5 Delicious Four Hour Body Breakfast Ideas and Recipes
With 3 months of slow carb breakfasts, things can get a little boring. Though I normally stick with my regular red split lentils, eggs and spinach, there are some variations I enjoy, when I have a little more time, or when I really need a change.
Check out these 5 favourite slow carb breakfast ideas if you’re finding things are a bit too similar each day.
1. Cheese lovers Slow Carb eggs
This meal is based on a regular lentils and eggs, but added is cottage cheese, and some tomato salsa – two great flavours, and perfect for anyone missing cheese in the morning.
Ingredients:
- Red Split Lentils (1/3 cup uncooked)
- 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites
- 1 cup spinach (frozen)
- Tomato salsa (no sugar added)
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
Boil the red lentils in water for 10 mins, or until just soft.
Fry the eggs with ghee or butter.
Steam spinach (10 mins from frozen), or microwave (3 mins)
2. Cajun No Egg Brekky
This is a great option for those avoiding eggs, who want some kick in the morning!
- 3 slices ham or turkey
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup white beans
- 1 cup mixed green/yellow beans, baby carrots
Fry up the ham/turkey in a nonstick pan for 10 mins – add Cajun spices.
Heat the white beans for 10 mins, add Cajun spices.
Steam the mixed veges.
Dish out cottage cheese – the perfect cooler for those hot spices!
3. Slow Carb Ham and Eggs
A classic with a slow carb twist. This gets it’s inspiration from good old ham n eggs, but also gets a decent serving of white beans, mixed with spinach and tomato salsa. A great flavour, the ham really makes this!
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup White Beans
- 2 eggs, 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup spinach
- 2 large slices ham
- 1/2 cup tomato salsa
Boil red lentils for 10 mins
Combine white beans, spinach, salsa in pot and heat for 10 mins.
Fry eggs in non-stick pan.
4. The ‘I’m sick of lentils’ breakfast
It happens sometimes – lentils just aren’t going to work one morning. So, this simple breakfast also drops the spinach, and offers some different flavours to start the day. Simple and tasty!
- 2 eggs, 2 egg whites
- 1 cup baby carrots, sliced
- 1 cup black beans
Simple fry up the eggs, heat the black beans for 10 mins, and steam the baby carrots for 5 mins.
5. The Egg-Free Alternative
For those who aren’t huge fans of eggs, breakfast can be a bit of a problem. This meal takes the best breakfast flavour – bacon – and makes it slow carb friendly, and delicious!
- 3 strips of high protein turkey bacon
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup cauliflower
- dash parmesan cheese (only if needed for flavour – not strictly slow carb)
Steam the cauliflower – 5-15 mins depending on preference
Heat the black beans for 10 mins
Fry the turkey bacon on a nonstick pan, with no grease – 10 mins.
So there they are, we hope you enjoy your slow carb breakfasts this week, and if things get a little boring, give one of these a try!
Do you have a great slow carb breakfast recipe you’d like to share? Leave us a comment below!
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36 Responses to 5 Delicious Four Hour Body Breakfast Ideas and Recipes
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What brand of turkey bacon do you suggest?
Hey Rob,
We’re using the President’s Choice Blue Menu – which is a low sodium, somewhat natural version of things offer in Canada by Extra Foods and Superstore – I expect there’s a few similar options across North America and beyond. To help you track one down, I’ve included the ingredients and nutrition info here.
The ingredients are: Turkey, water, sugar, modified potato starch, salt, potassium phosphate, flavour, ascorbic acid, smoke flavour, sodium nitrite, smoke. So there’s still some of those bad nitrates in there, which are ideally best avoided.
The nutrition panel is:
Per 1 slice (26 g)
Calories 30 Cal
Fat 1 g
Saturates 0.3 g
Trans 0 g
Polyunsaturates 0.2 g
Omega-6 Polyunsaturates 0.2 g
Omega-3 Polyunsaturates 0 g
Monounsaturates 0.3 g
Cholesterol 15 mg
Sodium 150 mg
Carbohydrate 1 g
Fibre 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 4 g
So a few strips yields around 12g protein, 3g fat, which is a pretty great deal considering it tastes awesome.
All the best!
Luke
I’d be more concerned about the sugar and modified potato starch (especially as 3rd and 4th ingredients) than the small amount of nitrite. Eat clean!
Hey Kate – good catch. I tend to err on the side of the 80/20 rule.. turkey bacon is something I eat perhaps once or twice a week, when I feel like a change, and the sugar and potato starch is in a very small amount, so it doesn’t concern me. I do my best to eat clean and well as best as is practical, but I do enjoy variety from time to time.
All the best,
Luke
I am confused about the cottage cheese. I thought dairy was verboten?
Hey Mignon – on Tim’s blog, he wrote “I mention cottage cheese at one point as a last resort. It is low in lactose, which is what you need to avoid.” So whilst it’s not a good staple, once in a while shouldn’t hurt fat loss to much at all.
