Sundays were made for brunch. You run around all week long, crossing a million items off your to-do list, scarfing down a yogurt for breakfast (if you’re lucky), and living off too much caffeine. Then Sunday comes and you breathe a huge sigh of relief. This day has finally arrived. You can hang out with your best friends, gossip, and eat some seriously delicious food.
But wait. Your long-awaited brunch isn’t exactly like your Sex and the City fantasies. Instead, you’re standing outside your favorite spot in the freezing cold and the super long line isn’t moving an inch. Wouldn’t it be smarter to host it at home? Oh, that’s right – you’re kind of afraid of your oven.
Don’t worry. Even if you’re not the most patient person on the planet, or a culinary superstar, you can still enjoy everyone’s favorite weekend activity. Here are 15 ways to survive any Sunday brunch, whether you’re heading out or staying in.
15 Enjoy the Wait
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If brunch is famous for one thing, it’s the crazy long lines. Getting a table at the most popular places in your city or town is totally impossible, and even less beloved places are always packed. In New York City, lines range from a merely annoying 20 minutes, to a truly frustrating hour-plus. But you don’t have to just stand there, tired and hungry. You can actually enjoy the wait if you use the time wisely. Try listening to a podcast – I hear Serial is pretty popular these days. Or send any lingering work emails so you can enjoy your final weekend day in peace.
14 Catch up
Let’s face it: brunch is going to suck if we let the busy crowds and slow service get to us. When so many people are trying to eat eggs benedict at the exact same time at the exact same location, there’s bound to be some chaos. Remember that this is a good chance to catch up with your girlfriends. According to a UCLA study, having good friends is so important because they can actually positively affect your health – and help you deal with the stress in your life. You’ll enjoy going out for brunch so much more if you focus on chatting with your BFFs and try to ignore all the other annoying parts.
13 Have a Back-up Plan
Sometimes the best-laid plans seriously backfire and we wonder why we even tried to be so organized in the first place. Maybe you actually make a reservation at your local spot and it’s an hour past your original time and you still haven’t been seated. Talk to your friends when you’re making your brunch plan and have some back-up ideas. You could grab a quick sandwich and head to a matinee of the new Tina Fey/Amy Poehler movie. You could order take-out salads and go for a walk at a nearby park. It’s not the same as gabbing over mimosas, but at least it’s something.
12 Indulge a Little
You live on green smoothies and kale salads all week long. You head to a barre class several times a week, or you run, or yoga is your jam. You’re super committed to your healthy lifestyle that makes you feel pretty awesome. But now, it’s Sunday and you’re dying for some chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream. Go ahead. Your brunch eats aren’t going to ruin your usual attempt at being healthy, so if you want a Sunday morning treat, that’s totally fine. Experts believe that starving yourself is even worse than eating some high-caloric meal once a week, so that’s basically permission to enjoy a brunch indulgence. YOLO, as they say.
11 Stick to one Cocktail
Cocktails and brunch go together like peanut butter and jelly. You can’t have one without the other. You’re probably going to drink – it’s just a question of how much. Sometimes we need a little liquid courage to face a tough situation (like the wild crowds at that diner that’s ten minutes from your apartment). But if you want to keep your wits about you and stop yourself from screaming that you ordered your waffles half an hour ago, stick to one cocktail. The recommended guidelines for women are one drink a day anyway, so you’ll be right on schedule.
10 Coffee, Coffee, Coffee
This caffeinated beverage makes the world go round, so at least you know that you can arm yourself with your favourite drink to survive the brunch crowds. If waiting for that delicious first cup when you’re finally seated is way too hard, then grab a Starbucks before lining up. That cup of Joe that you love so much is much healthier than you think – coffee is thought to stave off dementia and diabetes and even boasts some antixoidants. So don’t think twice about enjoying a cup. Or two. Or three. It is the weekend, after all.
9 Host at Home
If you’re sick and tired of long lines and too many people, then why not host brunch at your lovely apartment? You can control the environment and there won’t be any long waits to eat – unless you spend too much time laughing with your guests to get cooking, of course. If your palms are sweating just thinking about inviting your best friends over for brunch, don’t worry – you can do it stress-free. You’ll get through it and can even blast Taylor Swift the entire time. You can’t exactly demand that your favorite restaurant play Shake It Off, so that’s one bonus.
