Often when people think about whole grains in the morning, they think about oats, granola and muesli. And while oats are a high-protein cereal grain packed with nutrients, there's a much wider whole grain world out there to explore in the mornings!
What I love about eating whole grains in the morning is that, for the most part, they have a much higher glycemic index than their more stripped-down refined cousins, so I have energy well into the lunch hour. They're wonderful to pair with seasonal fruits, and you can prepare them hot or cold depending on the season. Once you become acquainted with a few grains and how they cook, you'll have endless opportunities to experiment with porridges, breakfast bakes, waffles and breads, scones and cereals.
Try a Recipe:
• Bircher Muesli with Spiced Strawberry Sauce - My New Roots
• Multigrain Waffles - 101 Cookbooks
• Wheat Brioche Buns - Sprouted Kitchen
• Coconut Rhubarb Amaranth Porridge - Naturally Ella
• Sprouted Spelt Bread with Seeds - Coconut and Quinoa
• Baked Apple Wheatberry Cups - Whole Living
• Quinoa Breakfast Bowl - Turntable Kitchen
• Coconut Buckwheat Breakfast Bake - Running to the Kitchen
• Breakfast Bulgur Porridge - Martha Stewart
• Morning Glory Oats - Honey and Jam
Related: Apple and Cinnamon Whole Grain Breakfast Strata
(Image: Megan Gordon)
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Elizabeth Apron fro...
100 DIY Ideas for the 3-Day Weekend
Danielle's Charming, Classic Walk-Up
I think you meant "a much lower glycemic index than their more stripped-down refined cousins."
The Glycemic Index is a numerical Index that ranks carbohydrates based on their rate of glycemic response (i.e. their conversion to glucose within the human body). Glycemic Index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with higher values given to foods that cause the most rapid rise in blood sugar. Pure glucose serves as a reference point, and is given a Glycemic Index (GI) of 100.
Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/glycemic-index#ixzz1yY2Tzw1l
Ironically, I've started to get back into eating oatmeal, after a toasted-English-muffin-with-nutella-and-a-glass-of-milk every morning for breakfast. Oatmeal with fruit, real maple syrup, and lots of milk is just so good in the mornings.
It's also microwavable. Even the non-quick oats (which is what I prefer, texture-wise). Alas, most other whole grains are not. Although I do love pearled barley (which even though it is pearled has a very high fiber and germ content). I think maybe I just need to boil giant batches of grains on cool evenings and refrigerate/freeze them to be used in grain salads and baked things and breakfasts later. Yes. Must do this.
I love my oatmeal savoury! Mushrooms, spinach... Cooked in broth, or with nutritional yeast, finished with soy sauce. Yum. You can even stir in an egg!
I throw organic maple syrup onto my oatmeal as a sweetener...its awesome. Believe it or not it also goes well with a savoury oatmeal...the sweet savoury mix is also great. Tough to find organic maple syrup sometimes but I get it online (my fave is Rouge organic maple syrup).
I like to make a large porridge of whatever grain I have on hand - usually 6 or 7 types!
and I agree that maple syrup makes a great sweetener!
I do the big-boiling-and-refrigerating thing, great for totting breakfasts to work. and yes, it's a pity most other grains aren't microwaveable (though I find that if I have time, simmering the same oatmeal gives me a creamier result than microwaving!)