Little Eats Big: Two Nutritious, Delicious Breakfasts
My blog is called Little Lives Big because I am little and enjoy living big, duh. But not too big, if you know what I mean.
I stand at 5’0 tall (or should I say short?) but when you like doing- and eating– big things, you need to be careful. I am a single 26 year old woman living in Baltimore city. I am trying to make new friends in the area, and maybe even meet my Prince Charming, if those still exist, and so I am often out and about drinking, eating, socializing. Going out and having a good time often means consuming a lot of calories. Not always, of course, but often. Especially when you live smack dab in the middle of a bustling city with bars and restaurants on every corner. So what gives?
I have been asking myself what to do about this for months and months now. How can I continue to go out, be social, and enjoy some much needed cocktails BUT also be relatively healthy and not gain a ton of weight? The answer is, that is very hard to do. But not impossible.
If you know me, you know I’ve tried almost everything under the sun to lose weight. I’ve counted calories, made smoothies, hired a personal trainer, tried Atkins, cut red meat from my diet, etc. I have been successful with losing weight many times as well. But then something always happens and I regress. For example, this past July I weighed under 120 pounds. Woohoo! That took a lot of hard work.
But…
I then did a lot of traveling this summer and I ultimately fell off the wagon and gained 14 pounds in just 8 months. 
Two months ago I got on the scale for the first time in a long time and saw that I was the heaviest I’ve been in my entire life. Why am I telling you this incredibly disappointing and scary story? Because I have finally found the holy grail. The answer to my prayers (and problems) and maybe it can help you too!
When we travel, we want to immerse ourselves in another culture. We want to attempt the language, eat the food, drink the spirits, visit the museums, learn the history, etc. It’s safe to say that most of us do not eat, drink, or exercise in the same manner on vacation (especially abroad) as we do at home. Our routine is thrown off. That is what happened when I went on a two week trip to Greece. I tried to go on jogs and keep carbs and fats in mind when ordering food, but for a few different reasons, it just did not work out in the long run.
I then proceeded to spend about 6 days in New Orleans, where of course I ate and drank and ate and drank.. and drank some more until the wee hours of the morning. When in New Orleans, right? But two vacations aren’t enough for one summer. So I then spent a long September weekend in Seattle, Washington. At this point, I told myself not to worry about it and I’d hop back on the wagon once the trip ended and the new school year began.
Well, I missed the wagon that month. And I didn’t get back on for nearly nine months. But I have climbed back aboard the “try-to-be-healthy-while-going-to-grad-school-and-working-full-time-and-trying-to-be-social” wagon AND I’ve buckled my seat belt nice and tight because I really don’t want to fall off again.
I AM SO DONE FALLING OFF THE WAGON!
If you’re anything like me, you’re always hungry. You eat breakfast in the morning, but less than 3 hours later you’re dying to eat again. You literally can’t stop thinking about food. So you go eat a snack, then you eat lunch shortly after. But a couple hours after that, you’re thinking about food again and you want to eat something. So you do. Then you have another snack, shortly before dinner. Maybe you’re still hungry after dinner..
Many people will say: “So what? You’re actually supposed to eat 6 small meals a day” or “Eating every two hours is great for your metabolism!” Well you know what? For some people, yes. But for others, eating that often is the devil. It also depends on what we’re eating. And are we really hungry? Or are we just bored? If we are indeed thinking about food so often- WHY are we unsatisfied so shortly after we eat? I’ll tell you why: we’re eating the wrong things.
Well, no shit Ang. This isn’t rocket science, I already knew that.
Yes, you probably did. We all know what “healthy” foods are versus “unhealthy” foods. But what do you eat first thing in the morning? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast should be our largest meal, and each meal after should get a bit smaller, or lighter. Breakfast should be nutrient-dense and packed with protein and fiber so that we’re kicking off our day on the right foot and setting our body’s tone for the day.
So think about it: what do you eat for breakfast? If you eat cereal, you’re not starting your body off on the best note. Same with bacon. Or yogurt. Or a protein bar. Your body is like a car- a machine- and what we put into our bodies each day is our fuel. Maybe you eat eggs in the morning, and you think that’s pretty healthy. It is.. But you can do better.
What do all the doctors and nutritionists and dietitians tells us we need to eat more of? What’s basically the best food 
group to eat in terms of calories, carbs, and protein? LEAFY GREENS AND VEGGIES! So why aren’t we eating more greens for breakfast? It may sound weird to you. But try it.
The first thing we put into our bodies each morning should be greens. I have been eating a pile of greens every morning for breakfast for the past 8 days and I’ll tell you what I found.
I am not starving, or even thinking about food, every couple of hours. Matter of fact, I am really only eating two meals and a couple of snacks (a serving of carrots or cashews) a day. I am full and satisfied. This is a HUGE change! Breakfast is key. And I am going to share two of my favorite HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS, and DELICIOUS breakfasts with you!
