[wizeapple]

greek yoghurt (you can get 0% fat versions) a drizzle of runny honey and some chopped nuts on top ! - (guess who's just got back from Cyprus !)

[PRISMJill]

With absolutely no offense intended to our Canadian brothers and sisters (I was just up in the 1000 Islands for most of this holiday weekend), I am posting an appeal to ANYONE who can help me figure out some American food brand P3 Breakfasts, using the following guidelines:

1) I am NOT a pancake, muffin, waffle etc. kinda person, so as much as Liz's recipes for all kinds of good-looking stuff look awesome, I probably won't exert that much effort ... sorry, just keeping it real.

2) While I recognize bread manufacturers run the gamut, can anyone post a sample menu using more mainstream (Pepperidge Farm, Arnold - I love rye and sourdough) brands? I'm also looking into ordering ThinSlim products off the internet - anyone have any experience (good or bad) with those? I see Ezekiel all over these boards - may try that too.

3) Peanut butter recommendations - I LOVE Smart Balance chunky - anyone use this and can you tell me how much you use?

4) Obviously, number crunching is NOT my thing, and as someone else said elsewhere in this forum, the reason IP worked so well for me was b/c it was brainless... I didn't have to think about it, add up numbers, etc. and I lost 52 pounds. I am REALLY scared to start P3 but also know I can't stay on P1/P2 forever.

5) My natural tendency will be towards greek yogurt (what brands/flavors are best?) mixed with granola and berries... then a protein (turkey bacon or turkey sausage?) but then I don't know what else I need to add to get all the numbers to jive. one piece of toast? Two? And yes, I am a REAL butter kind of gal. I think I am looking forward to butter on my (rye or sourdough) toast more than ANYTHING for P3!

Thanks in advance! Going to my weigh in and then the store (I love my coach and the fact that she'll see me on Labor Day!)

THANKS ALL!
Jill (Charlotte, NC)

[canadjineh]

Hi PRISMjill: Sorry (I'm in Canada - I have to use that word, lol), Smart Balance adds sugar & other fats to real ground peanuts.... not sure why you would want sugar (carbs) in your PB. I had to google the ingredient list.
Quote from drgourmet website:
"Also be careful about added ingredients. In the case of the peanut butter they add sugars and salt, both of which are unnecessary. I am not sure why anyone would want all those extra ingredients, but the folks at Smart Balance feel that they are somehow better for you (seems an unlikely thought process to me)." You will be better off with pure ground peanuts only (add your own salt if you need to) then you are getting healthy fats without unnecessary sneaky sugar carbs.
The side of the jar will tell you what a serving size is, usually a tbsp. It counts as a fat, although with non-natural PB like this there would be added carbs to count from the sugars.

If you are putting a tiny bit of granola (again take a very close look at the ingredients for added sugars and high oil content) in your yogourt, you will only need 1 pc of toast, since the granola will be high in carbs already and likely make up a full serving of carbs for your breakfast. Again, look at the side of the package of granola for a serving size and if the carbs are too high (I can almost guarantee it for most commercial granolas), you can halve the serving for your yogourt.
For instance, my DH's fave has a serving size of 4 tbsp. (1/2c) at 230 cal, 7g fat, 34g net carbs, & 6g protein. I think that's rather scary.... granola is a waste of calories in my plan

Hang in there, it gets easier.
Liana

[Lori T]

One of my favorite go to breakfasts consist of Fage or Trader Joe' s plain non fat greek yogurt, berries, 1/4 cup of Kind granola and a Tbls. of chia seeds. I also like a piece of Ezekial bread toasted with 1 Tbls of crunchy almond butter on it and sometimes 2 slices of Trader Joe's turkey bacon or Jimmy Deans turkey sausage links. I tend to go big on breakfast as that is my favorite meal and I go lighter with minimal carbs the rest of the day. I have been on maintenance since May and that tends to still be what I eat often, although I also like a piece of toast with avocado spread on it with an egg on top. Then some other sort of protein like turkey bacon or sausage and maybe some fruit.

[MiWi]

Jill, I hate crunching numbers too. Yick. I have been on maintenance for three weeks but like Lori, I tend to have a heavier Phase 3 breakfast and stay low carb or the rest of the day. I eat breakfast in the office. I bring a flat bread, egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich, fruit (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries), and the Dannon Light and Fit Greek 80 calorie yogurt. I pretty much eat this every morning. On the weekends, I may eat French toast, the same yogurt, and fruit. Or eggs and bacon/sausage, fruit and yogurt.

[PRISMJill]

Thanks ladies - I just really need some "meal plans" that show it all laid out for me and how the numbers work; I guess I'm just going to have to start coming up with my own stuff and crunching the numbers as best I can.

Thanks for the tip on peanut butter --- in my heart, I know Smart Balance isn't the answer, but we all have our quirks ... mine is having to stir up "natural" peanut butter EACH time I use it because it always separates (I sound so lazy, but I promise I'm not) .. and since I LOVE peanut butter, I'm not sure I want to take the leap and try almond butter ... although it seems a lot of people on these boards use it. Anyone have tips for American almond butters you like best (again, apologies to my Canadian friends, of whom I have LOTS!) ... I'm just struggling ... as always, since IP is so Canadian-focused, trying to find recipes and resources that use American-based products.

