Make Breakfast Great Again!

If we ever hang out in Athens, it’s a pretty safe bet that I will ask if you want to do either one of two things.

1) Get coffee at Two Story

or

2) Get breakfast at Mama’s Boy

If you live in Athens, then I’m sure you know why. Two Story is the best coffee shop in town, and Mama’s Boy is the crazy out-the-door-crowded breakfast spot. It reminds me of the OK Cafe in Atlanta—not the fanciest place, but by far the most popular. Just ask any of my friends and 90% will say they’ve hung out with me at one, if not both, places at some point.

Two Story is awesome, but I like Mama’s Boy better. Mostly because I like breakfast better. In my book, it’s the undisputed best meal of the day. There’s something really cool and unique about eating breakfast.  I know that might sound weird, as if I’m saying, there’s just something amazing about eating food!  Like what in the world are they putting in this bacon? I can’t even!

But if you’re anything like me, some of your fondest memories in life revolve around simple things. Even as simple as eating breakfast.

• Christmas morning breakfast with family
• Breakfast on a Sunday morning
• Grabbing a super early breakfast at Chick-fil-A with friends before hitting the road to get to a UGA away game

But you see, we college students have a problem on our hands. It goes something like this.

1) Wake up (too late)

2) Make coffee in a Kuerig

3) Grab a protein bar

4) Race to class like Jeff Gordon

5) Repeat as necessary (i.e. do it again tomorrow)

My fellow students, therein lies our problem—in plain sight! Our breakfasts are not great. They’re dull and boring. In fact, I don’t even feel comfortable calling that a breakfast. Rushing out the door with a measly protein bar in hand? You really call that a breakfast?  Bro…

I’m not throwing shade at protein bars. I once went on a mission trip and was afraid that the food would be insufficient to keep me full the entire week. So I did what any normal human being would do… I packed 40 protein bars in my suitcase. I came home with only 2 left. I guess you could say it was a smart decision. Like whey smart. (If you don’t appreciate puns then we need to have a heart to heart conversation soon.)

So you see, we’re clearly missing out on a chance to make our mornings awesome, because breakfast is awesome. That’s why this blog post is listed under the Awesome category. ‘Cause I’m clever like that.

Why is breakfast awesome? I’ll give you 4 reasons.

1) Delicious food

You don’t go to Six Flags for the water fountains. You go for the rides. In the same way, you don’t go to breakfast for the comfy chair, you go for the food. The beautiful thing about breakfast is that the food can not only be amazing, but also healthy.  Ever tried turkey bacon?  It’s really good. I promise. Eggs are also fabulous and have tons of protein. And fruit! Who doesn’t like fruit?

2) Coffee

I wasn’t even gonna write anything in this space because what else really needs to be said here? Exactly… not much. I’ll just say this: coffee is the best—especially with some delicious breakfast food. (People that don’t drink coffee are strange. I try to pretend they don’t exist.)

3) It gets you up early 

Breakfast makes for a great accountability partner when it comes to getting up early. Like I mentioned in my post Reclaiming Your Morning Swag, your attitude is better and your willpower is strongest in the morning. You’re fresh, energized, and ready to tackle the day. Plus when there’s some delicious food (see point #1) waiting on you, waking up on the early side doesn’t seem quite as intimidating.

4) Socializing!

Coffee will get you going, but you know what’s even more effective?  Actually talking to someone. While the rest of your friends are busy being lazy, you’re building better friendships. Who’s really winning here?

The point of this entire rant?

Eat real breakfast more. Sure, it takes time to plan and requires intentionality, but I don’t think you’ll regret it.

4 tips for eating better breakfasts:

1. Make it about others. Who haven’t you hung out with in a while? Invite that person or friend group to get breakfast.
2. Plan your breakfast.  Like actually get it on the calendar and set a reminder on your phone.
3. Be strategic. Use breakfast as a means to get you up and at it early, helping you tackle the work you’re tempted to put off.
4. Take advantage of travel. If you ever go somewhere new, figure out what the best breakfast place is in that area and give it a try!

Get up early.  Make or go out for an awesome breakfast. Build better friendships.

Eat bacon. Sip coffee. Be awesome.

#MakeBreakfastGreatAgain

 

 

(P.S. –  Just for the record, the title of this blog and hashtag is in no way an endorsement of Donald Trump. Quite the contrary.)