1. Ready-made Cereal
There will always be those days when we’ve overslept, don’t feel in the mood for being creative, etc and we just want to grab the cereal box. Nothing wrong with that. Choose a cereal that is wholegrain and low in sugar such as Weetabix, and team it with unsweetened almond milk or your preferred milk, and perhaps some fruit and nuts.
2. Smoothies
Smoothies are a great way to increase fruit and veg intake and if done well are packed with nutrients. They are great when you don’t feel like something solid for breakfast or when you need to sip it while on the go. Make a smoothie in 4 easy steps:
- Choose a base eg water, milk, almond milk, coconut milk
- Add fruit and veg e.g. banana, berries, spinach, kale, avocado
- Add volume e.g. ice cubes, nut butter, yoghurt, seed, nuts
- Flavour it e.g. vanilla, honey, cinnamon, dates
Put all in a blender and blitz.
3. Wholemeal cracker-bread with ricotta and strawberries
A light but divine snack. The ricotta satisfies the crave for dairy and the sweet taste of the strawberries gives the sugary boost. You can also add some seeds or nuts to make it more filling. Another variation of this is cream cheese and dates. Toast or crisp bread can be used as a substitute for the crackers. In the picture below I used wholegrain Misura crackers which are small but really filling. Follow me on Instagram for more ideas like this.
4. Scrambled with spinach on rye bread
A hearty and high protein breakfast to get you through a busy morning. I made this on a Saturday morning before cleaning the house and it was great fuel. I used a base of sunflower rye bread which I toasted. You can just prepare normal scrambled egg but here I first chopped up some baby spinach leaves, heated them till they wilted, added a little garlic powder and then threw in the egg and proceeded like a normal scrambled egg. It's so quick you can do it while the bread is toasting.
5. Porridge
Porridge oats for me is truly food for the soul. I love it especially in winter, served almost hot. It's more filling than cereal and will keep me going for a few hours. Also very versatile because you can add anything to it: nuts, fruit, syrup, jam…. Don’t buy the processed stuff. Normal oatmeal will cook in the microwave in just 2 minutes. I love it mixed with almond milk because it gives it a taste but is not as heavy as dairy. While it cools for a minute, drizzle some maple syrup and add some walnuts. Mmmmm my favourite!
6. Omelette
Again this is quick and versatile. Beat 2 eggs in a bowl and pour in a heated frying pan. Add toppings of your choice e.g chopped tomato and grated cheese, ham and mushroom, or just leave it plain. A great high protein breakfast that will keep you full for hours.
7. Avocado toast
Avocado toast is my “good mood” or “cheer me up” breakfast. I just love to savour every morsel while I eat it, so I tend to reserve it for a morning off, when I am not rushing and have time to really enjoy it. Mash half an avocado and spread it on bread or toast. Feel free to add toppings of your choice such as a fried egg or tomato slices (Pinterest users have turned avocado toast into an art form and you will find so many variations). My favourite toppings are dates/ figs/ cranberries and chia seeds/pumpkin seeds. When its avocado toast day, I know it’s gonna be a good day 😊
8. Peanut butter on toast, banana and chia seeds
Great after a workout, or simply when you want a tasty breakfast. This high protein breakfast is a pure treat. It is also very filling (most of my breakfasts seem to be) so keep it in mind when you know you won’t be snacking again that morning.
9. Breakfast burrito
A bit too heavy for my taste, but this is a good Sunday morning breakfast or brunch. Not really popular here in Europe either, and I only found out about it recently. This is a savoury breakfast wrap and apparently you can throw anything into it. A combination that sounds good to me is scrambled egg, avocado, bacon, cilantro and cheese. Other ingredients you can add: bell peppers, red kidney beans or other beans, sweet corn, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, sausage, rice, salsa…..the list is endless.
10. Yoghurt with oatmeal/ muesli/ nuts/ fruit
Personally I’m not a huge fan of yoghurt, and I usually stick to Greek yoghurt because I find normal yoghurt totally unsatisfying. But when you start adding stuff to yoghurt, it can get pretty interesting. I usually prepare this when I don’t feel like eating breakfast at home, but I know I will feel like it half an hour after I arrive at work. I use one of my kid’s mini lunch boxes with 2 separate sections so that I can add the muesli to the yoghurt just before I’m about to eat it. Start with a base of Greek yoghurt, then top with fruit (red berries, kiwi, peaches, apple, anything that is in season will go), muesli or oats, nuts, or all of the above. In the pic below I used strawberries because they are currently in season. If you like to have a sweet breakfast, you can add a drizzle of honey to the yoghurt or throw in some dark chocolate chips.
11. Egg wraps
Ok so this is mainly a glorified omelette, but it is a nice variation and you can even take it with you and eat on the go. Fry a plain omelette with 1 or 2 eggs, lay it on a board, add some toppings like ham, cheese, tomatoes, avocado, rucola or all of the above, and roll it up like a tortilla. Eat straight away or on the way to work.
12. Sweet breakfast wraps
Use a tortilla wrap or a pancake as a base and add toppings in different combinations. Then wrap and eat! This is not only sustenance in a handful, but it tastes divine, almost like a dessert! Examples of fillings:
- Peanut butter, banana, strawberries
- Almond butter, jam, ricotta, nuts
- Cottage cheese, pineapple, granola
- Cream cheese, yoghurt, honey, chopped fruit eg strawberries, kiwi etc
- Apple slices, cinnamon, cottage cheese, muesli
- Granola, Greek yoghurt, raspberry preserve
So there! No excuse to repeat the same breakfast every morning. Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring!! ;-)