Eat In. Trader Joe's Heart Healthy Whole Grain Cranberry Oatmeal.

I find it starts the week out well to have homemade coffee and breakfast on Monday morning.

A quick, healthy and budget-friendly option is the delicious Trader Joe's Heart Healthy Whole Grain Cranberry Instant Oatmeal (first introduced to me by none other than fellow 'BEAT' blogger Lauren Williams). The individual portion-sized packets are easily mixed in a bowl with 1/2 cup of cold water and microwaved for just about a minute to create a meal that really carries you well through lunchtime.

One serving has 2.5 grams of fat, 160 calories, and 10 grams of sugar. Eating this before heading out the door stops mid-morning cravings for greasy foods or donuts.

If breakfast really is the most important meal of the day like we keep hearing it is, put some thought into it--which doesn't have to mean a lot of time or money.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: the BEAT

Eat In. World Nutella Day.

Nutella is one of my favorite spreads, especially the Italian version. The chocolate-hazelnut treat is available at Italian markets (such as Santa Monica's Bay Cities) and comes in a glass jar rather than the plastic ones sold in regular markets here. The recipe for Nutella varies from country to country, and I find Italy's to be tastier than the U.S./Canada/Mexico version. Most of the world's Nutella is made with vegetable oil, but the 'Made in Canada' recipe is made with modified palm oil. I picked up a jar (made in Canada) on Wednesday night in Cost Plus World Market at the Farmers Market at the Grove, and had it on whole wheat toast yesterday. It was really delicious. Believe it or not, this was all before I even knew that today, February 5, is the fourth annual World Nutella Day!

Depending how much time you have today to celebrate and enjoy a little Nutella, you may just want to spread some on basic toast like myself ... or make a decadent Nutella-based breakfast, like Katie Lee's Nutella French Toast Sandwiches. Or, if you're alone (or shameless), scoop it up with a tablespoon to eat it plain!

For dessert, Nutella on Nilla Wafers, or Nutella Nilla Wafer mini sandwiches are an easy little after-dinner indulgence.

Buon Appetito!

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: candychocolicio.us

Eat In. French toast.

Breakfast? Best meal of the day. Don't even fight me on this. I will eat breakfast foods (there are so many options!) for days on end and will be completely happy. Actually, I almost do that anyway. I lead a simple life.

One of my favorite breakfast items? French toast. Sadly, this is a dish that takes planning from the night before and fancy ingredients like buttermilk (yes, buttermilk is considered fancy, and seriously, why would anyone have a gallon of it around?). Or is it?

Ah ha! There is, in fact, a quick and easy way around to getting a couple slices of French toast on your plate in just a few minutes, and it's actually quite delicious.

Eat Out. Sipology [Sunday Brunch]

We had brunch at Sipology in Lauren's neighborhood last week. Never been to downtown Long Beach before. It's really lovely and almost worth the hour it took to get there. Leslie and I got hopelessly lost--I think we drove on at least 5 freeways, each slowly moving us in the right direction (so, thanks, 405). Finally there at the cute brick building that holds Siplogy, things were on the up and up. We wanted coffee and food and here we were.



Leslie ordered a fancy coffee drink and a slice of banana bread. Her order and service were prompt. Mine were not. The woman behind the counter never asked to take my order. I had to interrupt her morning paper perusal to stumble over what I wanted, because she looked at me like I was disturbing her. She didn't say, "Oh, I didn't see you there" or "Sorry, what can I get you?" or even "Can I help you, because even though I'm mad that you're here, that's what I get paid to do?" Her response was more like, "Really? You've got some nerve doing this to me. You are going to pay for this."

And after Leslie moved upstairs to join the rest of the Beat, I was left at the counter waiting on a breakfast bagel. I waited probably 20 minutes. Were they busy? I was the only customer, so probably not. I was patient at first, but then I got nervous that maybe they had forgotten, since they hadn't shown they really cared to begin with, so I asked. And the girl looked at me, annoyed, and said, "Uh. We're making it now." And just what were they making? A bagel, untoasted, with cream cheese, tomatoes, and fresh basil. How long does that take? When they finally dropped it on the counter, there was no, "Sorry it took so long!" just a turn on the heel and a dismissive glance. Awesome.

Everyone swears up and down that the food and drink at this place were top notch. Chau loved her mocha, Leslie thought the banana bread was divine, and Lauren recommended the place, so naturally she's a fan. I guess I just couldn't taste it through all the bitterness the insufferable people behind the counter had served me first.

They had free Wi-Fi, a great view, and comfy couches, which made it an awesome place for us to get some work done on a Sunday, but the iffy customer service trashed my experience.

Oh, and Sipology? Gallerie is a whack way to spell gallery.

-- Heather Robertson

Eat In. A quick breakfast.

Waking up early is no picnic, and getting something in your stomach before you need to be out the door can be hard when an extra 20 minutes for breakfast can be spent in a warm bed. But eating some kind of breakfast in the morning is also said to be quite healthy.

One quick and easy breakfast is just a banana with peanut butter on it. Slice a banana into coin-shaped slices and spread peanut butter on them. Wrap it in a paper towel and you're on your way with a filling, nutritional breakfast and a good start to your day.

-- Lauren Williams