AngryScientist 

what's for breakfast?

personally i leave the house wayyy to early to think about eating when i take my bike to work (420 am).

my wife loves to cook and bake, and i have been trying to find a good carry along breakfast snack to eat when i get to work - maybe home made granola bars or something like that.

at this point i usually buy breakfast at work, but its getting a little expensive, and worse - unhealthy.

what does everyone eat? and when? before the ride? after ?

home made (carry-able) recipes greatly appreciated!

GriddleCakes

Normally I've got enough time for at least a bowl of cereal and a couple of scrambled eggs with my morning coffee. But when I accidentally sleep in the quickest, hardiest, and easiest thing that I've come up with is a tortilla with a thick smear of peanut butter, wrapped around a whole banana. The bananarito sticks around for a bit, can be eaten with one hand, and (as long as you don't overdo the PB) goes down pretty quick.

nahh

Bagel and cream cheese is my breakfast of choice right now... except I didn't have it this morning because I was running LATE and got breakfast on the run.

i try to go with something with carbs and protein, and some fruit. For me, sometimes that's toast, 2 eggs, bowl of microwaved frozen blueberries/blackberries, milk or chocolate milk.

I can't stomach oatmeal most of the time....so I avoid that but some people swear by it

also, I have fully-cooked sausage patties that I just microwave in the morning...good protein boost.

zoodude

i do two eggs, raisin toast, and cup of oj. about 20 min before ride. then fruit snacks when i get in with a good sports drink. i mix it up with fruit or yogurt here and there once in a while. also i to always have something salty in my panniers just in case. mmmm, salty.... off to grab some chips!

BikeFoz

That actually sounds tasty, I might have to try that.

I like cereal and toast. Usually I just skip breakfast at home and spend too much money on McDonalds. Which is only part of the reason I had to start riding my bike to work! Save money. Lose Weight.

ortcutt

Oat groats (whole, not steel-cut) cooked overnight in a slow cooker (bit of sea salt & a cinnamon stick), garnished with brown sugar and milk; fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice; coffee, coffee, a little more coffee, and then coffee in a thermos tossed in a pannier.

alr

I made a breakfast bar. bake them in advance and freeze. take out of freezer as needed. they travel quite well, and are healthy and tasty.

ENERGY BARS

Cooking spray
1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup shelled unsalted raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted dried dates
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.
Place all the ingredients, except the maple syrup and eggs, in a food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.

Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly to cover the bottom. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes, then cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days or wrap indivually and freeze for up to 3 months.

kindablue

Maybe buttermilk scones loaded up with dried fruit and nuts? Not the most "healthy" but they are tasty. Bring some fresh fruit too.

Joe_Mo

I usually just have one egg over easy and an orange.

CornyBum

I think you should always try to eat some sort of meal to start your day, no matter how early that day begins. You also bike to work, so that's even more demanding than the beginning of many others' day. I'm no nutritionist, but it seems like you should eat breakfast, leave for work, and have a snack before starting work if you feel the need after the ride. You also have a wife that loves to cook and bake. This sounds like a great possible solution if she's fine with helping you out with this. Maybe she can make something great the night before so that you can just heat it up. It also helps that at least in my view, breakfast foods are among the cheapest. A big bowl of cereal in milk is nutritious and a cheap alternative to eating out. As for myself, I eat a large breakfast of cereal in milk, toast with fruit preserves, orange juice, a banana, some other fruit if available, and a cup of yogurt. It's my nice moment in the morning as I munch along while reading something at the table.

AngryScientist 

hey thanks - i'm going to try this one.

CornyBum - i hear ya, ideally eating before i leave is the way to go, but honestly, when i get up that early, i dont think my system is ready to eat, and i wind up with an upset stomach on the ride in. seems like i wake up before my digestive system if that makes sense.

