Living for the weekend: knowing a scrumptious breakfast waits will help you power through your Saturday and Sunday workouts

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, March, 2004 by Marge Perry

how do we love the weekends? Let us count the ways. At the top of the list, we love having time for longer, more intense workouts. We also love the reward for those workouts: a leisurely, homemade breakfast, something healthy but indulgent, too.

The recipes here deliver on each of those promises, but with varying amounts of time and energy on your part. The granola, for instance, is make-ahead--whip it up when you have some spare time and all you have to do when you get home from your workout is add milk and enjoy. The muffins are make-ahead, too, and require just a tiny bit of prep time before you can dig in. The batter keeps in the fridge for up to a month; when you're ready to enjoy, just pour it into a tin, bake and you've got a hot muffin in about 25 minutes. We've got three more wonderful ideas for you: a Mexican omelet wrap, a sausage and potato frittata and banana nut pancakes. Each is elegant enough to serve to weekend guests, though also a lovely treat to make for yourself (and you can eat the leftovers for breakfast or lunch the next day).

After an intense bout of exercise, there's no sense in undoing all your hard work with an unhealthy meal. But that's not an option here. These post-workout dishes may be delicious, but they're also nutritious--and smart fuel for workouts to come.

banana nut pancakes

From in the door to on the table: 15 minutes

Bisquick reduced-fat pancake mix makes short work of this breakfast treat.

Makes about 16 pancakes. Serving size 2 pancakes.

    1 egg, lightly beaten
    2 cups reduced fat Bisquick pancake mix
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    2 bananas, chopped if the bananas are firm, mashed to a puree if
        they're ripe
  1/2 cup oats
  1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1. Combine the egg, Bisquick, milk and vanilla in a bowl and mix with a fork until just combined. Stir in the banana, oats and pecans.

2. Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Scoop the pancake batter into the pan using a 1/4-cup measure. When tiny bubbles appear all over the top surface, flip the pancakes. At this point, the underside will be completely golden. Cook until golden on the other side.

3. Keep pancakes warm in a 200 degree F oven.

PER SERVING: 246 calories, 6 g protein, 38 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 8 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 28 mg cholesterol, 381 g sodium

mexican omelet wrap

From in the door to on the table: 20 minutes

Chipotle chili powder, available in the spice section of most supermarkets, lends a little smoky heat to this breakfast treat. If you can't find it, substitute a little ground cayenne.

  4 whole large eggs
  4 large egg whites
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
  4 10-inch tortillas
  1 tablespoon canola oil
  1 cup chopped onion
  1 green bell pepper, chopped
  1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar

1. Place eggs, egg whites, water, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Using a fork, lightly beat the mixture; set aside.

2. Heat the tortillas according to package directions and leave them in a stack on a plate, loosely draped with a towel.

3. Heat the oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, red and green peppers, chipotle chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

4. Pour 1/2 cup of the egg mixture into the hot skillet and swirl it around to evenly cover the pan surface. Let it cook until the edges of the eggs are lightly browned, then slide it onto a tortilla. Repeat the procedure until you have used all the egg.

5. Place a tortilla and omelet stack flat on your work surface and spoon one-fourth of the vegetable mixture in a strip down the center. Top with 2 tablespoons of the cheese, then roll the omelet burrito up and place it seam-side down on a plate. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve with salsa and light sour cream.

Makes 4 servings.

PER SERVING (not including salsa and sour cream): 427 calories, 21 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 15 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 215 mg cholesterol, 552 mg sodium

multigrain muffins

From in the door to on the table: 25 minutes

This recipe yields batter that keeps for up to a month in the refrigerator. So not only can you have a warm muffin after your workout, you can look forward to one even on a harried weekday. Simply scoop the batter into a muffin cup and pop it in the toaster oven.

Cooking spray or muffin tin liners

    2 cups All Bran cereal, divided
  1/2 cup boiling water
    2 eggs, lightly beaten
  1/4 cup canola oil
  1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  1/2 cup brown sugar
  1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup
    2 cups low-fat buttermilk
    1 cup rolled oats
  1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
  1/2 cup sunflower seeds
    2 cups flour
  1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/2 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat muffin tins with cooking spray or line with paper or foil liners. Fill any unused cups halfway with water to avoid scorching the pans.