat cereal?

I know it sounds boring, but there are several nutritious, lower calorie cold cereals on the market. My favorite is Kashi Go Lean. Lots of fiber and protein. There are also a number of good whole-grain hot cereals on the market, such as those put out by Bob's Red Mill. None of them are diet-busting, and they're very filling.

Also, another option besides yogurt and cottage cheese is low fat ricotta cheese. You can go sweet or savory with it. Here are a bunch of South Beach Diet breakfast recipes, some of which you might find useful: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/breakfast-ideas-phase-1-128/

It's a shame your husband doesn't like bread. My favorite breakfast when I was visiting Germany was slices of cheese and tomatoes on their good whole grain, heavy bread (like Rubschlager's Rye-Ola: http://www.rubschlagerbaking.com/).

[Flaxbee]

14. well, I should have been clearer: he loves bread. Good bread

Hard to find in my rural community.

And, he likes it so much, moderation is an issue.

So to help him drop some weight, bread is verboten. Crackers are OK if kept to a handful.

[Dr Morbius]

15. Avoid white bread. Whole grain breads are much healthier.

They're lower in calories, lower in fat, higher in fiber. I'd suggest limiting, but not eliminating, bread. Fiber is essential.

[GoCubsGo]

16. I have the same issues....

Bread and nuts. And, crackers. I don't usually buy them, because I can eat half the box in a sitting easily.

I find that if I store my bread in the freezer, I tend not to overdo it. I just pull out a slice or two, as needed. I also lean toward pita breads, flat breads, and tortillas. They freeze well, and I don't tend to binge on those like I do good bread. If you can find them, there are a number of "low carb"/lower calorie tortillas out there. You can spread on a little bit of nut butter or a spread made with cheese and veggies, and make a nice wrap out of them.

Something else I forgot to suggest: tofu scrambles, if he will eat tofu. There are a bunch of recipes online. They all contain veggies, and some include cheese, too.

[S n o w b a l l]

17. Does he like oatmeal?

I never eat breakfast and I know that's bad but, what about oatmeal with raisins & walnuts & Sugar Twin Brown Sugar. Non-fat vanilla yogurt with low fat granola?