Healthy "No Cook" Breakfast Meals by Joy Bauer

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal
Prepare ½ cup oats with 1 cup water or skim milk according to package directions. Stir 1½ teaspoons cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons sugar, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract into the prepared oatmeal. Top with ¾ cup berries or 1 sliced banana.

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream (makes 2 servings)
Cut 4 ripe bananas into 1” rounds and freeze them in a freezer bag for at least 3 hours. Place the banana slices in the bowl of a food processor. (If your banana slices have been in the freezer for longer than a day, it’s best to let them thaw slightly in the food processor bowl for 20 minutes so they are easier to purée.) Purée the bananas until they are completely smooth and no frozen chunks remain. Add 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter to the food processor bowl. Purée for a few seconds longer to mix in the peanut butter. Scoop the ice cream into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons dark chocolate chips. Freeze for another 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Healthy-Style Egg McMuffin
Scramble 1 whole egg with 2 egg whites in a skillet coated with oil spray. Season eggs with preferred seasonings. Toast 1 whole wheat English muffin and layer bottom half with scrambled eggs, 1 slice tomato, and 1 slice reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Top with second half of English muffin.

Fruity Breakfast Milkshake
In blender combine 3/4 cup milk (skim/soy/almond), 1/2 banana, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, and 3-5 ice cubes. Blend until smooth and frothy. Pour into a glass and slurp with a fun straw!

Home-Style “Pop-Tart”
Cut a slit in a whole-grain pita to create a pocket. Spread 2 tablespoons natural nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, soynut butter, sunflower butter) on the inside of the pocket and stuff with sliced fresh fruit—try thinly sliced banana, apple, purples grapes, or strawberries. Seal it up and bite in!

Tasty Trail Mix
Combine 1 cup whole grain cereal (such as Multigrain Cheerios, Kashi Heart to Heart, Cascadian Farm Cinnamon Crunch, or LIFE) with 2 tablespoons whole nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, or pecans), 2 tablespoons dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots), and 1-2 tablespoons semi sweet chocolate chips in a sealable sandwich bag. Easy to tote to school or stash in your backpack for later!
Power Parfait: In a pretty glass, layer half of a container of flavored nonfat yogurt. Sprinkle the yogurt with 2-3 tablespoons low-fat granola or any healthy whole grain cereal, then top with ½ cup fresh or frozen berries. (If using frozen, microwave the frozen berries for 30-60 seconds to thaw them quickly.) Top with the remaining yogurt, 2 more tablespoons of granola, and another ½ cup berries. Grab a spoon and dive in!

Apple & PB ‘Wich
Slice an apple into thin wedges. Spread peanut butter over half of the wedges (you’ll need about 2 tablespoons). Then place the remaining apple wedges on top to make yummy Apple & PB sandwiches.
Peanut Butter-Banana Waffles: Toast 2 whole grain waffles and spread each with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and top with sliced bananas.
Happy Toast: Spread nut butter on a slice of whole grain toast – place two banana slices for eyes, raisins on the bananas for eyeballs, use a thin line of jelly for the eye brows, one berry (strawberry, blueberry, blackberry or raspberry) for the nose, and cheerios for the smile.

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