No excuse to skip breakfast with these fast dishes

Of all the meals that are easy to put on autopilot, it would be breakfast.

After all, there's a whole aisle of the supermarket loaded with boxes of cereal, just waiting for you to pour them into a bowl, add some milk and get on with your day.

Shouldn't breakfast deserve better than that? As the first meal we usually eat, a good breakfast can set the tone for the rest of your day. It still doesn't have to take much time. We dug around through international flavors, simple but good ingredients and a few very easy techniques to come up with seven things that will launch your day with a little style.

A couple, like 5-minute Skillet Granola and a homemade version of toaster pastries, can be made in advance. Yogurt-based lassi and avena, an oatmeal version of the Mexican drink horchata, are so fastthey're practically instant.

Others, like eggs baked in ham cups and a breakfast pizza using the Indian flatbread naan, would be perfect when you're facing a busy weekend day.

You've heard it before: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It deserves to dress up a little, even on a busy day.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Cinnamon Sugar Butter:

• 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

• 2 tbsp. sugar

• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt

• 3 tbsp. Cinnamon Sugar Butter

• 1 tbsp. honey

• 1 c. quick oats (not instant or old-fashioned rolled oats)

• 1/4 c. chopped walnuts

Directions

To make the granola: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Melt 3 tablespoons Cinnamon Sugar Butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the honey and swirl to coat the pan. Pour in the oats, stirring constantly. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until they just start to change from beige to golden brown. Add the walnuts and cook about 1 minute longer.

Spread on the lined pan. It will crisp a little as it cools. Refrigerate in an airtight container about a week, or freeze up to 3 months.

Nutrition information per ¼ cup:

Calories180Fat12 gSodium40 mg

Carbohydrates18 gSaturated fat5 gTotal sugars6 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 starch, 2 ½ fat.

Serves 4.

Note: From "The Quick Six Fix," by Stuart O'Keefe. Avocado toast is the darling good-fat breakfast of the moment. But adding a few more ingredients jazzes it up considerably.

• 2 ripe avocados

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

• 4 slices whole-grain bread

• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits and peel. Place the flesh in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork and set aside.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories190Fat12 gSodium140 mg

Carbohydrates19 gSaturated fat2 gTotal sugars2 g

Protein5 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber6 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, 1 starch, 2½ fat.

Note: Plan ahead for this recipe, as it needs to soak overnight. Adapted from "America's Best Breakfasts: Favorite Local Recipes From Coast to Coast," by Lee Brian Schrager and Adeena Sussman. If you've ever had horchata, the cinnamon-flavored Mexican drink, this is very similar, but oatmeal makes it more filling. Cashew milk worked well with this.

• 1 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

• 6 c. milk, divided (see Note)

• 2 tbsp. sugar, or to taste

• About 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

Place the oatmeal in a bowl and add enough milk to completely cover it, about 3 to 4 cups. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Place the soaked oatmeal in a blender and add the remaining milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Blend until smooth. Serve cold.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories520Fat10 gSodium330 mg

Protein30 gCholesterol40 mgDietary fiber4 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 milk, 1 carb, ½ fat.

Serves 4.

Note: From the Charlotte Observer.

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 4 eggs

• 2 English muffins

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Hot sauce, optional

Directions

Press a slice of ham into each muffin cup, overlapping the edges of the slices. Crack an egg into each lined cup.

Place muffin tin in the oven and bake 11 to 12 minutes, until the egg whites are set and the yolk is just filmed over.

Toast the English muffin halves while the eggs are cooking.

Run a knife around each muffin cup to loosen the egg, then use a serving spoon to lift it out. Place each egg cup on an English muffin half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a few drops of hot sauce if you like. Serve warm.

Nutrition information per serving:

Carbohydrates13 gSaturated fat2 gTotal sugars2 g

Protein12 gCholesterol190 mgDietary fiber1 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 starch, 1medium-fat protein, ½ fat.

Serves 1.

Note: If you're a fan of breakfast smoothies but you're getting bored, a lassi made with yogurt is a good way to mix things up.

• 1 c. frozen peach slices

• 1 c. plain unsweetened yogurt

• 1 1/2 c. nonfat milk

• 1 tbsp. honey

• 1 tsp. ground cardamom, optional

Place all the ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Serve cold.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories490Fat2 gSodium350 mg

Carbohydrates94 gSaturated fat1 gTotal sugars89 g

Protein29 gCholesterol10 mgDietary fiber6 g

Serves 4.

Note: Using prepared pie dough to make toaster pastries (aka Pop Tarts) is easy. Adding a little peanut butter gives them oomph, and we use fruit preserves because they're thicker than jam or jelly. Skipping the icing makes them easy to reheat in a toaster oven.

• 1 (2-crust) pkg. pie dough, divided

• 4 tbsp. peanut butter

• 6 tbsp. fruit preserves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll 1 pie crust on a work surface. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half crosswise. Stack two quarters and trim off the curved side. Repeat with the other crust. You should have 4- by 5 1/2-inch rectangles.

Place 1 tablespoon peanut butter on 1 piece and spread out a little, leaving a full 1-inch border around each side. Top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons preserves. Top with a second piece of dough, matching up the edges. Use a fork to crimp around the sides and prick the center several times. Place on a baking sheet. Continue with the remaining pieces of dough to make 4 pastries.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Cool. Reheat or serve cold.

Nutrition information per serving:

Carbohydrates57 gSaturated fat9 gTotal sugars16 g

Protein8 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber2 g

Exchanges per serving: 1 starch, 3 carb, 1 high-fat protein, 3½ fat.

Serves 2.

Note: If you can't find naan, the Indian flatbread, use another version of flatbread. Adapted from abcdsofcooking.com and the Huffington Post.

• 2 tsp. vegetable or olive oil

• 2 tbsp. minced onion

• 2 tsp. dried sage

• 2 c. canned pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

• 2 c. shredded cheese (mozzarella, Gruyère, white Cheddar or a mix)

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place a naan in the dry skillet and warm through, then turn to crisp the other side. Place on a baking sheet.

In the hot skillet, warm the oil and add the onion. Cook about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir the onions and sage into the pumpkin purée. Spread half of the purée on each naan, then top with the cheese. Use the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the center of each topped naan, then crack an egg into each one.

Place in the oven and bake about 4 minutes. Turn the baking sheet and continue baking 4 to 5 minutes, until the egg white is set and the yolk is as done as you like. Serve warm.

Nutrition information per serving:

Carbohydrates104 gSaturated fat17 gTotal sugars19 g

Protein59 gCholesterol260 mgDietary fiber18 g