Who says you can’t eat breakfast at night? Not us. These six muscle-building recipes will have you believing the most important meal of the day is breakfast… for dinner.
Deep down, everybody loves breakfast. But few among us are lucid enough at daybreak to do anything more creative in the kitchen than float cereal in milk or slap a fried egg on toast. The solution to getting more out of your breakfast and brunch staples? Be slightly rebellious and transform typical morning foods into a meal at night. Everything from oats to waffles to scrambled eggs can take their turn on the dinner table to serve as the backbone for nutrient-dense, muscle-minded end-of- day meals. So get cracking on these breakfast-for-dinner recipes and learn why breaking the supper rules never tasted so good.
A greasy plate of hash browns from the local diner isn’t going to do your waistline any favors. Our dinner-worthy version ups the nutritional ante with sweet potato and kale while also letting you order up a healthy dose of muscle-sculpting protein from the turkey sausage.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola or grape-seed oil
11⁄2 lbs turkey sausage
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated
1 large apple, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 cups chopped kale
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1⁄2 tsp red chili flakes
1⁄4 cup chopped walnuts
Grated Parmesan (optional)
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove sausage from casing and add to pan. Cook sausage until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles, about 4 minutes.
Add sweet potato, apple, and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring often, until potato is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in kale, rosemary, vinegar, and chili flakes and cook until kale has wilted.
Divide hash among serving plates and top with walnuts and Parmesan, if using.
Get Shredded: Grated sweet potato cooks up in a flash. To get this meal on the table even faster, use the shredding blade of a food processor to make quick work of your spuds.
The Macros:
437 calories
37g protein
33g carbs
23 fat
2 of 6
Brian Klutch
Salmon Rye Waffles
Serves Two
This riff on bagels and lox proves that waffles need not only be served drowning in sugary syrup. Robust rye flour and buttery salmon give this tower of power big-time flavor while still delivering clutch nutritional value. Consider serving the waffles on a bed of lightly dressed salad greens.
Great Catches: Rainbow trout, arctic char, and smoked mackerel make good stand-ins for salmon.
Ingredients
2 (5 oz) salmon fillets Salt and black pepper
3⁄4 cup rye flour
1 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp garlic powder
1⁄2 tsp onion powder
1 egg
3⁄4 cup milk
1 tbsp vegetable oil or melted butter
1⁄4 cup cream cheese
2 tbsp chopped dill
2 tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp lemon zest
1 small cucumber, sliced into ribbons
1 tbsp capers
1⁄3 cup thinly sliced red onion
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place salmon on a greased baking sheet and season with salt and black pepper. Bake for 12 minutes, or until flesh is barely cooked through in the center. When cool enough to handle, gently break apart flesh into 2-inch chunks.
In a large bowl, stir together rye flour, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, 1⁄4 tsp salt, and 1⁄4 tsp black pepper.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until everything is moist.
Grease a waffle iron and heat. Ladle about 1⁄3 cup batter onto waffle iron and heat until batter is set. Repeat with remaining batter for 4 waffles.
In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, dill, horseradish, and zest.
Place waffles on plates and spread on cream cheese mixture. Top with cucumber, salmon, capers, and onion.
The Macros:
677 calories
45g protein
48g carbs
35g fat
3 of 6
Brian Klutch
Chicken Granola Salad with Blueberry Dressing
Serves 4
Forget the croutons and lame bottled dressings. Two breakfast favorites— granola and berries—lend this salad great crunch and natural sweetness along with more nutritional heft. And we made sure there is enough protein here to help you crush any muscle-making goal.
Salad Days: Want to take this salad to work? Pour some blueberry dressing in a mason jar and then top with the chicken, chopped veggies, greens, cheese, almonds, and granola.
Ingredients:
2 tsp canola or grape-seed oil
11⁄2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries
2 tbsp olive or almond oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced Salt
8 cups salad greens
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, chopped
1⁄3 cup torn fresh basil or mint
11⁄3 cups low-sugar granola
1⁄4 cup sliced almonds
2 oz chopped Brie cheese
Instructions:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. When cool enough to handle, slice the meat.
Blend together blueberries, oil, 1 tbsp water, vinegar, mustard, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a blender until smooth.
Divide salad greens among serving plates and top with chicken, tomatoes, carrot, cucumber, and basil. Scatter on granola (about 1⁄3 cup for each salad), almonds, and Brie. Drizzle on blueberry dressing.
The Macros:
589 calories
51g protein
45g carbs
22g fat
4 of 6
Brian Klutch
Thai Pork Oatmeal
Serves 4
Most people think of oatmeal as a morning dish, but there’s no reason why you can’t treat hearty steel-cut oats as you would other whole grains such as rice. This Thai-inspired meal makes for a quick and filling dinner.
Stuffed: A study in Nutrition Journal showed that digging into a bowl of creamy oats can keep you feeling full for a few hours afterward, making late-night fridge raids less tempting.
Ingredients:
11⁄2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
11⁄4 cups steel-cut oats
1⁄2 cup light coconut milk
1⁄4 cup sliced scallions
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp honey
2 tsp sriracha
2 tsp canola or grape-seed oil
1 lb ground pork
2 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Juice of 1⁄2 lime
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
1⁄4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts
1⁄4 cup sliced mint or basil
Instructions:
Bring broth and 1 cup water to a boil in a pot. Add oats, reduce heat to medium- low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, scallions, soy sauce, ginger, honey, and sriracha; cook 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork, shallots, and garlic; cook until pork is browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in lime juice and fish sauce (if using).
Divide oat mixture among serving bowls. Top with pork, peanuts, and mint.
The macros:
581 calories
33g protein
40g carbs
33g fats
5 of 6
Brian Klutch
Scrambled-Egg Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 2
Scrambled eggs can easily go from a.m. to p.m. Pair them with meaty mushrooms, and you’ve got a meal that will charm your palate while still offering big-time nutrition. If you’re following a Paleo diet, the recipe can be made without cheese.
Ingredients:
4 Portobello mushrooms, stems removed
2 tsp canola or grape-seed oil
1 small onion, chopped
1⁄4 tsp salt
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 eggs
1⁄2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1⁄4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1⁄4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp pesto
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place mushroom caps upside down on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and salt; cook until onion has softened, about 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and black pepper. Add eggs to skillet and heat, gently stirring with a wooden spoon, until soft curds form.
In a bowl, whisk together pesto, olive oil, and vinegar. Stuff mushrooms with eggs and drizzle on pesto dressing.
The Macros:
463 calories
27g protein
31g carbs
22g fat
6 of 6
Brian Klutch
Huevos Rancheros Pita Pizza
Serves 4
When you really want to make something legit for breakfast, huevos rancheros delivers. So grab yourself a bag of pitas, and, boom, you’ve got a breakfast-inspired pizza night that features the same great salsa-smothered eggs.
Ingredients:
4 whole-wheat flatbread pitas
1 tbsp canola oil or butter, plus more oil for brushing
1 (14 oz) can refried beans
2 cups baby spinach
11⁄2 cups salsa
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4 large eggs
1 avocado, sliced
1⁄4 cup cilantro
Instructions:
Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven broiler.
Place pitas on 2 baking sheets and brush tops with oil. Broil 2 minutes, or until pitas are browned on top and crispy
Spread refried beans on pitas and top with spinach, salsa, and cheese. Broil 1 minute, or until cheese has melted.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into skillet and cook sunny- side up or over-easy, as desired.
Place avocado on pita pizzas and top with fried eggs and cilantro
