Breakfast, the most important meal of the day! More often than not, it’s also the most boring.
When keeping up with the daily grind, breakfast is often reduced to simple things or missed completely. Nearly one-quarter of American’s skip breakfast in favor of coffee.
Starting your day with a healthy and nutritious meal boosts your energy levels and overall alertness when performing daily tasks. When breaking your fast, you wake up your metabolism to burn calories and energy throughout the day. Delaying this internal kickstart deprives your body of energy, which can result in fatigue and bloating throughout the day. Therefore, a nutritious breakfast is a key to a healthy and energetic body!
Making breakfast does not have to be a chore, nor does it have to be boring. By experimenting with your breakfast choices, you can improve your overall health. Here are some ingredients and ways to spice up your mornings with creative breakfast options.
Fancy Fruits
When looking to start your day right, fruit is a quick, easy, and health-conscious choice.
Disclaimer: picking up a banana or an apple and letting it rot in your bag is not a nourishing breakfast option.
Fruits contain lots of vitamins and fiber to wake up your body with the ingredients that it needs. They also offer an extra hydration boost thanks to their water content. However, only eating fruit for breakfast can be bad for your stomach because of the high potassium and fiber content, especially when paired with coffee.
There are lots of ways to spice up your fruit-filled breakfast to create a balanced meal. Plan your breakfast for the week with these ideas:
Fruit Parfait
Take time to fill up your fridge with pre-made parfait for a delicious and rewarding breakfast. In a small container, layer up granola, yogurt, and slowly cooked fruits with a honey or sugar syrup, then refrigerate, ready for the week ahead. To mix it up, put your fruit and yogurt in the freezer to make frozen yogurt.
Don’t want the yogurt? Fruits with granola are still a healthy, nutritious way to start your day.
Waffles
Quick, easy, and tasty! Waffles, when made healthily, don’t have to be reserved for a weekend treat.
To make your waffles healthy, cut down on the sugar content, or remove it completely by making your own waffle mix so you know what goes inside. If you want to make your recipe healthier, try substituting flour and sugar for cauliflower waffles for an interesting alternative. When refrigerated, you can use the mix for up to three days.
Top with your selection of savory or sweet toppings and enjoy!
Original Oats
Oats have been a breakfast option for centuries. It’s one of the best ways to start your day, yet often the blandest ingredient. Oats are packed full of protein, fiber, and vitamins that have a slow energy release to get you through the morning easily.
Oatmeal
Otherwise known as porridge, oatmeal is often sloppy and bland. Whether you prefer chewy, steel-cut oats or runny rolled oats, the flavor seems to stay the same – it needs a boost! Luckily, there are so many easy ways to make oatmeal taste great!
From flavorsome fruits to tantalizing textures, this timeless breakfast choice is made better with a little fruit compote, crunchy granola, or cinnamon and ginger to spice it up. The choice is yours!
Granola
For the summer months, opt to make your own granola! By adding a combination of dried fruits, seeds, and nuts to your granola recipe, your breakfast will give you the energy boost you need. You can brighten up the earthy flavors of your granola by adding cinnamon and ginger to the mix before roasting.
The dry texture of granola makes it easily transportable for breakfast on the go. To experiment more, you can make your granola into bars or little protein-packed balls to snack on. A mix of honey and a little flour is enough to bring the mix together to combine.
Endless Eggs
Eggs are the breakfast of champions.
With action-packed days comes a need for energy-filled meals. By eating eggs in the morning, you’ll benefit from a slow release of protein energy that leaves you feeling fuller for longer. Plus, there are lots of extra vitamins in there to ensure your day is as bright as your sunny-side-up!
Eggs come your way: poached, boiled, scrambled, or fried. However, few dare to experiment with more nourishing ways to incorporate eggs into their first meal of the day.
Adding a little color with some nutritious recipes:
Frittata
For a perfectly balanced breakfast, a combination of eggs and vegetables will fill you with energy. A frittata is similar to an omelet but with lots of vegetables!
There is an art to making a frittata. Once perfected, you’ll find yourself whipping this decadent breakfast option up in seconds. The eggs are mixed with a little full-fat cream, you can use coconut milk for a fluffier texture, and poured into a sizzling skillet, filled with vegetables to cook.
To add depth of flavor and indulgence, you can add a little cheese. There is no limitation to the ingredients that you can add to your frittata!
Egg in a Hole
A simple yet satisfying way to spice up your eggs in the morning is egg in a hole.
Egg in a hole is typically made with bread. Using a glass or a mug, you cut a hole in the bread and cook the egg inside it to make an eggy toast that still has its yolk intact. For families, this is a great way to get the kids involved in cooking!
To experiment more, substitute bread with bell pepper. Cut your bell pepper to make a complete shape, no gaps, and cook your egg in the middle. You can try to do this with other vegetables too – the fridge is the limit!
Gone are days of boring breakfasts! By experimenting with these alternatives recipes, your basic breakfast ingredients will be transformed. Start your day in the best way possible with tasty morning treats that offer a nutritious, energizing, and balanced addition to your diet.
