Grain Lovers Breakfast Ideas

Some breakfast foods that can really be hard for people to avoid are cereal, pancakes, french toast, etc. When you cut out gluten and sugar from your diet these things become a big no-no and they are often times difficult to replace. Some of these breakfast ideas help my family to get some good grains in our diet that are more filling, tasty, and nutritious.

Katie’s Protein Pancakes/Waffles

This pancake recipe is my go-to for pancakes or waffles in the morning. They are more dense than regular pancakes and far more tasty. Don’t be surprised that they don’t taste like regular pancakes, they are definitely different, but I personally enjoy them much more.

Ingredients: Serves about 3 people

• 1/2 cup whole steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (whichever protein is your favorite)
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t baking powder
• pinch of salt

Directions: 

• Put all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until the consistency is smooth
• Cook on low-medium heat until pancakes are firm.

Toppings: 

• Peanut Butter (this is my favorite)
• Sugar Free Jam/Syrup*
• Nothing- they taste great plain too

Sugar Free Strawberry Jam Recipe (from my sweet friend Lacey):

Sweet Lacey in my neighborhood knew that Gary wasn’t eating sugar or flour so she sent her boys over with a jar of the most delicious home made strawberry jam one day. It was the perfect amount of sweet and I loved the texture that the Chia seeds added. It is my girls new favorite jam for their protein pancakes and waffles and the best part is there are only 3 ingredients! I plan to test this recipe with raspberries and other fruits too!

Ingredients/Directions:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries washed and stemmed
  • put into a blender with
• 2 T chia seeds
• 1/4 cup raw honey
  • blend until it is as chunky/smooth as you want
  • put into a pan and bring to a light boil + stir for 5 minutes

  • pour into mason jars suitable for fridge or freezer

  • let cool in the jar and either freeze or refrigerate

Home Made Granola Cereal

If you simply cant live your life without some sort of cereal then I suggest you make your own granola that you can eat to satisfy your cravings while actually giving you some sort of nutrition instead of eating empty calories. Even though I do substitute oats for flour in some of my recipes these should still be eaten sparingly and should not dominate your diet in any way. Check your allotted macro levels (go to bodybuilding.com for an easy macro calculator) and makes sure any grains/complex carbs you do eat stay within the healthy limits you have.

Granola is great because you can definitely make it your own and add the things you love to help you truly enjoy your food. To make your own granola you’ll need a few components:

• Raw Whole Oats- the backbone of your granola
• Honey/Agave/Maple Syrup – to make it “stick”
• Flax Seed Meal, Protein Powder or another gluten free “powder” that will act as the “mortar” to bond the honey/agave to the oats/other ingredients and make yummy clumps
• Yummy add-ins – we like dried blueberries, cranberries, almond slivers, & raw coconut flakes
• Other flavors- Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc, & salt to bring our flavors
• Oil/fat- helps make the granola a bit crispy.. if you’re into that

Ingredients/amounts

• 4 cups oats
• 3/4 cup honey/agave
• 2 cups nuts, seeds, dried berries,
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder and/or 1/3 cup ground flax seed
• 1 t vanilla
• 1/4 c oil
• 1 t sea salt
• 1/2 t cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of any other flavors you like

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet/cake pan with parchment paper. Add all dry ingredients into a bowl, stir.
2. Add honey, vanilla, oil and stir until the “glue” is evenly coating the dry ingredients.
3. Pour mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet/pan and cook until the oats turn golden. about 20-25 minutes. Stir the ingredients after about 10 minutes to make sure all sides cook evenly and get crispy. Press the mixture  back into the pan to get it to stick together as it cooks the rest of the way.
4. Let cool before breaking into pieces & enjoy!

 

Protein Oatmeal

In college, my friend Zach introduced me to quinoa, pre-workout, and protein oatmeal. I loved this simple way protein oatmeal turned a carb loaded breakfast into a power breakfast that incorporates healthy grains, proteins & fats..and its so quick! The protein powder you use will make a big difference in the taste so give a few tries before you make up your mind about it:)

PB Chocolate Protein Oatmeal:

• 1/2 cup Whole Oats
• 1 cup water or milk
• 1/2-1 scoop chocolate protein powder (I like the syntha-6 chocolate protein powder)
• 1 T natural peanut butter

Directions: Prepare oatmeal as usual with oats and water. When oats are cooked (either on the stove or microwave) add the protein powder + peanut butter and possibly a bit more water or milk depending on how thick you like your oatmeal.

Vanilla/Fruity Protein Oatmeal:

• 1/2 cup Whole Oats
• 1 cup water/milk
• 1/2-1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• dried berries, nuts, fruit, cinnamon, or any other add ins you might like

Other Ideas:

1. Peaches + Cream: Vanilla protein, milk, peaches
2. Berries + Cream: Vanilla protein, milk, berries
3. Mexican Hot Chocolate: Chocolate protein, milk, cinnamon
4. Fruit + Nut: Vanilla protein, fruits, nuts
5. Try something different and send me your idea!

 

I have so many more ideas to share and they are coming soon! Hopefully these can give you a starting point in your search for breakfast alternatives! Enjoy!