Protein For Breakfast

One of the challenges for those of us on the “Migraine” diet is breakfast. My doctor recommends 1 egg, twice per week, as the limit on fresh eggs. So I am left with 5 more days to fill in with sustaining protein grams. I love breakfast carbs, but they do not hold me very long and certainly do not carry me to lunch. At six in the morning I am not ready for chicken or fish. Here’s my solution:

1.Blueberry Refrigerator Oatmeal: I make two of these at night and then enjoy them for the next two days. At least 10 grams of protein each.
Mix tog: 1/3 c old fashioned rolled oats + 1/4 c (1%) milk + 2 Tb cottage cheese + 2 tsp maple syrup + 2 tsp ground flax seed + 2 Tb blueberries (or other fruit) Pack into a one cup mason jar or 10 oz coffee cup, put 1 Tb blueberries on top, cover and refrigerate until morning. YUM

2.Lasagna Cupcakes : I make 12 of these at one time. They are easy and can be frozen and then reheated in the toaster oven or microwave. Eat two per breakfast and you have at least 12 grams of protein. See recipe below if interested.

3.Twice Baked Potatoes with Ricotta Cheese: Prepare ahead and freeze the 6 halves. Two halves contain at least 8 grams of protein. Oil the outside of 3 medium russet potatoes and bake at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes (I make them in the toaster over at 425 degrees). Scoop out potato and mix with salt, pepper, 1/4 c ricotta, 1/3 c milk, 2 Tb cream cheese and 3 ozs real American cheese, shredded. Refill each half. Freeze in zip lock bags and defrost before heating. Reheat in toaster oven for 15 minutes (or microwave). You can add some cooked spinach to these or ground turkey or beef to increase the protein.

4.Turkey Sausage Patties: Adapted from Whole Foods. Make your own and freeze them. There are 17 grams protein grams in each (I have seen such variation).
Mix tog: 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey + 2 medium peeled and grated apple (squeeze out liquid) + 1/2 c chopped parsley + 1 Tb sage + 1 1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper + 1/2 tsp nutmeg + 2 large eggs (beaten). Shape into 8 (1/3 cup) patties and fry 3 minutes per side and then put a lid on for 5 minutes until cooked through.

5.Toast with 2 Tb Sunflower Seed Butter (Trader Joe). 7 grams of protein.

6.Natures Path Pumpkin Flax Granola: 3/4 c with 1/2 c milk = 10 grams protein (Costco has a multi- pack)

7.1/2 c cottage cheese has 15 grams protein. Great on multigrain toast with a little fresh ground pepper and a little chopped tomato.

8.Breakfast Ricotta Pudding has 15 grams of protein, adapted from South Beach Diet. This has 15 grams of protein. Mix: 1/2 c low fat ricotta with 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and 2 measures of Stevia. Or substitute cocoa for 1 Tb chopped pear (better). Refrigerate at least an hour.

9.Boarshead Real American Cheese is sold at Ralphs deli counter. 2 ozs is 12 grams of protein. Make a regular grilled cheese sandwich.

10.Vegetable Quiche Cups can be made ahead and frozen. Each one has 3/4 of an egg and 8 grams of protein. Eat two. Recipe to follow if you are interested.

I learned the hard way that I cannot have any brewed decaf. But I did find a decaf that solved my problems. Mount Hagen decaffeinated instant coffee does not cause me any grief. Hooray. I have one cup at breakfast and one at lunch. I even take it on trips. One tsp in 6-8 ounces of hot water with a little cream. It is not processed with any chemicals, just a CO2 process. I buy it at Whole Foods or on Amazon Prime. For added energy, I find 4-6 ounces of carrot juice is very helpful. I get that at Costco (Organic). I am also hooked on Red Rooibus Tea (not really a tea), not with Chai. I drink it dark, with a little Agave sweetener - YUM.

