Breakfast is sometimes the hardest meal of the day to plan for. A lot of us are rushing out the door to get to work, bagel in hand, banana, coffee and car keys in the other, only to end up dropping your food and stressing before the real days’ stress even begins.
Sheesh! Sounds like a morning.
With Federal Hill Fitness’ Most Nutritious Breakfasts of 2016, no longer will your morning be bland or quickly made and dropped. Breakfast is, after all, the most important meal of the day, so let’s treat that body right and fuel up.
We asked some of our personal trainers, fitness instructors and even Fed Hill Fitness owner Andrea Shelby, for the details on their go-to morning meals this year. We figured, if they recommend it, we should probably share it with the masses.
First on our list is Guy Cragwell, who was awarded the 2016 Best of Baltimore titles “Best Trainer” and “Best Instructor” just this past week! If he’s the best in Baltimore, I think we can trust him to offer some best breakfast advice.
Guy is all-natur-alll, in the sense that he stays away from artificial sugars and additives. His meal of the morning is easy: Toast up a whole grain piece of toast, smear an avocado on it, drizzle olive oil and chili flakes, and if you have time, top with a soft boiled egg. Breakfast of champions!
Another awesomel
y talented personal trainer here at Fed Hill Fitness is Michelle Saltmarsh. Her bubbly, optimistic attitude is most certainly correlated to her fitness routine and diet. But what does this high intensity interval trainer make for her high intensity breakfast? Welp! Good thing we asked! Michelle’s go-to is an over easy egg, or one to two egg whites, on a whole wheat English muffin with some shredded mozzarella. After working out first thing in the morning, she noms out on this protein-packed, delicious combo.
When she’s running out the door without time to cook, however, she manages to grab some coffee, a banana and a protein bar (she recommends the Cookies and Cream Quest bar). It’s low net carbs, low sugar and is packed with 25 grams of protein. “When you’re really craving something sweet, this is what you eat. I like to break the bar in half, roll it up into a ball, place it on a plate and stick it in the microwave for like ten seconds. It tastes like a cookie!” If you’re a dessert any time of day person, we just found your perfect protein snack.
Next up is Jay Castro, a boxing trainer and cardio-boxing extraordinaire, who loves variety in his breakfast. He starts his day with some granola cereal with many different grains, seeds, nuts, sugars and oils. He makes his own granola, but says it’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Jay says he puts “oats, wheat bran, quinoa, flax seeds, chia seeds, honey, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, mixed seeds, nuts and dried fruits. Then from that batch you can season smaller batches with different flavors, keeping in mind spices and herbs that have medical benefits to really balance out vitamins and minerals.”
While he’s eating some of his home-made granola he’s either making an egg, veggie and bean omelette or a fruit and vegetable smoothie if he’s on-the-go. He recommends buying smoothie ingredients in bulk and freezing them in individually portioned baggies, so they’re easier to grab and throw in a blender: strawberries, banana, watermelon, cucumbers, mangoes, pineapples, carrots, avocado, almonds, peanut butter and dark chocolate are a few of his favorites.
“Mix and match the vegetables based on preferred tastes. I go crazy sometimes and just don’t care what it tastes like- I’ll just cram as much nutrients as I can,” Jay tells.
Janice Desiderio, personal trainer, HIIT instructor and brand-new mother, knows how hard it can be to make a good breakfast in the morning. You’ve got to take care of so many things before you even get to the stove! Her go-to breakfast to get her through her day is a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal mixed with peanut butter (the “just peanuts” kind), honey and cinnamon. She pairs that with two hard boiled eggs and a grapefruit. Now that’s a meal!
Since her son’s birth, she says she’s been slacking, eating her husband’s biscuits and gravy and fixing herself up some bagels, but! she’s getting back to the grind, and tells us all that “no matter how busy life gets, there’s no excuses for skipping breakfast, whether it’s oatmeal and eggs, a smoothie or a breakfast bar, breakfast is still the most important meal of the day. The more nutritious the better, obviously. But it’s the only meal that truly gets me through the day trying to keep up with my kid!” And she’s right! Wise words from a fitness guru and mother.
Owner and food fanatic Andrea Shelby shares the same sentiments when it comes to breakfast, except for a few topping differences. She starts her day off with oatmeal topped with coconut, chia seeds, almonds, agave and berries. Talk about a mouthful! (a healthy one at that)
But if she’s not munching down on some oats, she’s eating one of her “scrambled egg muffins.” She pours 6 eggs, a sauteed vegetable mix and hot sauce into a muffin tin and bakes her “crustless quiches” for 30 minutes. She says that “an awesome breakfast is the best way to start your day, because hangry people are no fun.” True. Scroll to the bottom for her “Scrambled Egg Muffin” recipe and get cookin’.
Now that you’ve heard personal trainers personal favorites, try them on for size and see if any of them work for you. Go ahead and take the Fed Hill Breakfast Challenge!
Scrambled Egg Muffin Recipe
- Saute mushrooms, spinach, onions, black beans and tomatoes. Add a little salt and pepper.
- Cool and squeeze liquid out after they finish cooking.
- Beat 6 eggs in a bowl and add the veggie mix plus some hot sauce (if you want!)
- Pour into muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes or until set.
- Then heat up it up in the morning or eat it cold. Great portion control!