My college roommate worked at IHOP and I’ll never forget the stench of grease and syrup that followed her home after every shift. This breakfast-centered chain has been making a comeback – and while their menu offerings go beyond eggs and pancakes, is there anything sensible to order?
Order: “Simple” and Small
The nutrition guide for this restaurant will make you dizzy (and maybe a little nauseous). So many choices and virtually NO healthy ones!
In 2010, IHOP launched “Simple & Fit” menu items, which have under 600 calories per serving. Their website also offers calorie-saving tips like skipping butter, whipped cream and sugary sodas with your meal. Six hundred calories sure does seem high but when you see how many calories are in many of their other dishes, it’s the best you’re going to do.
Simple & Fit omelets are served with fresh fruit and weigh in at 320 to 420 calories and 10 to 20 grams of per serving. The Simple and Fit Whole Wheat French Toast is a decent option at 490 calories.
If you’re in this for the pancakes, your only option should be an Original Short Stack – but that’ll still stack up the calories and fat with 490 calories, 18 grams of fat, 1 gram of trans fat per serving (not including the 50-calorie-per-tablespoon syrup).
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- The Picky Eater's Chocolate Brownie Oatmeal
We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan an is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.
We made it through week 1 of our Healthy Every Week Challenge, with many successes reported by participants. It seems that most of you were able to eat breakfast every day, or at least almost every day. Many reported quick breakfasts like nut butter on whole wheat toast or a container of yogurt and some fruit. Quite a few of you are egg lovers and there are a lot of die-hard smoothie fans out there, too. But overwhelmingly, the challenge breakfast of choice was oatmeal. When we gave away 2 bags of Coach’s Oat’s Oatmeal we learned about so many new ways to eat oatmeal — you like it topped with apples, brown sugar and cinnamon, honey, dried fruit, granola, chia and flax seeds, bananas, berries, pumpkin puree and there was even one report of topping oatmeal with Irish whiskey. To add to the oatmeal love, Kath Freston from KathEats.com shared with us her favorite ways to eat oatmeal (in smoothies, cooked on the stove-top and in pancakes!). The recipe pictured on top got a ton of attention on Twitter, and why wouldn’t it — it’s chocolate brownie oatmeal! Its creator, Anjali, over at The Picky Eater ate it every day during week 1 — a good idea for week 2 as well. The goal for week 2 is to eat more whole grains (you should keep eating breakfast, too!) so keep eating that oatmeal, granola and whole grain toast for breakfast and you’re set.
After the jump, see what our friends and participants were up to during week 1 of the challenge.
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We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan an is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.
Chances are, you have more time on the weekend to make breakfast than you do during the week. This weekend, when you make breakfast or brunch for your family, make a little extra and save it for breakfast on a busy weekday.
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We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan an is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.
My favorite breakfast is a hot bowl of whipped banana oatmeal sprinkled with granola and a spoonful of melty nut butter. I fell in love with oats just after I started blogging the three meals a day I eat at KathEats.com. Oats keep me full with soluble fiber and protein (a serving of oats has as much protein as an egg!) and satisfy my hunger with their volume and creamy texture.. From the unlimited amount of toppings on top of a plain bowl of oatmeal to blended and cooked recipes, nutritious and filling oats never get boring.
Stove-Top
My technique for cooking oatmeal minimizes the gelatinous mush you might remember from your childhood and maximizes creaminess. Instead of boiling water and then adding oats, I add equal parts milk (any kind), water and oats along with a pinch of salt and set to medium heat. Stir as needed and your oats will be extra creamy in less than 5 minutes. Many factors work together to reduce gelatinization and let the oats release their creamy starches: agitation from stirring, milk proteins and a lower temperature. I use old fashioned rolled oats in my recipes because I find them to be creamier than the steel cut variety, but if you’re a steel cut fanatic, Alton Brown has mastered that technique.
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With family and friends visiting during the holidays, you’re bound to have a few folks who need a special meal. There’s no need to stress, we’ve got you covered with brunch recipes for special diets.
Gluten-Free
Bake a batch of gluten-free muffins a day or two before your guests arrive so you’ll have something on hand for them to munch on.
