Outside of actually getting up, brushing your teeth, and slapping on something presentable, there’s the looming spectre of a notoriously important meal:
Breakfast.
A paradox so widely treasured for Saturday morning at 11:00 am yet so equally lamented on a weekday at 7:30 am.
And it’s a real shame because while breakfast is an indisputably important meal, it doesn’t need to be a thing of great orchestration and mental overhead. It can be simple, healthy, and functional. Like it should be.
I like to think that sort of breakfast that has three elements:
- Takes less than 10 minutes
- Is nutrient dense.
- Will keep you fuelled till lunch, or longer.
Whether you’re a parent who corrals a trio of 3 bohemians for the 8:00am bell, or a twenty-something looking to make a change of lifestyle, these are a few breakfasts options that’ll make you a little less stressed for Monday’s first meal.
1. Easy oatmeal you’ll actually eat.
Image from Minimalist Baker
This may be the least surprising item on this list.
Harvard.edu published a study of 100+ common foods and their corresponding stimulation of blood sugar. Amongst breakfast options, oatmeal ranked the best for staving off sugar spikes, thus keeping off fat.
And it can be a lot faster, and easier to make than you think.
Oatmeal stands alone as a breakfast cereal that tastes as good reheated (REALLY) as it does fresh. A good routine:
- Night before breakfast: cook desired volume of steel cut oats to use throughout the week.
- Separate in small bowls/jars.
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Add something to make it taste great:
- Banana: Bananas heat up with the oatmeal, lightly caramelise and make an otherwise stale breakfast EXTREMELY tasty. I highly recommend.
- Raisins: A moderately low GI item, and extremely good complement to oatmeal. A few tablespoons should do the trick for your taste buds.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is THE MOST understated superfood for staving off fat. A pinch can meaningfully help you control blood glucose levels, while also contributing fantastically to taste. Just make sure you know what kind you’re using.
Shelf life:
Steel Cut Oats: Long
Raisins: Long
Cinnamon: Long
Bananas: Moderate - short.
Time to make:
Less than 5 minutes
I rinse and repeat this recipe 1-2 evenings a week. In the morning, a 52-second microwave makes an incredibly healthy, filling, and enjoyable breakfast that feels great till the afternoon.
2. Egg whites are your friend. Here’s how to make them.
Image by Pop Sugar
Dietitians and nutritionists alike are almost uniform in their advocacy of high protein breakfasts. One fast and great way to have a high protein breaky, is egg whites. Here’s how to make them quickly, have them taste great, and cover your nutritional bases.
- The whites (2-4 eggs): To add flavour and colour, toss in The Good Stuffs’ favourite antioxidant spice Turmeric to give a familiar orange hue + offer a stronger flavour profile. A generous 1-2 ounce addition of extra virgin olive oil will also help with pan stickiness and taste.
- Scramble with a refrigerated/frozen collard green: Frozen/refrigerated kale and spinach work extremely well in an egg white scramble, and with ingredient three, hardly a detriment to taste.
- Salsa: Be sure to read the ingredient list of your salsas, but by in large, your local grocer will have a low sugar/low sodium salsa that can tie together an extremely fast, and tasty breakfast.
Shelf Life:
Egg Whites: Long
Turmeric: Long
Olive Oil: Long
Salsa: Medium
Frozen Greens: Long
Refrigerated Greens: Short
Time to make:
Less than 10 minutes
3. Overnight Chia Seed Pudding
Image from Hello Glow
Chia seeds are the most potent source of antioxidants amongst whole foods, punching WAY above their nutritional weight. Only 100 grams gets you more than 143% of your daily fibre requirement, they’re high in protein and dense in Omega 3’s.
The overnight chia seed pudding is a fantastic way for you to enjoy them in an incredible breakfast that's fast and tasty to boot.
Add in the ingredients in the below order, seal, and allow to sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add the last ingredient (almonds) and you’re set. (Serves 2)
- Liquid: I really like almond milk in this pudding, and you’ll need 2 cups for this recipe. Any cream textured liquid will work — but I’m partial to non-dairy, and long shelf life. Almond milk’s my front runner.
- Chia seeds: You’ll need 4 tablespoons of chia, placed in a container of your choice.
- Frozen blueberries: A full cup for texture and taste.
- Banana (or other sweetener): I find a whole banana works really well to make this a really palatable morning breakfast, but feel free to experiment with other fruits/sweeteners. If you’ve chosen honey/a similar sweet base, don’t go any heavier than a tablespoon or two.
- Almonds: Texture is paramount for Chia pudding. 20 whole/crushed almonds will give this dish a great diversity of crunch. Almonds add more protein, healthy fat, and a good dose of vitamin E.
Shelf Life:
Almond Milk: Long
Chia: Long
Frozen Blueberry: Long
Almonds: Long
Banana: Medium - short
Time to make:
Less than 5 minutes
4. The Diesel Monster (DM)
We've engineered all 6of our smoothies to meet the three criteria of a quick healthy breakfast food, but this week I've been partial to The Diesel Monster. Here's why:
It has nearly 200g of an optimised mix of slow-burning carbs to give you energy, fibrous greens for slow digestion and vitamins, + a mix of superfoods like Cassia cinnamon and Cacao nibs, all rich in macronutrients. It's our highest protein smoothie, finished with Vega Chocolate Protein powder.
How to enjoy:
- Rip.
- Add Liquid: I like coconut water for The Diesel Monster. An added boost of electrolytes, whilst not comprising the chocolate peanut butter taste that makes this smoothie addictive.
- Blend.
Shelf Life:
Diesel Monster: Long
Time to make:
Less than 1 minute
Mornings will always be tough, but breakfast doesn’t have to be. Let me know if you have any quick healthy breakfasts that help you make the early mornings more tolerable, I'd love to feature them in a sequel post!