All the best!
Luke
Great, thanks!
So a question about quantity. We started the 4HB two weeks ago and I’ve lost 11 pounds so far. The photos included here seem like more food than we’ve been eating. e.g. – Egg Beaters equally two eggs, 3/4 C black beans, spinach, peppers (in the eggs.) You’re eating more of everything!
I am starting from a point of having a lot to lose 80-90 lbs from start point (so 70-80 now!). Perhaps the greater quantities are for those more fit? The first week I did no exercise, the second week I did three sets of barbell exercises.
Thoughts?
Hi Melinda,
Good question – food quantities are less important than the food types on the slow carb diet. At between 150 and 160lbs, I was eating 1 cup beans with each meal, a large portion of veges, and at least 25g protein from meat. Kat found that she needed a bit less. I would suggest that going with your hunger is the best gauge. We lived by the rule of not snacking, and eating once every 4 hours, and adjusting our portions so that we didn’t feel hungry between meals. While I was on slow carb (now on Occam’s protocol), I wasn’t exercising too much at all. In fact I was working a sit down job for approx 10-13 hrs/day at that point. So I was taking a walk once or twice a week, and made it to a few tai chi classes in the month.
The main thing is that you don’t feel hungry. Slow carb is all about satisfying your hunger whilst sticking to the core slow carb foods. Don’t worry too much about quantities, as long as it keeps you satisfied and with energy for the whole day. Most people find that for fat loss, the ideal amount of exercise is 2 or 3 times per week. Any more, and the body starts making changes based on the increased stress the exercise places on the body.
I hope that helps you out, all the best!
Luke
Hello Luke,
Thanks for all the information you are posting…what about corn in the meals whether mixed in with other vegetables or in the salsa. Also, do the tomatoes need to be cooked or is homemade fresh salsa okay?
Many thanks,
Susan
Hi Susan,
Corn is best left to cheat days only. As a starchy vegetable, it has a high sugar content, and therefore falls into the same category as breads and other white starches – save them for cheat day. Tomatoes in any shape or form are ok, in moderation.
All the best,
Luke
Hey how do you guys cook your lentils? Do you soak them overnight? Use baking soda to take out the phytic acid? or do you just through a portion in boiling water every morning? Would love to know .thanks
Hi Brandon,
All the lentils we’re cooking are ‘red split lentils’ so they don’t need soaking at all. We boil them on a fast boil for approx 10 mins, but I like them still a little chewy, so I don’t let them go all the way to soft.
I hope this helps you out!
Luke
This seems to be a great resource! You’ve answered several of my questions about the diet in general in just this little Q & A on breakfast. Thanks so much.
terri
Hi Terri, really glad you found it useful! We hope you continue to enjoy the site and have some great results.
All the best,
Luke
Nice Blog
pls more
This is GREAT! I’ve been living off green beans, eggs and random vegetables for 2 weeks now.. I am going to the super market to buy tons of new great stuff.
THANKS!
Brilliant!! All the best Lars
Luke
hey guys love the site and great info. I have been on the slow carb diet for 15 weeks now and have los 25 lbs. I am trying to get my girlfriend to do it with me but she cant stand egg or beans for breakfast. my question is can you post or recommend a breakfast recipe with no egg or beans?
Hey Albert congrats! What a great result for you so far!!
I think it’s a great idea to go at it as a couple, however sometimes the beans, etc can be difficult to take first thing in the morning.
Here’s my recommendation:
1/3 (before cooking) red split lentils – boil them until they are soft, but not mushy.
2/3 tbsp tomato salsa mixed into lentils on the plate
steamed spinach, dash of salt
sliced ham or chicken breast (lunch meat pack – watch for high sodium if you’re being careful with added salt) – 2 large slices.
This delicious breakfast is a great start to the day, packs a huge protein punch and provides a good amount of fibre and vegetable content too. Double check your portions, but this should hit 30 grams of protein.
All the best!
Luke
Hi, I have been doing theFHB programme for 3 weeks now. I lost 3 kgs the first week, none the second but 10cm! and this week 1/2 kg. Trying to stay heartene.
Can anybody clarify the grapefruit juice for me? Is this only on binge day? Haven’t had it any other time yet.
Good luck everyone
Hi Sue,
Congrats! Great results so far.
Grapefruit juice is definitely only for cheat days – taken a couple of hours before the first cheat meal (normally lunch) – and best with coffee for a prolonged effect. It tends to blunt insulin response due to the fructose content.
All the best!
Luke
In may, I started this program and lost 7lbs in 1 week. In 2 weeks, I went from 144 to 132! I can vouch this does work! You don’t crave crappy foods, and never get bloated. I tried this out with my BF for our upcoming vacation. However, I did get burned out eating eggs and beans couldnt find any fast and easy protein shakes or new breakfast options. I have gained back 6lbs. However, I have a cruise in 21 days so I going to start back eating healthy again. I know i will feel so much better! Please keep posting any new quick breakfast recipes. I’ll also list in another post everything I ate that helped me loose weight.
