A Healthier Take on Breakfast Sandwiches

It’s a hard habit to break — sinking your teeth into a favorite fast-food breakfast sandwich. But your drive-thru addiction could be making a big dent in daily calorie and fat limits without giving you the nutrients needed to fuel your day.

Take these steps for a healthy breakfast sandwich remix, great taste included.

When you must buy a ready-made sandwich, skip the bacon or sausage. And replace a croissant, white roll or biscuit with a whole-wheat English muffin or whole grain wrap, like a corn or whole-wheat tortilla or a pita pocket. These are great options to have at home for making your own fast meal. Here are other do-it-yourself steps that shouldn’t take more time than driving to a chain restaurant.

If you’re feeling adventurous, make a batch of crepes with whole-wheat pastry flour to use as the wrap. Store leftovers between sheets of wax paper in the fridge — they’ll be ready for a grab-and-go breakfast the rest of the week. But if you’re short on time or you’re cutting back on calories, use a broad leafy green, like red leaf lettuce or romaine, as your wrap.

Fill your wrap of choice with 3 to 4 ounces of protein, such as eggs, a turkey sausage, your favorite smoked fish or even lean meat leftovers — nowhere is it written that you can’t have chicken for breakfast.

Now load up on the fixings. This is a great way to get in vegetables. Go beyond tomato slices with bell pepper rings, mashed avocado, and even sauteed onions and mushrooms. Add crunch with arugula, spinach or kale shreds.

And for extra flavor without extra calories, top with salsa, hot sauce or fresh herbs. Then roll up your wrap and dig in.

More information

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ChooseMyPlate has more on healthier breakfast ideas including on-the-go tips.