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Car Breakfasting: A New Olympic Sport

July 26, 2012   22 Comments

Wow! That guy is driving, eating, and talking on the phone. How does he do it?

Car Breakfast

He’s probably had lots of practice with a trainer in an Olympic driving simulator.

For my children’s sake, I wish he would just drive, eat, and hang up! Hopefully, he is stuck in traffic.

Caroline, who would never talk on the phone, eat and drive, asked me this question:

I work all over and regularly have an hour plus commute, as I'm sure others do. In a bid to cut my time, and because I am really not a morning person, I have taken to having breakfast in the car.

At the moment I have a smoothie, banana and frozen waffley thing with lots of whole grain. It would be great if you had some other suggestions on 'car breakfasting'....?!

It stinks doesn’t it? Somehow, we get stuck driving a long way to get to work. A few years ago, I got laid off from a job that was a 20 minute bike ride. The next job was an hour and 20 minute in the car commute. Argh!

My first piece of advice is to let go of the idea that breakfast has to be cereal, eggs, toast, etc. For example, you could make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread, or eat a burrito with rice, beans, and fresh salsa. Do not get stuck in the “breakfast rut”.

Another idea is to grab a bag of nuts, an apple, some carrot sticks, and a hard boiled egg or whole grain crackers, cheese sticks, and a piece of fruit. These aren’t the most thrilling ideas, but you want to try to get a lot of nutrition in your meal.

Here are some make ahead “car breakfasting” ideas:

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3. newenergyb A Grab 'N Go Breakfast With ZERO Added Sugar (and you will love it)

4. oatberry This Muffin Can Save Your Life

5. Refreshing Breakfast On A Stick

6. tunameltb This Tuna Melt Is So Light & Tasty It Will Make You Cry

7. bobolipizzab Why This Pizza Crust Is My New BFF

Do you car breakfast? What do you take on the road? Please share.

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22 Comments:

I can't drive and eat, I'm to messy! I can take the simplest non-messy thing and make it a mess!! I cheat, I make breakfast at work! :)

I've definitely never mastered the eat and drive technique. Nice post

Sorry, but eating, phoning, or anything else should not be done while driving. Get up earlier or eat at work. It's everyone else's life you are putting in jeopardy just because you get get organized. Sorry for the E.blast but I have seen too many tragedies because of this behavior. Fran S.

Completely agree that driving and eating is a bad idea! When I'm in need of breakfast on the go I always choose a fruit smoothie, adding a big scoop of plain Greek yogurt for protein and flax and oats for extra fiber and staying power.

Yes, please don't eat while driving! It's as much a distraction as texting or talking on the phone.

Bring something with you and eat it when you get to work.

I prefer to take my sweet, sweet time over breakfast - it's my favourite meal. But sometimes you just can't.

Love your tips. I'm a sandwich girl - I love my favourite bread (it HAS to be good bread) as a peanut butter sandwich, plus a piece of easy to eat fruit banana or apple).

I've been waking up a whole five minutes earlier and fixing a quick scrambled egg and cheese sandwich. Its pretty tasty and 22 g of protein. Really helps me stay full throughout the day!

Yes, I eat it in the car, but usually my husband drives. :)

Today I was out of eggs, so it was Nutrigrain waffles, an apple, and a handful of almonds. only 7 g of protein. Not looking forward to that 11 am hunger.

He's also driving while trying NOT to look through his reading glasses (note that he is looking over the top)-- as a person who looks about his age, I can sympathize that he's not yet ready to commit to bi-focals! (He needs the reading glasses for phone use.)

I whole-heartedly agree. This form of multi-tasking is so irresponsible. No food/call is more important than safe, undistracted, alert driving in today's climate of dodging other drivers who are eating, chatting, and driving with an elbow, knee, or pinkie!

What about a smoothie? You're not chewing or balancing your food. You can put the ingredients in the blender the night before and have it ready to blend.

This has nothing do with breakfast, but your post just gave me an idea... I've got a 5 minute commute from my house, but have to run errands for work once per day. That is why I drive rather than walk to work. But what if I biked? I'm not sure it would work with some traffic, but I can certainly give it a test run some weekend! Thanks!