Artkansas 

Either steamed oatmeal with raisins, flax and cinnamon or throw a salad in the blender consisting of collard greens, kale, green leaf lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, apple, tomato and grapes.

rumrunn6

I eat at home. I have a small snack when I get to work. I eat a regular breakfast with regular breakfast food. no baked goods.

then when I'm walking out the door - a small box of raisins

breakfast ideas:
- egg sandwich
- cereal and banana (not mixed)
- left over chicken quesadilla
- can of meat ravioli
- chicken cutlet on toasted english muffin

snack ideas:
- granola bar
- instant outmeal
- banana; apple; pear; canned peaches
- protein shake
- baby carrots
- fresh; crisp; cold and washed string beans (uncooked)

freefallkev

i pack durable fruit (oranges, apples, banananas) and half a dozen hard boiled eggs for when i get to work, just make them the night before and grab them on your way out. i have a water heater (marketed for makin tea) at work; i'll cook up some oatmeal and mix in a gob of peanut butter when i get to work. oh, and i buy half a gallon of milk at the px on modays and leave it in our work fridge to drink all week. fills me up til lunchtime, easy, and doesn't take too much to prepare.

EKW in DC

Two slices of whole wheat bread toasted w/ PB on top. Not very transportable, but that's my breakfast. If not that, then I sometimes make an egg sandwich. Oatmeal's the absolute backup plan.

The other thing we sometimes make is a 9x13 glass baking dish of "scrambled" eggs/frittata (i.e., whipped up eggs like in scrambled eggs, just baked in the baking dish instead) with any or all of the following "toppings" baked in: cheese, green onions, sausage, mushrooms, spinach. You get the idea. Kinda like a quiche w/o the crust. About an inch or an inch and a half thick. Store in fridge after it's cooked and just heat up a piece or two in the microwave to eat when you need. One or two 3x3ish squares of that contain couple eggs plus the toppings. That is easily transportable (Just throw the piece(s) in a small tupperware and eat at work), but I normally just eat it real quick at home.

The bananarito sounds good BTW!

rumrunn6

EKW ~ that reminds me of something my Mom used to make in a pan. she mixed in sliced fried potatoes. I think she did the potatoes in the pan and then added the eggs and covered it. I think I remember some green peppers. another version was just eggs and spinach.

AdamDZ

Glass of water then 3 slices of multigrain toast with cream cheese, yogurt and tea, sometimes a banana or a bagel instead of the toast. But my commute is only 8 miles each way. So nothing special.

Adam

jhhall

Two packages of instant oatmeal and I use milk. One package just isn't enough. My food variety resembles that of a cat, so I can do this for years and have been.

ItsJustMe

PB & honey sandwich eaten after my 11 mile ride. Nothing before. With water. That's it. Rewarmed leftovers for lunch.

Sz10CFootprint

Well it sounds like you got a lot of great breakfast ideas many of which I'll steal! I hear ya about not wanting to eat first thing in the morning. I don't eat first thing either, but by time I'm on way I'm ready for something. Whole wheat mini bagel with peanut butter and coffee. Been eating that almost every morning for 2 years now. I haven't started bike commuting yet, I'm waiting for my kiddies to be finished with school for the summer but I think this is still portable enough to eat on the go. I even saw a commuter mug/rack for mounting on your handlebars which I'm definitely going to get. Gotta have my cuppa in the morning!

yarb

Nothing. I eat my lunch at 11:00 - couple of slices of cheap pizza - then a double-helping of dinner in the evening. Eating breakfast just makes me feel sluggish. On the weekends I do it.

For my 30-50 minute (depending on route) commute, I don't notice a difference from having breakfast inside me. For a long recreational ride - anything over a couple of hours - I definitely have to eat beforehand.

ahsposo 

You go to work at 0420 hours? That explains your username...

AngryScientist 

yes, my commute is made up of biking and the train, and the only train i can take (and actually get to work on time) means i have to leave the house eeeeearly.

gerv 

Oatmeal + chopped banana + yogurt. The only question is to eat before the commute or after...

nahh

are you trying to get a bunch of Iron that way? i can't see it being tasty, so I'm hoping it's very nutritious. but I probably shoulda had a V8.