Later this week I’ll be heading off to Europe for a few weeks of programs; I’ll be overseeing a yoga certification and teaching 2 weekends of vegan cooking classes. I’m excited for the program and to meet with friends old and new, but you know what else I’m really excited about? Breakfast.
Now at home I don’t get excited about breakfast, probably because I make something quickly and eat it while I’m starting to work at my computer. But when I travel, I get up wherever I’m staying and sit at the table (ok, probably with a book) and enjoy things like bread and jam and muesli and fruit and lots and lots of coffee. And it’s the best thing ever. I mean, the bread here is nothing like what they have in Europe.
And one of the fun things about my job is that I get to watch food trends and see what they are doing. And I’m seeing – dessert for breakfast. It’s anyone’s guess which breakfast dessert will become a morning ritual, but there are some great ones out there. Like this pumpkin cheesecake bread, which looks incredible, or these beautiful cinnamon rolls.
While I love a big stack of pancakes or waffles as much as the next person, they don’t always make me feel the best afterwards, so here are a few ideas to make your breakfast taste like dessert without wanting a long mid-morning nap.
1 – Add fruit
It rained one day this past week, so I made strawberry banana bread. I had it for breakfast one day with a bowl of fruit, high-protein soy yogurt and some maple syrup and it tasted like strawberry pancakes. Or use fruit as a topping to a waffle or pancake (make sure there’s enough fruit to balance the rest of it!)
2 – Add protein powder
Make the pancakes or waffles that you want, but add a scoop of protein powder to the dry ingredients. By upping the protein content, you’ll feel less lethargic afterwards. Angela has a great recipe for high-protein pancakes.
3 – Add the flavors of dessert to your typical breakfast
I had some caramel sauce left over from making sundaes, so the next morning I added it to my vanilla protein smoothie for a decadent treat.
4 – Add chocolate, because chocolate makes everything taste like dessert
Have a chocolate smoothie, chocolate granola, cocoa powder on your peanut butter or jam toast, or chocolate sauce on your smoothie.
5 – Have dessert for breakfast!
For some people, it’s better to give in to the occasional craving then to dream of it and not be satisfied with whatever it is they’re eating. Not every day, and not huge portions, but in moderation this can be the answer to sticking to a healthy diet the rest of the time.
Kelli's Vegan Kitchen 