If there's one meal you should always make the most of, it's breakfast.  Breakfast kick starts your metabolism, fuels your brain, improves your attention span, and balances your emotional state of being. 

However, many people skip breakfast, either because they're too busy with their morning rush or they're under the impression that skipping breakfast will help them lose weight.   The result of skipping breakfast is that your blood sugar stays low, your body burns less calories, your productivity decreases, your response time decreases, and people start calling you Cranky McCrankster.   I've noticed that if I ever skip breakfast, I'm starving, shaky, and about to bite someone's head off by 11 am!

Eating a healthy breakfast may actually help you lose weight, since it increases your metabolism and keeps it even, curbs your hunger, and prevents binge eating.  Ask anyone that is fit and fabulous; chances are they always eat a good breakfast (ok, your friend that swings by the donut shop every morning doesn't count). 

For those of you short on time, a good breakfast doesn't mean 40 minutes spent simmering steel-cut oatmeal.   Here are 5 nearly instant breakfasts, with a bonus #6 thrown in at the end.  These are not fancy breakfasts, but they are healthy, easy, and ready in seconds.  Have breakfast every day this week, and see if you notice the difference!

1) Fruit & Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 cup strawberries or other fruit.  Top cottage cheese with fruit and (optional) drizzle with agave nectar.

150 calories
14.5 g protein
5 g fat


2) Berry Fast French Toast

2 frozen French Toast pieces prepared according to box instructions,  topped with 1/2 cup blueberries or other fruit

250 calories
10.5 g protein
6 g fat


3) Fresh Muesli Bowl

Combine:
1/2 cup Blueberry Muesli (or other granola, sold in bags at TJ's)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup fresh berries

275 calories
8.5 g protein
5 g fat

4) Flax Oatmeal

Organic Oats & Flax instant oatmeal.  Prepare per instructions and top with 1/2 cup fresh fruit

180 calories
4.5 g protein
2 g fat

5) Super Speed Breakfast

And for those of you really in a rush, have something you can grab and run in the mornings.  Have you tried Trader Joe's 5-seed Almond Bars?  Wona turned me on to these, and they are great.  Look for them in a white paper bag near the biscotti. 

Each bar:
110 calories
2 g protein
4.5 g fat

Bonus 6)  Our Hero, the Egg

A hardboiled egg is one of the great, simple, standbys for breakfast.  The egg was villified decades past, but has redeemed itself and is considered a healthy food.  Boil a bunch at night, and have them ready to go in the morning.  You can also just eat the egg white for a filling dose of protein.

80 calories (just the white: 16 calories)
7 g protein (just the white: 4 g protein)
4.5 g fat (just the white: 0 g fat)

And no matter how busy, some of you (like me) will find the time to mold your eggs into shapes like Hello Kitty.  You know who you are.