My Top 5 Easy, Tasty, and Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Ah, breakfast, the most important meal of the day as they say. Even if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to include breakfast according to a multitude of studies because it provides you with important nutrients and kick starts your metabolism. It is also associated with mental alertness and lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Whether you’re a fan of slow mornings, or are an on-the-go breakfast type of person, here are some ideas to spice up your breakfast routine. Plus, each of my suggestions has a healthy balance of fats, protein, and fiber-rich carbohydrates to keep you full until lunch.

1. "The Elvis” Chia Seed Pudding

For the sweet-tooth’s! I used this recipe with a few alterations. I used unsweetened soy milk because it has one of the highest protein contents of any plant based milk (high protein food is linked with higher satiety). I subbed the maple syrup for sugar-free maple syrup because it has less calories, and added a dash of cinnamon for flavor. One 16 oz jar = 3 servings of pudding for this flavorful fiber-packed meal. Just add ½ a ripe banana and 2 tbsp of peanut butter and you’ve got a balanced meal you can have anytime that sugar craving hits!

2.     “The Gourmand” Protein-Packed Powerhouse

This one is the one I have the most frequently for three reasons:

1. It gives you a serving a veggies to start the day, which is a win!

2. You can have it with different condiments for variety (sometimes I do pesto, sometimes I do sriracha ketchup or salsa) so it never gets old.

 3. It is super easy to prep and stays good for up to 5 days in the fridge.

What is in this protein powerhouse? 2 egg white and kale muffin cups with Neufchâtel cheese + ½ a stokes purple sweet potato (the best tasting!) + 2 tbsp pesto. If you haven’t had eggs with pesto before, you’re missing out: it’s such a great flavor combination! Neufchâtel cheese is like cream cheese but lighter with 1/3 the fat. This recipe can easily be made keto-friendly by subbing the sweet potatoes for a cruciferous lower-carb vegetable like broccoli. I’d also recommend this product called the potato express for cooking potatoes quickly and healthfully. It cooks them in as little as four minutes in the microwave, saving time and calories from roasting them in oil. See my previous Egg White Muffin Recipe blog post for how to prepare the muffins and to read about another flavor combo worth trying with them. 

3.     “The Granola Mom” With Less Sugar

This seems like an easy one: fruit, granola, and yogurt. Simple right? But I don't buy just any granola and yogurt. A lot of brands of yogurt and granola are full of added sugars. It’s so important to read labels and find ones with fewer than 10g of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends less than 25g added sugar for women and less than 37 g for men per day, which can quickly add up. This doesn’t include fruit sugar, thankfully! But it does include honey, which is why I recommend stevia honey because it has twice the sweetness and half the sugar content! You can use less of it, saving calories, and also get the same flavor of traditional honey. For yogurt, I’d recommend Siggi’s, Fage, or any other low-sugar PLAIN greek yogurt. I avoid all flavored ones because their sugar content jumps way up. The granola I used is high protein, low sugar granola from the Whole Foods found in the bulk section.

4.     “The Millennial” But Make it Fancy

 

I admit that, being a millennial, I sometimes crave avocado toast. How do I upgrade a typical avocado toast situation? My secret: truffle salt and soft boiled eggs! Yes I know, truffles are pretty boojie. But they have such a unique, earthy flavor that makes me excited to eat my breakfast in the morning when I have my truffle salt to look forward to! I got my black truffle salt from Seasons for $15 and I think it will last a while so it is a worthy investment. 

How to make soft boiled eggs do you ask? Simmer eggs in the shells for 9 minutes. Remove immediately and soak in ice cold water. Peel under running water and that’s all there is too it! Perfect runny yolk without the hassle of poaching. Make them in advance and keep them in the fridge so you can have them all week long. As for the toast part, see my Easy Food Switches blog post on which type of bread is best for your health and is recommended by a dietitian. Hint: it’s in the freezer section!

5.     “The Anything But Basic” Oatmeal Bowl

Do you hear the word oatmeal and grown? That used to be me—until I realized my oatmeal was missing the 3 F’s: fat, flavor, and fruit! These transform your oats from bland to magical. Oh, and some protein from some plain Icelandic or greek yogurt is good, too.

So how do you get your oats to taste anything but ordinary?

1. Sautee ½ a sliced apple in butter and pumpkin spice until it is slightly caramelized. Then turn the heat off and add some sugar free maple syrup to the pan and mix.

2. While the apple slices are sizzling, combine ½ cup instant oats in a mug with ½ a mashed overripe banana, 2 tbsp nut/seed butter (my favorite, made from pumpkin and flax seeds, here), and some unsweetened plant based milk until it has your desired consistency.

3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, then add the cooked apples and some yogurt and voilà!

Other Sources:

Gibney, M. J., Barr, S. I., Bellisle, F., Drewnowski, A., Fagt, S., Livingstone, B., Masset, G., Varela Moreiras, G., Moreno, L. A., Smith, J., Vieux, F., Thielecke, F., … Hopkins, S. (2018). Breakfast in Human Nutrition: The International Breakfast Research Initiative. Nutrients, 10(5), 559. doi:10.3390/nu10050559