8 Make Some Appetizers
Hosting a dinner party would mean offering up appetizers and drinks while you fuss around in the kitchen, and hosting brunch doesn’t have to be any different. In this case, you can whip up some healthy smoothies to tide your friends over. Try this Cacao, Banana and Avocado Smoothie from U.K. blogger Deliciously Ella. No one will say no to chocolate, and cacao is filled with antioxidants. Avocados are definitely worthy of obsession thanks to their super healthy fats, and you’ll be starting off on the right track while keeping your friends’ bellies happy and full while you finish the main event.
7 Go Meatless
You’ve heard of Meatless Monday and maybe you even practice it. You can host a meatless brunch and make it 100 percent easier on yourself. Brunch is usually all about eggs, but you don’t want to feel like a short-order cook, making scrambled, fried, and poached eggs for each friend’s preferences. The upside of hosting a vegan brunch is that there are zero eggs involved. Whether you’re a confident cook or not, you can find yummy and simple recipes like this French Toast on many vegan blogs. This recipe is great since it uses pita bread and only a handful of ingredients. You’ve got this.
6 Offer up Oatmeal
The boring and bland breakfast of your childhood is now the trendiest thing around. Oats have made a huge comeback, and oatmeal is a super simple brunch dish. Oats are a healthy carb since they’re a fiber-filled whole grain. This Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal from blogger Oh She Glows, is perfect for your at-home brunch since it’s pretty hands off once you get it in the oven. You’ll have more time to gossip and less time worrying about how you’re going to flip pancakes without them sticking to the pan. Spoiler alert: they’re always going to stick to the pan.
5 Get Sweets
Brunch just isn’t brunch without some treats, so make sure you give your friends something as sweet as they are. If you want to get in touch with your inner pastry chef and bake some chocolate chip cookies or banana bread, that’s awesome. But you don’t have to. You could even pick up some almond croissants or blueberry muffins from a local café or gourmet market. It’s okay not to make every single thing you serve. Your friends will still love you even if you feed them store-bought baked goods, promise.
4 Don't Forget About Allergies
These days, many people suffer from food allergies and it’s becoming more and more common to have to avoid certain foods thanks to medical conditions or health-related reasons. Gluten and dairy are pretty common allergies and at least one member of your social circle probably has to avoid at least one of these. It’s a good idea to ask about allergies when you send out your invites. Your guests will be so glad you asked ahead of time and you’ll avoid any last-minute freak-outs. Yet another reason to make some vegan brunch fare, right?
3 Throw Potluck Birthday Brunches
Thanks to our 24/7 work culture, we’re all pretty crazy busy these days, and although we have the best of intentions, girls’ nights out or even a simple dinner don’t happen as often as we would like. You can solve two problems – wanting to avoid the crazy brunch lines and people, and needing to see your friends – by throwing a potluck brunch whenever one of you has a birthday. It’s a guaranteed way to actually celebrate with your BFFs since no one is working on a Sunday morning (at least, we hope not). Making it a potluck means it’s completely easy and hands-off for you.
2 Brunch Seasonally
If you’re not super into brunch, you can still survive it if you go for brunch at certain times of the year. In the summer, you can meet friends on a patio and you’ll all win – they get to brunch, you get to catch some rays. In the fall, you can celebrate the cooler air and the changing leaves by adding a walk after the meal. In the winter, you can set up a Christmas-themed brunch and make hot chocolate for everyone along with waffles, or head to a local pub that’s been decorated for the season.
1 There will Always be Bacon
Okay, so at the end of the day, you can’t totally erase the amount of people who are crazy for brunch and will make your experience less than perfect. But you can tell yourself that at least there will be bacon in your near future. Going out for breakfast and not ordering bacon is like going on vacation and not swimming in the ocean – it just shouldn’t be done. If you’re worried bacon is seriously bad for you, it’s actually not – it’s got protein, and everyone’s stopped freaking out about sat fat, anyway. So eat your bacon. You waited in line for an hour – you deserve it.
Sources: www.anapsid.org, www.besthealthmag.ca, www.niaaa.nih.gov, www.deliciouslyella.com, www.healthyeating.sfgate.com, www.kblog.lunchboxbunch.com, www.whfoods.com, www.authoritynutrition.com, www.foodallergy.org, www.greatist.com
