In a past life I was an all-oatmeal every-day kinda gal. If there was a morning that you found me without a warm bowl of quick-cook oats, something was seriously off. More recently, I’ve been on an egg-scramble kick, tossing in sautéed vegetables, and adding ½ an avocado on the side. I like breakfast habits; I like having one less thing to think about in the morning, putting together a bowl of goods on auto-pilot.

But, for any endurance athlete, neither one of those breakfast habits serve me well enough. If I’m going grains-only, I miss out on some protein; if I go eggs+veggies-only, I miss out on important carbohydrates to fuel my muscles! Only now am I realizing you can COMBINE THE TWO. And it’s working out quite perfectly.

Here are two options for combining oatmeal + eggs to perfectly fuel the athlete’s appetite:

• Put eggs, or egg whites, in your oatmeal prior to cooking*. Mix in well, and if you’re microwaving be sure to cover lightly (not sealed) with a paper towel or microwave-safe lid.
• Separately cook the two and combine them. I typically cook the oatmeal while I scramble the eggs, and then eat the two together with a little salt/pepper. This savory twist on oats is refreshing (often they’re sweetened by adding honey, dried fruits, ets.).

*My preferred method is cooking in the oven at 350* for 15-20 minutes (yes, even for quick-cook oats). It gives the oats a fuller texture. But a microwave or stove-top work just as well, of course. 

This way you get the gold-standard protein (eggs!) along with a solid source of whole grains. This could be a pre-workout breakfast, post-workout refuel, or just a great way to mix it up from your normal weekly breakfasts. Recently I added in sautéed asparagus (roasted leftovers) and, no surprise, the veggies mix perfectly fine with this as well. I basically think of the oats as rice; their flavor is mild and their versatility allows for some creativity! Enjoy.