reakfast is one of my favorite meals and the possibilities are endless when it comes to foods you can serve.

I've noticed that we're taking more and more requests for mid-morning breakfast-type snack meals than ever before at Tastefully Yours.

The days of the all- American breakfast of pancakes, eggs, meat, grits (always here in the south), juice, fruit and freshly baked breakfast pastries are slowing down. Our passengers and flight crews are looking for healthy, lighter things to enjoy on the run. In an effort to find new ideas that are both healthy, easy to eat, lower in sugar-laden calories and meet the millennials' desire for creative and easy, I've been trying to create a host of new temptations for our clients.

I'm over the granola parfaits, and instead I've tried to change to items with added high protein and low calorie options.

	We've added an assortment of smoothies to the menu recently. We're making 'flavors of the week' to keep the variety moving. We'll make them with protein powder if desired, ground nut meal, vegetables - spinach and kale - and fresh fruits. We created a Green Goddess, which is kale, kiwi, green apple, green grapes and spinach. Sounds horrendous doesn't it - that's exactly what I thought when one of the chefs came up with the idea. However it's surprisingly delicious and you would never guess it contained kale and spinach. We have a spinach and mixed berry smoothie, a tropical fruit, and a watermelon and coconut water that seem to be extremely popular. They're sent out to the aircraft in screw top containers so that spills are less likely and they can be resealed if they're not finished. We like to send them out frozen so that by the time you're ready to
drink them, a quick shake of the bottle and you have a slushy semi-frozen smoothie. *A note of caution relating to food safety: fresh fruits, like fresh juices, must be prepared by someone who knows how to keep the product safe to avoid the risk of cross contamination.

In place of the classic bran muffin, or any muffin for that matter, we've added a breakfast muffin that is a meal in itself - created with whole grain flour and oats, filled with ham or bacon or sausage , cheese and a bit of shredded zucchini, carrots and nuts for protein. It is packed full of quick and sustained energy for our passengers and crew.

We're also experimenting with mini quinoa bites . . . little quiches with quinoa, vegetables and protein. Great eaten cold or warm, and nice and moist.

Another idea . . . we've tossed cooked quinoa with berries, drizzled a bit of honey and toasted almond slices with a mocha smoothie on the side. I realize I am a bit heavy on the quinoa, but I chose it because it is a great substitute for classic hot breakfast cereals. It is a change - something new - plus, it’s high in protein and essential amino acids like lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. Simply cook quinoa according to package instructions, but substitute milk for water, and add some cinnamon or nutmeg instead of salt and pepper. It makes a great substitute for oatmeal and for granola and it will always have that bit of crunch that granola loses when mixed with yogurt.

Another new addition to the Tastefully Yours menu is vanilla almond milk (we like using unsweetened to keep it extra healthy), cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, cooked quinoa, sliced almonds, and fresh berries to create one of the easiest breakfasts ever. We dip the apples in ginger ale to keep them from turning brown.

Anyone up for chocolate for breakfast? That’s right, I said chocolate; rich dark and delicious crave-satisfying chocolate. I love my coffee and I love my chocolate so why not a Mocha Latte Breakfast Quinoa? Eating healthier doesn’t mean you have to punish your taste buds.

This yummy breakfast treat uses coffee, coconut water, vegan or even milk chocolate chips, and a coconut cream topping to create a treat that’s possibly better than the sugar-laden breakfast pastries.

Don’t misunderstand - I'm the first in line to grab a breakfast sweet or a buttery rich croissant, but I feel I must sacrifice my body to sample all these new breakfast treats to guarantee their quality for our passenger and flight crew.

Add a mashed banana and almond milk, rich cocoa and Nutella instead of the coffee for a totally different taste. I like to call it the Elvis Presley Quinoa . . . bananas and chocolate peanut butter. Skillets aren’t limited to eggs, fried chicken and giant cookies anymore, they produce delicious granola wedges and quinoa bakes too. I know you must be dying to know about a quinoa bake. It's made in my grandmother’s old cast iron skillet with coconut oil, dates, shredded coconut, and nuts. This recipe looks as incredible as it tastes. Just top with fresh berries for an extra fancy feel to boost your antioxidant intake at the same time. It is chewy and crunchy and sweet. Looks like a dessert, doesn’t it? Cut into wedges and enjoy.