Oh and MiWi you mentioned a flat bread, egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich. Is this something you buy at the store? Or do you make it yourself? And if so, what kind of flat bread and what kind of cheese do you use?

Cheese is one of my faves and I can't wait to eat it again (I was a mouse in a pre4vious life, I just know it), but we all know the fat-free, reduced sodium kinds don't melt very well. Any suggestions of "normal" cheeses (i.e Kraft or Sargento shredded cheese, but what style/flavor?) works in the IP recipes (what few I can find)

THANKS AGAIN, and I'll be posting more I'm sure.

Jill

[HereIStand]

I'm not on P3 yet, but I'm planning ahead. I think I'll be going to P2 in 3-4 weeks, and then P3 in early November.

Question: Does anyone make their own yogurt? I have a yogurt maker and used to make it by the quart when I had four hungry kids at home. I'm thinking that on P3, I can use low-fat milk and add some vanilla protein powder. and Splenda or Truvia to make it sugar-free. I used to mix in fruits or jam, but I could just use WF fruit spreads as a mix-in. Thoughts?

[Sunflower40]

bump

[hysteria_625]

bump

[hysteria_625]

Moving some not P1 - P2 friendly chat

11/15
Breakfast #2 was just as good - Had raspberries instead of an apple, added a slice of natural / no nitrate Applewood turkey bacon (adding 30 calories) and mixed berry Oikos 000 yogurt instead of coconut - like them both so far . Going to try strawberry flavor tomorrow. I'm working on having DH try them - he actually whined about the extra 20 calories & he doesn't need to lose A POUND! Ugh!

11/17
Get to prep my first 'oatmeal in a jar' tonight - going to skip the fruit and substitute an extra Tbsp of cashew butter / 1/2C cashew milk.

HIS - You used the dehydrated peanuts, right? Sounds like a little fat really helped. I hear you on the nerves about increasing calories - be curious with the additional calories / lack of exercise what the scale does tomorrow. Your breakfast sounds delicious

& the PB treats sound good! I've never had the PB/chocolate...wonder if its sweeter than the regular pbFit I use...I have quite the sweet tooth and would probably add a packet of stevia - yum! Maybe paint them with the WF chocolate dip...
^^
This is NOT P1 - P3 friendly!

I am also finding myself not being a strict anymore in P3 about licks, tastes, and other 'little' P1 things that I honestly didn't do - ie, last night I made my honey-soy marinade for the lamb we had. The amount of honey is probably negligible but still added some carb...and I licked the spoon I used to stir the marinade together When I fixed my oatmeal in a jar for tomorrow, I licked off all the utensils I know I'm only a couple days in, but so far so good - the little licks haven't turned into full blown binges or anything.

11/18
...and the oatmeal in a jar I made was FANTASTIC!
- 1/4c steel cut oats (oh man I love these!)
- Oikos 0/0/0 coconut creme
- 2T cashew butter
- 1/2c unsweetened vanilla cashew milk

While I was making it, I took a swig of the cashew milk from the container - again, thank you IP for changing my taste buds lol - it was SO good!

I am going to pass on your advice to DH - he is running the 10K Sunday. I think a banana and whole Combat Bar for him (or his favorite Quest...) would be a good fuel up for him.

You keyed in on my thoughts - yes, just the low blood sugar as I tend to wake up & fasting bg is right around 80 - 85.
I think I'll do 1/2 a Quest or Combat bar and then 1/2 a banana right before start.
My goal is to finish in 36 minutes or <
DH wants to head to IHOP afterwards for a celebratory breakfast lol
Nice to be able to say I can actually eat breakfast out again...Eggs, fruit, and a slice of toast with butter!

I really did like the oatmeal in a jar the steel cut oats were an amazingly nice treat - slightly cruchy...very nutty.
What surprised me a little was my bg level - much lower 2 hours post OIAJ than it was with the more diverse breakfast. Truthfully though, I left out the fruit in favor of more cashew butter.
Going to try something completely different tomorrow...just to see

11/19
Unfortunately, I am slightly underwhelmed by this mornings OIAJ...
- 1/4c steel oats
- 1C plain 0% Oikos yogurt (this probably s7hould have been a 1/2 or 3/4c...oops! To get the same calories though I needed a whole cup)
- 2T pbFit
- 2.4oz banana
- 1/2c cashew milk

406 k/cal / 53 carb / 9 fat / 32 protein / 18 sugar

So, plugging this all into MFP (^^^) left me super low on the fat grams - the pbFit is only 4g, so 1t of EVCO went into my coffee.
It also just didn't taste very good - I used a super ripe banana, so that was mostly what I tasted...I was going for the Elvis special, minus the onion
I am glad I tried it - trial and error.
A packet of stevia would have made a world of difference - but I am so scared of waking the sugar beast.