The best part? Neither one takes long to prepare! You can whip up the whole recipe before work, or prep some parts of it the night before. They’re also very adaptable: add quinoa or avocado, no problem. You’ll be craving these breakfasts every morning when your alarm goes off- I promise! 🙂
My absolute favorite satisfying breakfast is the breakfast salad I created. I have named it Sweet and Savory Breakfast Salad… but if you can think of a better name, I’m all ears!
Sweet and Savory Breakfast Salad: ~550 calories / ~25g protein
Prep Time: Less than 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients: a pile of spinach (as much as you want- literally!), two large eggs, half of a large sweet potato, a handful or 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, a pinch of shredded cheddar cheese (less than 1/4 cup), 1.5 tbsp olive oil, 1.5-2tbsp balsamic vinegar
Directions:
- Place two large eggs in a small pot and put over high heat on stove. Once it begins to boil, let boil for 5 minutes. Then lower heat to “simmer” and leave for 2 more minutes. After the 7 minutes of cooking, immediately place egg pot under cold running water in the sink. Keep eggs sitting in very cold water for about 4-5 minutes.
- While eggs are sitting, clean one whole large sweet potato. Puncture it with a fork several times all over. Place on a paper towel and put in microwave for 3 minutes, or until tender. Let potato sit and cool for a bit before cutting.
- Crack and peel egg shells. Chop two hard boiled eggs into many small bite sized pieces (your personal preference).
- Place heap of spinach in bowl, rubbermaid, or on plate. Place chopped egg on top.
- Cut cooked sweet potato in half. Wrap up half in aluminum foil and place in fridge for tomorrow’s salad. 🙂
- Chop up the other half of the sweet potato into small bite sized pieces (again, your preference on size). Place potato pieces onto spinach.
- Sprinkle sunflower seeds and shredded cheese on top of the salad.
- Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on salad to create a light, flavorful dressing (not too much! measure!). Mix all ingredients up with your fork (or place lid on rubbermaid and shake).
- Voila! There you have it. Bon appetit!
Here is my second favorite. Maybe you just can’t get behind the whole salad for breakfast idea. That’s OK. Just like Nalley Fresh, Chipotle, and so many other food places let you choose if you want a salad or a wrap- I’ll provide you that same option. Below, I’ll share with you my breakfast wrap. Remember, the point is to load up on your leafy greens! Don’t skimp.
I call this the Sunny Side Up Wrap. However, if you don’t like sunny side up eggs, you can cook them up however you want. I just ate this wrap this morning!
Sunny Side Up Wrap: ~530 calories / ~31g protein
Prep Time: Less than 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients: 1 medium or large whole wheat tortilla, a pile of spinach (think mountain- not hill), two large eggs, a handful or 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, a pinch of shredded cheddar cheese (less than 1/4 cup), optional: any other fresh veggies you’d like (onion, bell pepper, etc.)
Directions:
- Spray non-stick skillet with PAM cooking spray. Get skillet nice and hot.
- Carefully crack two eggs onto skillet. Immediately lower heat from high to low.
- Cover pan and let cook for about 2.5-3 minutes. Remove cover and check eggs. You may need to adjust heat accordingly. We want the eggs to cook slow, but not too slow.
- Cover skillet again and let cook for another 2 minutes. Shake skillet to see how yolks are doing.
- Once egg whites are set and yolks are still runny, remove skillet from heat.
- Place tortilla on plate and pile spinach on top. PILE IT. Don’t like spinach? Use kale or another leafy green instead.
- Slide two sunny side up eggs off skillet and on top of spinach. Add any other veggies you’d like. Or don’t.
- Sprinkle sunflower seeds and cheese on top. There is no need for any oil or dressing, because the yummy, runny yolks have that covered. 🙂
- Wrap up the tortilla so that one side is open and the other is closed, not letting any of the good stuff fall out! Enjoy!
If you try either recipe please let me know what you think! Make sure you drink a lot of water throughout the day (I carry a gallon jug around) and I can bet you that you’ll be much less hungry than usual.
Let’s eat right, party right, and live right. Let’s live big without getting too big. We can do it. Don’t feel guilty when you travel and indulge, just make sure your ass climbs back on that wagon the moment you step home. Don’t let the wagon pass you by! These quick and easy (and scrumptious) breakfasts will help you to feel satisfied and consume less calories so that you are able to still engage in those social nights out (or in!) with friends every so often.
Since I’ve been eating these two breakfasts, I either have a light lunch and skip dinner, skip lunch and have a light dinner, or replace a meal with a snack or two, such as a serving of pistachios and a kiwi. I am eating less on a daily basis, but NOT starving myself by any means, and then I don’t beat myself up when I have a few drinks or a fattening treat on the weekend.
I’d love to hear your feedback on these recipes! Do you have some other tips for staying full/healthy while continuing to live big and do what you love? Share those below!
Have I gotten you super hungry? Austria is the greatest place in the world for strudel.. seriously! Read more about the to-die-for strudel in this post! 🙂
Eat, travel, love. Live Big.