Times are changing and we need to think outside the box for new ideas that will not only please our passengers and clients, but will add vitality, healthy vitamins, mineral and antioxidants to their diets. Take a step to the wild side for breakfast. Check out these ideas I found . . .

A grilled cheese sandwich topped with a fried egg and a breakfast hash with poached egg with sweet potato and Brussels sprouts.

How about a cinnamon-nutmeg sweet potato noodle pancake with Greek yogurt and nectarines. These noodles are pure vegetable made by using a spiral cutter.

Hello . . . innovation, and creativity! This apple breakfast sandwich includes your favorite nut butter, chia seeds and, of course, an apple. A protein rich yogurt as a sauce. Slice the apple, remove the core and fill. YUM!

Most of us are mesmerized by the pairing of eggs and avocado. Try adding pecans, which add healthy, unsaturated fat and loads of antioxidants making this a great choice for a mid-morning/not quite lunch meal.

A few years ago, I wrote an article about pumpkin and someone responded: "You Americans eat too much pumpkin!" I personally love it. Just like Forrest Gump in the movie. I love pumpkin bread, muffins, mousse, pie, cake, roasted pumpkin, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin anything! So naturally I would make roasted pumpkin and goat cheese frittata.

Although not a big fan of bananas, I thought this was a great idea. Spread a whole wheat tortilla with Nutella or peanut butter, almond butter, etc. . . maybe even add a bit of jam and roll a whole peeled banana up. Voila! A high protein, delicious (if you like bananas) snack. Personally I love the banana slices dipped in deep dark chocolate and served as a frozen treat.

This is a modern take on the fried egg sandwich.. Make an open omelet and roll it into a tortilla with some roasted or raw vegetables for an egg or egg white sandwich

Ask your catering sources to help you step outside the box and walk with me on the wild side . . . at least for breakfast.

About Paula Kraft . . .

Paula Kraft is the founding partner of the DaVinci Inflight Training Institute located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the founder/president of Tastefully Yours Catering, an aviation specific caterer, located in Atlanta, Georgia for over 35 years.

Paula is active with many aviation and catering-related groups including the International Caterers Association, the International Inflight Food Service Association and is a board member of Women in Corporate Aviation. She is the past chair of the NBAA Flight Attendant Committee Caterer’s Working Group for 15 years perfecting unique catering training sessions for NBAA conferences and events. Currently, she serves on the NBAA Flight Attendant Advisory Committee and is a member of the Training and Safety Subcommittee. Paula was a founding member of the Steering committee for the creation of a European Flight Attendant Committee and conference and serves as a subject matter expert to the board of International Standard for Business Aircraft Handlers (IS-BAH).

After founding Tastefully Yours Catering, she has been offering culinary and food safety related training to the general aviation community. With a strong dedication to improving catering safety, risk mitigation and safe food handling, she developed and introduced the concept of “catering safety management systems”. As a certified food safety instructor, Paula offers catering SMS and culinary classes for all aviation professionals. Paula’s first-hand experience, business acumen, research, and relationships make her an industry expert - one which allows her to share information that will help raise the professional training level for flight attendants today that will reduce the risk of food-related concerns tomorrow.

From Paula . . .

I have coordinated training programs and clinics for NBAA and EBAA conference attendees for over 10 years, created mentoring programs for caterers and flight attendants to broaden their aviation culinary skills, and to assist them in adapting to the unique challenges and constraints found in catering for general aviation. I recognize the need for training and have worked closely with flight departments, flight crews, schedulers and customer service reps at the FBOs to ensure that catering specific training provides information and skills necessary to reduce risk while assisting them in their job duties that include safe food handling, catering security, accurate transmission of food orders, and safe food production, packaging and delivery.

I fell into aviation catering quite by accident. I was the in-house caterer and bakery supplier for Macy’s department stores in Atlanta when catering was ordered for a Macy’s customer which was soon to change my life. After the client enjoyed the catering provided, I was summoned to the client’s corporate office to provide several of the items delivered through Macy’s to the executive dining room. Within a week, I was providing food for the flight department and my first order was for the President of a foreign country (as I was too be told soon after).

So, here I am, some 35 years later, still loving every minute of every day in aviation catering.