Lasagna Cupcakes
Preheat over to 375 degrees and oil 12-cup muffin tin

1/2 pound ground beef + 24 won ton wrappers + 3 ozs shredded Boarshead Part Skim Mozzarella + 3/4 cut Ricotta + 1 cup pasta sauce (prefer fresh, homemade)

  1. Brown 1/2 lb ground beef, adding salt, pepper, one minced garlic and 1/2 tsp fennel seed.
    2 .Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin tin, pressing down.
    3.Reserve 1 oz of mozzarella. Place one tsp ricotta, then a little mozzarella, then 2 tsp meat and one tsp sauce. Repeat layers, beginning with won ton.Top with reserved mozzarella and pinch of Parmesan on each.

4.Bake 18 minutes and then cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with shredded basil.

Vegetable Quiche Cup recipes Many recipes online.
This is for 12 cups and you can have two for breakfast. They freeze well; defrost the night before and then microwave for 35-40 seconds.

8 eggs + 1/4 c ricotta +1 shallot + 3 ozs grated Mozzarella Cheese (part skim Boarshead) +salt/pepper and package of spinach or one zucchini or yellow squash

Preheat oven 375 degree and oil 12 muffin cups.
1.Saute shallot with chopped spinach (and dill) or with small chopped zucchini or yellow squash (and Italian herbs). Place 1 Tb in each cup.
2.Whisk 8 eggs with 1/4 c ricotta + 2 Tb cream cheese + 1 tsp white vinegar + salt + pepper
3.Divide cheese among the 12 cups.
4.Divide egg mixture into cups, only 2/3 full.
5.Bake for 15-20 minutes and then cool for 10 minutes. (These cook very well in a 6-cup tin in my Breville toaster over.)

If you do not feel like cooking, please see: FAST FOOD FREEZER FINDS
http://vertigotalesandtastes.blogspot.com/search/label/S%20G%20RECIPES%3A%205%20FAST%20FOOD%20FREEZER%20FINDS

Good Luck. I have a shopping list at my blog, if you are interested. (vertigotalesandtastes@blogspot.com)

1 Like

These sound delicious if I could have dairy. But dairy products are at the top of my biggest MAV triggers. It is a common MAV problem for many. It was nice of you to share anyway. Lucky you that you can have cheeses.

So sorry that you have such a severe reaction to any dairy. I am like that with caffeine of any kind or amount. I also have issues with too much dairy but I can rotate small amounts ( like two tablespoons) through my diet. It is best if I have a week of rotation of all histamine producing foods. I do not eat fish more than twice a week and not two days in a row. I try to have a little dairy only two days at a time and then go two days without any. Eggs are also a problem so I rotate them. I also limit tomatoes (MSG, histamine) and make my own marinara and freeze it in small quantities. Small amounts of trigger foods, rotated, works for me. I can even have a few chocolate chips or one or two bites of a chocolate dessert, twice a week. But no brewed caffeine. No brewed decaf. Too much wheat is also an issue so it is best to just rotate everything in my diet. When I was on Nortriptyline for three months, and then for a month afterwords, I was very strict with the migraine diet. Then I learned what little things I could add. I have to be really careful during the hot summer months as heat 85 degrees and above) is a big trigger for me. Taking one Allegra at night helps me with the awful ear fullness and tinnitus that I get. I have an article on this site “Comparing The Diets” (migraine, histamine, Zone Diet and Low Tannin) if you are interested. I also share this at my blog site Vertigo Tales and Tastes: S G Blog Post: COMPARE THE DIETS.
Good luck to you. None of us is carefree anymore but there are ways to control the big problems, fortunately.

those sound delicious but ricotta, cottage, seeds and others aggravate me; however, I seem to do fine with eggs.

I, too, have to be careful with dairy. I try to keep a low histamine diet as that aggravates my MAV. As I posted above, I follow a rotation diet - I only have small amounts of offending items 1-2 times a week. Good luck to you. (www.vertigotalesandtastes.blogspot.com)

@ spinninggirl1 …Some great ideas/recipes there, thank you for sharing.