Cooking Demo: High Protein Breakfast

Written by University of Houston Dietetic Intern, Lauren Versweyveld.

Today we held a cooking demonstration for the women’s tennis team.  The theme of the day was starting your day with a protein filled breakfast!  

Breakfast is such an important way to start the day because it helps to jump start your metabolism, gives you fuel for the day, and helps to stabilize blood sugars so that you are less likely to crave unhealthy choices later in the day.

For today’s breakfast menu, we included: microwave spinach scrambled eggs, high protein blueberry pancakes, and Greek yogurt parfaits made with homemade microwave granola.  All the recipes were high in protein and rich in nutrients – perfect for starting the day out right.  The recipes were also easy to make with little dorm room cooking equipment required and were quick fixes for even busy mornings.

Following are two of the recipes that we included in our demonstration:

Microwave Granola:

Ingredients:

2-1/4 Cups Oats                                                ¼ Cup butter (cut into pieces)

1 Cup mixed fruit and nuts                                  1-1/4 tsp. cinnamon

½ Cup Honey                                                     ¼ Cup wheat germ (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.  Cook on high for 2 minutes.  Stir. Then cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from microwave and mix well.  Spread onto a large cooking sheet to cool.  Store in an air tight container.

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      You can modify this recipe to meet your taste preferences by substituting different types of dried fruit and nuts.

-          Layer granola with Greek Yogurt and Fruit to make a yummy breakfast parfait!

Nutritional Facts:

Serving Size: 1   Servings per recipe: 8

Calories: 383

Fat: 13.6 grams

Carbohydrates: 59 grams

Protein: 10 gram

Cost per serving: $2.23

High Protein Blueberry Pancakes:

Ingredients:

1 Cup Blueberries                            3 eggs

1 Cup plain Greek Yogurt                1 Cup whole-wheat flour

1 Cup low-fat cottage cheese           ½ tsp. baking soda

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Whisk together the yogurt, cottage cheese, and eggs in a bowl.  Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.  Add the flour to the yogurt mixture and stir until blended.  Stir in blueberries. Heat a large skillet and coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Add batter in large spoonfuls (about ¼ Cup).  Flip the pancakes when the tops begin to bubble (3-5 minutes) and cook second side until brown. 

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           You can modify this recipe to meet your taste preferences by adding different fruits or nuts to the batter.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Facts:

Serving size: 2 pancakes  Servings per recipe: 4

Calories: 275

Fat: 6 grams

Carbohydrates: 33 grams

Protein: 16 gram

Cost per serving: $1.02