Hey Carla,
Thanks so much for sharing your results! What a great effort – congratulations!!
Eggs can definitely end up being a little ‘samey’ after while – salmon in various forms is a great protein alternative, as you don’t need much of it to get enough protein, and also tuna – though be careful of overconsuming due to heavy metals (there’s a lot of info online about this if you’re concerned about how much is too much).
If you’re looking around at protein shakes, the advice I have is that the only one worth getting is not going to taste like much. I prefer to use a whey protein isolate (with purity above 90%) that is totally unflavored, and therefore has no artificial sweeteners added, and no flavors like chocolate or vanilla added to it either. This ensures you have a lot of great protein for breakfast, without getting anything artificial.
Thanks for the idea – I’ll see if I can get some more breakfasts together and take some photos.
All the best,
Luke
Hi Luke,
Great work! Can you please tell me what brand of protein you use? Would you consider it ok to sub the protein shake for breakfast? Tim mentions it as a last resort thing and wanted to gauge your opinion.
Thanks!
Hey Natalia,
My recommendations for protein powder can be found on this page: http://www.fourhourbodycouple.com/guides/get-started-losing-fat/12-common-questions-about-specific-foods-whey-protein-diet-soda-protein-bars-chocolate-zero-carb-noodles-and-rice/
Generally, I recommend people start with a slow carb breakfast, to establish a baseline of fat loss progress, and then substitute the protein shake, to see if it affects the fat loss rate. It is more of a last resort – protein powders can cause an insulin response, which isn’t good, and you miss out on important nutrients – the carbohydrates in the beans, the fiber in the beans, and the nutrients and fiber in the veges too. So I really recommend starting with a meal. A protein shake, in a pinch, however, might be better than nothing at all, if you’re the kind of person who has trouble controlling cravings later in the day, if you miss breakfast.
Look for ‘natural’ ‘unflavored’ versions of whey protein concentrate or whey protein isolate. Avoid soy protein. You can also use casein but it’s more expensive. When I do a protein shake, it’s unflavored powder, with water, then with a dash of saigon cinnamon added to try to blunt any insulin response. All the flavored powders have either artificial sweetener, bulking agents or sugar added to them, none of which are made to help you lose fat.
All the best,
Luke
For people on the go, I make a batch of baked eggs in muffin tins once a week. That way i don’t have to think about breakfast, i can just grab and go each morning.
there are tons of recipes on the internet and you can adjust to suit your tastes.
Great tip!
Thanks for sharing – I’m sure this will help some readers out!
All the best,
Luke
I would love to have the recipe to the baked eggs in muffin tins. Could you post??
Sorry Melissa, we don’t have a recipe on hand – perhaps you could experiment and let us all know?
Cheers,
Luke
hi, onions? can i eat it with every meal?
Thanks for your question Riana, I recommend away from onions at each meal, and focus on green vegetables, as they have ideal nutrition for fat loss. Onions have a moderate amount of carbohydrate, so they’re not a great staple to rely on.
All the best!
Luke
Hi
i am extremely lasy in the mornings an basically need a quick breakie to grab an go any ideas ?? finding the diet really tough lunch also running out of ideas not mad about fish either . ive steped up the excerise but i know i just need to sort the diet out first any tips would be apperciated
Thanks
Hi Lolo,
Sounds like you’re having trouble finding a routine. That’s a real key to slow carb being a success. Increasing exercise won’t bring results like perfecting the diet aspect of slow carb will. In fact exercise is best if it’s between 1-3 times per week.
For breakfast, you could think of hard boiling eggs on the weekend – one of my clients hard boils 18 eggs on Sundays and then can easily grab a few for breakfast, with some beans and spinach in the microwave – total prep time perhaps 4 minutes in the morning.
For lunch, think about salads, like spinach, red kidney beans and chicken breast. Easy to pack and eat from a container. Try experimenting more with herbs and spices, for different flavors. Also have a look at our photo gallery (click here) and our meal diary (click here) to get some more ideas.
All the best with it! Finding a good routine can be tough, but once you’re there, it’s smooth sailing and the weight comes off – without killing yourself with exercise.
Luke
my favorite slow carb breakfast so far- one i was able to wolf down and not feel like i was forcing it: sautee half an onion in butter for a couple minutes, add a few leaves of stripped chard, add some black beans (1/2 cup?), add 3 large brown organic eggs and scramble. Then i added salt, some cheddar cheese and about a 1/3 of an avocado, and a few pieces of leftover chicken chile verde. this was before i realized dairy was completely disallowed, but I have to say I think it would be just as tasty w/out the cheese and butter (you could use olive oil or macadamia nut oil instead). as long as you add salt, and pepper if you like. maybe some salsa.
Sounds delicious!!
Thanks for sharing, I think I’ll have to try this! Like you say, macadamia oil is a great option.
All the best!
Luke