Recipe: Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins (above)
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I don’t know why I don’t make quiches more often. Every time I make them, my family goes wild and I think, “I should make a different one every week!” Quiches are ideal for a fall and winter breakfast, brunch, lunch or light dinner. They’re also perfect for Sunday football parties (especially for folks in time zones where games start at 9:00 AM)! And for you planners out there, they can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days before baking. Check out my two quiche recipes, tweaked a few ways:
I used refrigerated pie crust to speed up prep work.
I added a little half-and-half – just enough to make a rich filling, but not enough to rocket calories and fat.
I added broccoli to a semi-traditional ham and cheese quiche (I also added parsley and Dijon).
I kept the recipes similar so you can use either one as a guide to create new versions with ingredients you have handy.
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- Egg-and-Cheese Wrap: A super-easy and nutritious hand-held breakfast.
Last week I wrote about quick weeknight meals for busy fall schedules. How about breakfast? Aren’t we just as busy (if not more) in the morning? I know we are in my house. Check out my favorite morning-rush staples. I feed my kids something hearty and hot most mornings, so their brains and muscles get ramped up for the day ahead. The first is a breakfast wrap, a simple egg cooked flat with a sprinkling of cheese nestled in a multigrain tortilla. I love it because you get the health benefits of eggs, plus fiber and B vitamins from the multigrain tortilla and calcium from the cheese. A combo that keeps them chuggin’ for hours. You get similar nutrients from the mini bagel sandwich – a hand-held treat you can take in the car. For a fruit and protein version, check out the banana “soft taco”, banana and peanut butter in a nutritious wrap. It’s a breakfast that can hit the road and keep adults and kids satisfied until lunch. My kids love food on a stick so I make fruit kebabs a LOT. They’re fun to eat and super nutritious (I also bring them to school in the afternoon – they make the perfect snack before soccer, gymnastics, homework, etc.). The “Cup o’ Cereal” seems obvious, but how many people actually do it? I fill a travel-friendly cup with low-sugar, whole grain cereal (I use the plastic beer mugs we got at the Windrift Restaurant in New Jersey on Wing Night). A little embarrassing giving beer mugs to my kids but it’s just a cereal vessel!
Egg and Cheese Wrap: Spray a small non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Whisk 1 large egg and add to hot pan. Cook until egg is almost cooked through. Flip and top with about 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar, mozzarella or parmesan cheese. Cook until egg is completely cooked and cheese starts to melt (just a few seconds). Slide egg onto a small multigrain tortilla and roll up.
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- The Neely's Sweet Potato Hash = 3 veggies for breakfast: sweet potatoes, peppers and onions.
When it comes to soups, salads, stews, sandwiches, casseroles, pasta and pizza, you can find an abundance of veggies used to add flavor, crunch, and necessary nutrients. But the one place you may not find your fill of vegetables is in breakfast foods. With the average American only getting about two servings of veggies each day, that morning meal is a crucial place to make sure you’re meeting your veggie mark. Here are some mouth-watering ways to get vegetables in your breakfast each day.
Green Smoothie
Green smoothies have risen in popularity ever since celebrity health fanatics like Dr. Oz have started touting their benefits. Aside from their fame appeal, green smoothies really are good! Dark leafy greens, which are high in vitamin A, can easily be blended in fruit smoothies as a way to pack more nutrients in to your breakfast beverage. Your drink will be green but it won’t taste like you’re drinking a salad – I promise! Leafy greens aren’t the only smoothie-worthy veggies; carrots will lend a mild sweet flavor to your smoothie, and so will a scoop of canned pumpkin.
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- Potato and Zucchini Frittata
Make an extra-special egg dish for breakfast or brunch that kids and adults will love. Once you get the hang of the basic recipe, you can use whatever ingredients are in season (or in your fridge.) It’s all about learning the simple technique — here’s how you do it the healthy way.
Frittata recipe essentials »
- Get healthier with small changes, like adding more veggies to your diet.
Forget your typical resolutions….to lose 50 pounds this year, to fit into a size 4 or to hit the gym 5 days a week. This year make a resolution that’s attainable, without a number attached! Here are some non-resolution resolutions for 2011.
10 reasonable resolutions »
