Getting Started: Vegan Breakfast Tips

 

I love breakfast. When I was little, my mom never let me out the door without eating something, and I still can't get away with skipping it. It was also the very first meal that I started doing vegan last summer. Here are some quick, easy steps to get you started veganizing your breakfasts:

I don't have nearly enough brain power to take pictures of my breakfasts in the morning, but the Garden of Vegan tumblr has some beautiful breakfast food photography! Check it out!

1. Start small: Buy some non-dairy milk. Non-dairy milk is probably the least intimating, easiest way to start thinking vegan. Because let's face it: skim milk tastes kind of crappy anyway, and it's always expiring, and you're always running out, and you have to recycle all those plastic bottles but not the caps, and ugh, I'm over it. On the other hand, Tetra-packed almond milk, coconut milk, and soy milk are easy to find at your local grocery store, easy to stock up on, and relatively tasty. None of it tastes like "real" milk, but it does taste good, especially sweetened soy milk (though my favorite is unsweetened almond). That first bite of cereal might leave your palate a bit confused, but if you give yourself a week to get used to it, I promise that you won't even think about dairy milk--I know I haven't missed it! 
2. Start reading your labels. When you're waiting for your coffee to brew in the morning, take a minute read your cereal and bread labels. It should be pretty baffling; the lists of ingredients in most processed foods are long and mostly incomprehensible, and there's almost always whey, milk, or even eggs lurking somewhere in there. Don't throw this stuff out--enjoy it until it's gone, but take a few minutes the next time you're at the grocery store to read the labels on what you're buying. Is there something there that's vegan, comparable in price, and similar to what you already eat? Try it! I'm particularly fond of Nature's Path Organic Flax Plus Multibran Flakes, which are certified vegan and quite tasty when topped with almond milk, chopped walnuts, and dried banana chips. 
3. Think about lasting power. My main complaint about going vegan is that, unless I pay a lot of attention to protein, I'm hungry every two hours. Breakfast is a great time to eat hearty grains and nuts to get you through to noon. I try to eat a very hefty breakfast--around 400 calories and packed with as much protein; fiber; and omega-3 fats from flax seed, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds as I can handle.
4. Know what you need. If you have an hour every morning to make and consume a delicious, hot, gourmet breakfast, then you really don't need to read this post. But if you're like everyone else in the world, your mornings are rushed and you're probably shooting lasers out of your eyeballs because of how much you hate mornings. (Anyone else? Just me? Okay then.) Be gentle on yourself by working with your habits. Are you a grab and go sort of person? Then make granola bars on the weekends or buy pre-made cereal, granola bars, and dried fruit. Do you have five minutes to throw something together? Then plan on making some oatmeal or a smoothie while you're waiting for your coffee to brew.
5. Add it up. Store-bought vegan foods are often "health" foods, by which I mean that they're all moral and bland and fiber-y and sad tasting. In those cases, supplement it until you love it. Lackluster cereal? Top it with a teaspoon of honey and sunflower seeds. Has your pita gone stale in the fridge? Use a heavy hand with the Earth Balance and your favorite jam. Are you an inveterate oatmeal hater? You just haven't found the right toppings yet! Try dried fruit, nuts, agave nectar, and cinnamon until you're happy again. 

Here are some of my favorite vegan breakfast components: 

1. Peanut butter. Just . . . peanut butter. Forget its connotation with school lunches: peanut butter is delicious. It has always been one of those foods that I could eat a whole jar of with a spoon and still kind of want some more, so veganism has been a great excuse to add it to just about every meal. It's full of protein and is deeply satisfying because of its high fat content. I eat a lot of peanut butter on toast, bagels, and oatmeal. There are five different varieties in my pantry right now, and I kind of wish there were more!
2. Bread and bagels: you don't have to give them up! I promise you a post about baking easy vegan bread and pitas soon! But, in the meantime, many grocery stores with health food freezer sections do carry some very delicious vegan breads, and while vegan bagels are uncommon in grocery stores, Panera actually has a few vegan varieties you can stock up on. (Including everything bagels--my favorite!)
3. Oatmeal: do it old school. I grew up on (deliciously) sugary packets of Quaker instant oatmeal, but I never found them tasty or filling enough to keep my interest as an adult. Moreover, they're also packed with whey and dried milk and about a bajillion other processed ingredients. But plain quick oats cooked in the microwave with non-dairy milk is incredibly filling and full of protein and fiber. And seasoned with a dash of salt, honey or agave nectar, peanut butter, walnuts, ground flax seed, cinnamon, and cardamom, it's pretty damn delicious. Not to mention cheap! 
4. Get that vegan a smoothie. Vegans love smoothies. Vegan bloggers are the queens of smoothiedom. Not only are vegan smoothies delicious and shockingly versatile (I kid you not: you can make vegan smoothies with frozen peas that actually taste like chocolate milkshakes!), but, if you use the right kind of ingredients, they stick with you and are packed with the protein and fiber needed to keep you full.  And you can sneak a half scoop of vegan protein powder into them with very little work.
5. Want to get fancy? Google it! Vegan waffles and pancakes and granola bars oh my! Based on what I've seen online, there's very little you can't do with vegan breakfast baking. I haven't gotten too into this yet, but I prefer my breakfasts to be plain and hearty--anything too sweet or complicated will unsettle my stomach. But go to town! Google will show you the way!

Note: Yes, I did just post a Jack Johnson song on my blog. No, I am not ashamed. It's cheesy and wonderful and there's a ukulele and I love it.  ;)