Every minute in the morning is vital. The alarm goes off and you lie in bed, sometimes with your eyes open, sometimes closed, but you're always doing the daily math problem in your head. "If I lie in bed for an extra 15 minutes, what am I cutting out so I'm not late for work?"

Showers are usually the same daily. Unless you miss a spot or are one of those people who think standing in water constitutes cleanliness, you are bathing a minimum of five to seven minutes.

The other essentials may include walking your dog, doing your hair, brushing your teeth, and/or ironing. Before you know it, you're sitting in traffic with a growling stomach, wondering if your boss will notice your tardiness if you swing by a fast-food joint to grab some grub to calm the rumbling.



There's no escaping the fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

But no one is going to make grown adults stop to eat a meal in the

morning when that extra time could be spent spooning your pillow.

Each morning that you skip breakfast, your body starts to intensely crave high-calorie foods,

such as pizza, soda, and sweets. While I'm definitely a fan of all of

the above, even I know daily doses take their toll. Instead of putting

off eating until lunch for greater risk of subconscious cravings, take

a look at five breakfasts that can be made in five minutes. That's ten

extra minutes with your pillow.

5. Bagel with peanut butter. Don't roll your eyes at me. Carbs are OK to jump-start

your morning. Peanut butter is a fantastic source of protein, which

will also get you extremely excited about those TPS reports.

4. Oatmeal. I cannot stand oatmeal. Unless it's The Oatmeal.

I can, however, stand oatmeal that resembles other food: peaches 'n'

cream, brown sugar, and apples & cinnamon. It's also bearable with

milk instead of water. If you're worried about the high sugar content,

grab original oatmeal and add the fruit and sugar to your liking. I

throw in strawberries, bananas, and blueberries.

3. Cereal. I don't care what you say, the Special K diet

works only if you have plans to numb your taste buds for weeks on end. Maybe

some people are into that sort of thing, but I gag at the mere thought.

Instead, I take good fiber + kind of sugared cereal with Raisin Bran

Crunch. It's no Lucky Charms, but I get my fix, and it does taste good.

Other good choices are Wheaties and Cheerios.

2. Yogurt. Do not underestimate the power of yogurt. There's 400

mg of calcium in an eight-ounce cup of yogurt, which is 100 more than what

you would get from a glass of milk that was the same size. It also has

the same amount of potassium as a banana. I prefer the plain Stoneyfield Organic Yogurt, where I can add sliced apples and bananas.

1. Smoothies. As kids, it's like the prize we get for being good

in the grocery store or behaving for the babysitter. As adults, it's

our breakfast savior. Men's Health makes a quick blueberry smoothie

(and even gives you time for a toasted cheese sandwich). Just about any

smoothie mixture will do your breakfast craving justice.