what's for breakfast?

The ever-amiable Paz over at The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz asked me what I eat for breakfast. Seems she's looking for something quick and yummy to have for breakfast, to go along with the healthful meals she already eats for lunch and dinner. I have to say, she's one up on me with the healthful lunch & dinner meals, but I do have some favorite healthy breakfasts to share.

So, I turn to you, dear readers, for help! What sorts of healthful breakfasts do you eat and enjoy? We're not necessarily talking low cholesterol here, although those recommendations are welcome. Just nourishing, nutritious, not overly greasy breakfasts. What do you love? Paz will be checking back to hear what you have to say, so please leave a comment!

As for me, the quickest and easiest healthy breakfast is to have a big bowlful (oh, all right, sometimes two) of Shredded Spoonfuls from Barbara's Bakery, with Hood's Simply Smart 0% fat milk ... you can't call it skim milk, though, because they've waved a magic wand and made it taste like 1%. (They say on the label 2%, but IMNSHO it really tastes like 1%, which is good enough for me!) Shredded Spoonfuls are addicting. They're organic, crunchy, and sweetened with molasses. No need to add sugar. I picked them out because I saw someone else choose them from a long line of organic cereals at our local cooperative food store. I was always curious about organic cereals, but the ones I'd tried either had lousy texture or didn't taste all that good. These, I'm here to tell ya, taste GOOD!

Another favorite is plain yogurt sweetened with sugar or Splenda, topped with melon chunks and my favorite crunchy granola from our local diner, Lou's. I keep intending to try making granola myself; one of these days I'll do it!

And the third favorite is instant oatmeal topped with vanilla yogurt, toasted walnuts, and fruit topping, which I've blogged about here.

One final breakfast that is simple and quick, but does involve some actual cooking, is baked eggs. You grease a ramekin or two, drop a couple of tablespoons of cream or milk in, then an egg, and then some shredded cheese. Pop them into a 450 degree oven for ten minutes while you go get yourself ready for the day, come back, drop some toast in the toaster, and have a nice hot breakfast. The full recipe is here. Some people would say a breakfast that includes eggs, dairy, and cheese doesn't qualify as healthy, but I'm not one of them. If you're having salad for lunch and pasta for dinner, you need some protein and dairy items, in my opinion ... but there I go again with my NSHOs!

So, how about you? What's your favorite healthy breakfast?