I love the dehydrated peanut butter - been using it for a couple years. Personally I will need to remain cognizant of my nut butter usage as I know its been a bit of an addiction in the past.
That is a good point about the OIAJ...again, on a personal note, I LOVE casseroles and dishes that mix everything together - ie, zoodle spaghetti...and with 1C of 0% yogurt...that was a lot of food lol I forgot about my WF syrups - I've read about people adding strawberry / blueberry for flavoring / less sugar. I never found the WF jams locally and never ordered any...
The flavored 0/0/0 Oikos' don't have much more sugar than the plain - plus my bg reading 2 hours post breakfast this morning was lower than yesterday. Still figuring things out...and I guess the real test will be when I hit the treadmill in a few minutes

[hysteria_625]

More information on Oatmeal in a Jar (hat tip Kathleen Corrigan):
Oatmeal in a Jar P3 and 4 compliant

This can be made in many different combinations to make many choices. It is so flexible – enjoy. (there are lots of notes at the bottom to give more info)

You need:

½ c old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 - ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup berries or ½ apple
1 Tbsp nut butter or nuts
1/3-1/2 cup milk (or soy or almond)

Mix it all the night before, put in refrigerator and enjoy

Nutrition for this version using ½ c oats, ½ c yogurt 1 tbsp PB, and ½ c 1% milk.

Total calories: 398

27 g grain carbs (23 g net)
7 g fruit carbs (3 g net)
12 g fat
24 g protein (right on the edge of the intended 25)

If you reduce anything you may need to add a bit of cheese or an egg to get the protein up.

Notes:
1/2 cup oatmeal – preferably old fashioned oats that would take a long time to cook (not quick oats) – large flake is nice some people like steel cut – they stay crunchy. Instant or quick oats get too mushy.

the fruit choice – (about ½ - 1 cup but this depends on the fruit.): berries, chopped apple, applesauce, mango, half a banana chopped, etc.

Yogurt must be Greek to get the protein. You can pick a flavour to go with the fruit or use plain or vanilla. Be aware if you use flavoured it will increase the sugar and you will need to use less (and add another protein source). If you don’t like plain you can use WF or splenda or stevia to sweeten it (e.g., WF fruit spread – soften in microwave first, or strawberry syrup, or maple syrup)

1 Tbsp nut butter, or ground almond or other nut. If you decide to use chia or flax your protein will go down.

Liquid – up to about 1/2 cup – milk, soy milk, almond milk, or a mix

Mix in a container (like a mason jar) that holds about 3 cups – so you have stir space (some of the tall plastic containers with screw lids work too.) You could mix it in a bowl if you wanted as well.

Other options –spices like cinnamon when using apple, a bit of sweetener if you use plain yogurt rather than flavoured, etc.

Method:

• Put the oatmeal in the jar.
• Put the fruit in next.
• Add the nut butter (or other fat) and mix it around. (the nut butter smooshes about surprisingly easily, it doesn’t have to be perfect it will spread as you go)

• IF you are freezing your mix, this is where you stop. Freeze the container and remove it the evening before you want to eat it to continue the process.

• Add the yogurt (if you are not freezing it, I would put in yogurt then nut butter as nut butter mixes into the yogurt easily.)
• Add the liquid.
• Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. The liquid seeps down and is absorbed by the oatmeal, no cooking is needed. It forms a wonderful soft flavourful muesli.

• In the morning, give it a stir and enjoy.

They can last several days in the refrigerator if your fruit was nicely ripe but not over ripe.

Some people make up 5 each Sunday, freeze four and pull one out each night. It gives a simple, delicious and extremely healthy, balanced breakfast. Eat it cold or pop it in the microwave and warm it a bit (cold is my preference.)

[hysteria_625]

VERY important guidelines:

Phase 3 (and 4) breakfast ideas

The following are some ideas for breakfasts. I have tried to include suggestions I have read on this page as well as my own favourite. I also note some comments and variations. Please note, I am not including Ideal Complete here. First, I think it is better to use it at lunch in p3 so you learn to eat this lifetime breakfast and secondly, we don’t use it in phase 4.

Also be very clear that my nutrition info are very very rough. Yours will be different for you will use different brands and quantities. I am just trying to help you see how we can balance choices in so many wonderful ways.
These are all based on the IP guidelines of:
400-500 calories
maximum 30 g grain carbs
maximum 20 g fruit carbs
maximum 15 g fat
maximum 120 calories from dairy
minimum 25 g protein
(although they are not all perfect depending on how you handle options and variations)

[hysteria_625]

11/23/15 P3 breakfast

Changed it up to see about blood sugars / energy

- 2 hard boiled eggs
- Oikos coconut creme 0/0/0
- 1.5oz Paleokrunch - it is like granola, but grain free / seed / nut based and was FANTASTIC! A little bit goes a LONG way! http://www.stevespaleogoods.com/orig...ereal-orig.htm
A little pricey though...the website is worse than the store I got it from

Filling and kept me going through strength / resistance at the gym today.