Before you get all excited and think I just gave you permission to toss back a dozen Krispy Kremes for breakfast (are they even still in business?), I did not. I didn’t even give you permission to eat just one (not that you need my permission, of course.) A healthy breakfast – one that you will actually prepare and eat – is a great goal to shoot for.

I bring this up because I hear on a fairly regular basis the following: “I don’t have time for breakfast,” “I’m not hungry in the morning,” and “I don’t like eggs.” Um, did he know there are other foods besides eggs? More to the point…breakfast is super important!

1.) Breakfast brings your metabolism out of slow-mo. When you go to sleep at night, your body’s metabolism goes into resting mode too. One of the best ways to wake it up and say, “hey, metabolism, start your engines and burn some calories!” is to eat a healthy breakfast.

2) Breakfast clears the brain fog. Yes, caffeine works too, but try food with your coffee – you’ll be even MORE awake.

3) Breakfast, especially when it is low-glycemic, has the ability to stabilize your blood sugar levels, and keep them level all day (provided you don’t eat sugary snacks between meals). You know that after-lunch sleepy feeling you get? Breakfast can help with that.

4) Breakfast will let your body know that you aren’t trying to starve it to death. If you typically eat a big dinner because you skipped breakfast, didn’t have time for lunch, and were too busy to snack, the message you’re sending your body is, “I might feed you, or I might not.” In response to this sketchy feeding plan, your body will cling to any calorie you give it, just in case you “forget” to eat for another 24 hours. Feed your body every 2-4 hours, and it will reward you with a consistently good metabolism. You will likely find it easier to lose weight when you eat regularly too. Bonus!

So, what to eat? I have my favorites, but there are lots of options.

If you are super busy in the morning and tend to grab food when and where you can, Cooking Light’s list of the healthiest “fast food” breakfasts is worth checking out. From Starbucks to Subway, there are enough options that you should be able to scrounge up something healthy to eat.

Real Simple magazine has a list of easy breakfast ideas to make at home.The peanut butter, whole grain waffle and also the breakfast pizza look delicious. All of the ideas are simple.

And if neither of those options suits you, try Fitness Magazine’s “No more excuses breakfast recipes for every morning. I like the “no more excuses part.”

Hello, Spring, we meet again.

It’s here…finally, and our grill has seen a LOT of action since March 20-whatever. So much action, in fact, I was running out of chicken recipes…then, I found one, under a mountain of paperwork on my desk, but that is beside the point (clearly, I need to spring clean.) This is delicious (healthy, and low-fat as well!)

Without further adieu…

Honey Lemon Chicken

Instructions
In a small bowl, blend together the following ingredients for a marinade:
– 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
– 1/4 cup honey
– 2 tsp  cumin
– 2 Tbsp chopped, fresh cilantro
– 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp Olive oil (be sure this is the good stuff.)
– pinch salt

– pinch pepper
*Marinate 4-6 chicken breasts for a 1 hour prior to cooking.

Cooking Instructions

Preheat grill to medium high and clean and oil grates. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Grill chicken 5-7 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Remove chicken from heat and let cool 5 minutes.

This would taste fabulous with a spinach/tomato/feta salad and a side of wild rice.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Information
Per Serving: 311 Calories; 61 Calories from fat; 6.8g Fat ; 1.4g Saturated Fat, 57mg Cholestorol, 388mg Sodium, 35 g Total Carbohydrate, 2 g Dietary Fiber

Here’s a great deal from Six O’Clock Scramble (and really, who doesn’t want meal planning to be easier, but also healthy and inexpensive?) – Sign up for two years of the weekly meal planning service for only $64.50 (the one-year subscription is $54.50)!

If you aren’t familiar with this cool service, here’s the dish (no pun intended)…Six O’Clock Scramble sends you 5 recipes (replete with nutritional information) and a complete grocery list, all customizable according to your family’s dietary needs, etc. All recipes take 30 minutes or less to prepare (that’s quick!), and you can save your favorite recipes for future use in the online “recipe box. ” They also send a weekly newsletter with lots of tips for making daily food choices easier, healthier, and inexpensive.

You can also get a FREE report, “Snack Attack: 50 Ideas for Healthy Family Snacks,” without a subscription, so pop over and grab that regardless – it has lots of great tips.

And be sure to check out the blog – also full of great advice and delicious recipes!