You’ve heard it over and over again: Breakfast is the most important meal. Having a balanced breakfast is key to starting a good day and keeping your energy at optimal levels so that you can tackle whatever the day brings. We have put together a few ideas you can whip up quickly before you are off to work or school.
The key for a successful breakfast (and any meal really) is to make it a balanced one, meaning that it provides a variety of the nutrients your body needs to thrive. A balanced meal is one that has enough protein, fats, and carbohydrates to help keep your body and mind functioning properly, avoiding the spikes and crashes of blood sugar levels that can happen after less healthy choices. Yes, we are talking about donuts for breakfast and the likes… although delicious, this is far from a balanced meal and will most likely make your blood sugar levels go crazy. This can mess with your mood, your ability to focus, your energy levels, and in the long run your health and wellbeing.
We know you are busy, and that sometimes grabbing a bagel and a coffee on the way to work is the only thing you can manage. So here are two options for a healthy, at-home breakfast you can whip up in just a few minutes while still nourishing your body.
Overnight Oats
Nothing better than breakfast being ready before you even wake up. Overnight oats are a great option for early mornings when you’d rather sleep in an extra 15 minutes then have to get up and cook. You can also get quite creative with your oats and try all sorts of different flavours to keep it fresh! We’ll walk you through the basics so that you can then explore and find your favourite combination for every mood and occasion.
The basics
What you’ll need:
- A mason jar or glass jar you can cover
- ½ cup of rolled oats
- ½ cup of milk of choice
Mix your oats with your milk of choice in the jar. You can change the ratio depending on the consistency you like adding
more oats (or less milk) to make it thicker and increasing the liquid if you like your oats a little more runny.
Time to get creative!
Just oats and milk can be quite plain, and you’d also be lacking a lot of nutritional value. So the next step is to
spice up your oats with some great healthy toppings.
To add some protein:
- Protein powder of choice
- Peanut, or nut butter
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Greek yogurt
To add some fats:
- Peanut, nut butter
- Nuts
- Coconut
- Cacao nibs
- Coconut or MCT oil
- Coconut milk or cream
To add some flavour and micro nutrients:
Fruits:
- Berries
- Bananas
- Apples
- Peaches
- Any other of your favourite choices
Spices:
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Cacao powder
Sweeteners:
- Maple Syrup
- Honey
- Dates
Add your toppings into your jar and tada! Your oats are ready to place in the fridge and eat the next day.
Here are a few tips for toppings:
- Mix any powder toppings (protein powder and spices) first thing with your oats and milk. That way you’ll know if you need more milk and can make sure it’s all properly mixed.
- If adding chia seeds know that they will absorb a lot of the liquid. You can either add them into your mix and make them a part of your prep for some ticker oats or you can add them as a last-minute topping right before eating to keep their crunchy texture.
- Stir in any nut butter into the oats after you’ve mixed them well with the previous ingredients.
- Add fruit at the top to avoid it from getting soggy. You can also add it in the morning if you prefer.
- Keep crunchy additions (nuts, seeds, cacao nibs, coconut, etc) for the last minute. Top your oats with these right before you dig in so that they don’t lose their texture overnight.
Quick One Pan Egg Scramble
If you have a little more time to cook, a one-pan egg scramble is an easy and delicious option. Here are some ideas for you to create your next quick-but-healthy breakfast.
What you’ll need:
- 1-3 eggs per person depending on how hungry you are
- Vegetables of choice:
- Carrots
- Corn
- Broccoli
- Onion
- Leafy greens
- Spices of choice:
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oregano
- Basil
- Cumin
- Garlic
- Chop your vegetables into your desired size. The smaller/thinner the pieces, the faster it will cook.
- Tip: If you know you won’t have much time in the morning try pre-chopping your vegetables and keeping them ready to go in a closed tupperware container. You can even chop a large amount and freeze them so you have some ready whenever without fear of them quickly going bad.
- Sauté your vegetables (except leafy greens) in olive oil, ghee, or coconut oil, on medium/high heat in a large frying pan. Cook for 5 minutes and lower heat to medium/low.
- While vegetables are cooking whisk the eggs in a bowl and add salt, pepper and other spices to taste. If you want a fluffier scramble you can add a drizzle of milk or sparkling water into the eggs.
- Add the eggs over the vegetables and mix regularly for even cooking.
- Toss in any leafy greens last as they cook extremely fast. Fold them into the eggs as you scramble.
- If you are a fan of cheesy scrambled eggs you can add some shredded cheese and fold it in letting it melt into your scramble.
- When your eggs reach your desired consistency, serve and enjoy.
Tip: For some added healthy fats drizzle some olive oil or top with some avocado. This will keep you feeling fuller for longer and will give you some extra energy.
Vegan Scramble Option
Tofu is a great option if you don’t eat eggs or just want to try something new. You’ll just need to swap your eggs for some tofu. For best results try a firm or extra firm organic tofu.
Crumble ¼–½ of a cup of tofu in a bowl and mix with your spices. Then when your vegetables have cooked for a few
minutes add the tofu onto the pan and mix with the rest of the ingredients.
No need to worry about fully cooking tofu as it is safe to eat raw. Just heat it up with the rest of your vegetables and add your leafy greens at the end like you would with the eggs.
Serve and enjoy!
Check out our breakfast menu.