I make my breakast at night and then microwave/eat it in the morning while I am getting ready for work. I sautee some spinach, then add one egg and a little bit of egg substitute to bulk it up, add some Frank's hot sauce and chia/ground flax. Mix it all up in the pan and form a "mcmuffin" type of shape to fit on my Arnold's flat bread that I toast in the morning. I also have one Morninstar Farms sausage link to go along with it. A really simple breakfast to make at night and warm up inthe morning.

I make these ahead of time and keeep in the fridge:

Low carb/high fiber wrap
lean deli ham
low fat cheese

a slice or two of pickled jalapeno peppers

I wrap them like a burrito in a paper towel and plastic wrap and throw one in the microwave for a minute before I leave in the morning.

While I don't recommend eating while driving, I don't see the harm in eating while IDLING - at a light, in stop and go traffic, etc. I pack things in my lunchbox that are either bite-sized so I can pop them in my mouth one by one, or easy to hold in one hand (without falling apart or needing to be dipped) that don't leave goo on my hands (in case I need to grab the wheel or stick shift in between bites.) I cut my sandwiches into quarters, so they are smaller to hold, and therefore less likely for stuff to fall out. Plus I can be done with a segment by the time the cars in front of me start moving again. Pinwheels (tortilla roll-up sandwiches cut into 1" thick "coins") are another good bite-sized food. And mini pita pockets cut into halves or quarters help hold the fillings in, since they're sealed at the bottom.

I do Ants on a Log, but make two together, filling-sides-in, so there's no mess. For fruit, I cut them up and use long food picks to skewer them, so I don't get juice on my hands. And I often pack carrots, since I like them just fine without any dip.

I'll pre-stack crackers with meat and cheese, for a DIY Lunchable, and since they've been stacked, I don't have to focus on grabbing a slice of each item first. I just grab a cracker and use a finger to hold the meat and cheese on (I stack the cheese on top since it isn't as moist as the meats,) and pop the whole thing in my mouth.

I know some people have long commutes - both of my parents do - but I have to say, eating while driving is just dangerous. I got my license two years ago, and we spent a whole class hour at driving school talking about why things like eating, texting, talking on the phone, putting on makeup, or doing anything besides driving while driving is really unsafe (actually, where I live, driving while on the phone is illegal). You might be a good driver, but not everyone else is, and the split second you look down to grab your sandwich might be the second you could've gotten out of the way of someone else's crazy driving.

Not to mention, food-wise, it could have a negative effect on your diet - when you eat while distracted, like when you watch TV, your brain has trouble forming a "food memory" of the meal, and it causes you to think you should eat more later. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8514093/Eat…)

I totally agree with all the distractions while driving, putting on make up even reading a book,

I bring something to drink and instead of a coffee sipper cup I use a straw and I can keep both eyes on the road, especially in rush hour things happen quickly.

I have a long commute, and also like to be safe while driving. A breakfast shake or smoothie is the perfect answer! throw in fresh or frozen fruit, spinach, flax seed,make it with milk or green drink - anything you've got on hand. Drink it with a straw and you'll arrive full and safe

I know....eating while driving is not a good thing....but I do it anyway - every morning. My go-to breakfasts? Oatmeal in a coffee mug or a chopped up apple & fruit (right now I'm in love with blueberries!) a good scoop of yogurt & granola over the top. Yum.....

A smoothie is the perfect breakfast for the car. 1 hand & staw. Just put the phone down!

I want to try these... http://www.theyummylife.com/Oatmeal_Smoothies

Hi Lisa, I love shakes for breakfast on the go!

My Facebook has recipe for Almond Joy shake.My YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/katiedidwork & watch "Breakfast in 2 minutes" Love your blog!

@Jill, thanks for the link. I've been reading about being more mindful and focused on doing one thing at a time. Focus on driving while driving, focus on eating while eating, etc. You will be calmer and happier.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/mindfulness

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