5 Easy & Healthy Breakfast Ideas

By: Julia Gagulska

Ahh, breakfast: the most important- yet often the most neglected -meal of the day. I will be the first to admit, some days I wake up and I feel either too busy or too lazy to make breakfast. I trick myself into believing that a cup of coffee will hold me over until lunch. Although tempting, skipping breakfast may have negative effects on productivity and brainpower throughout the day. The body’s energy supply is found in glucose. During a good night’s rest, the body uses glucose to maintain blood sugar levels while you sleep, ultimately exhausting its resources. Therefore, when you wake up in the morning, the body has little to no sources of energy to power the brain’s massive network of functions. Without replenishing glucose in the body from a well-balanced breakfast, mental performance and brainpower are severely diminished (Better Health Channel, 2020). Next time you go to grab that morning cup of coffee and nothing else, remember that breakfast can boost brain power and help other areas such as digestion (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2012). So from one night-owl to another, I offer a handful of healthy breakfast options that will make replenishing your day’s worth of energy easy and delicious!

The Classic… Avocado Toast

Serves: 2

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 medium, ripe Avocado
2 tsp. Lemon juice
½ tsp. Red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Any multi-grain bread (I used organic Miche sourdough)
Tomato
Green onion
Crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp. Chia seeds
Everything but the Bagel seasoning

Instructions:

Start by cutting and peeling your avocado. Add it to a bowl.
Mash the avocado with a fork until you get a spreadable consistency.
To the avocado bowl, add lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Set your avocado mix aside for now and place your bread in a toaster or toaster oven until lightly crispy.
While your bread toasts, wash your tomato and cut 2-3 slices (whichever amount will fit on your piece of toast).
Cut about 2 inches of green onion into small pieces.
Once the toast is slightly cooled, spread on the avocado mixture (as much as you’d like).
Top it with tomatoes, green onions, crumbled feta cheese, chia seeds, and everything but the bagel seasoning. Enjoy!

Now let’s explore the sweater side of things…

Overnight Oats

Serves: 1

Prep time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

¾ cup Old-fashioned, rolled oats (any oats will work)
¾ cup Vanilla, unsweetened almond milk
½ tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp. Agave nectar or honey
2 tbsp. Chia seeds
Cinnamon
Walnuts
Banana
Apple

Instructions:

Begin by putting the oats, milk, vanilla extract, agave nectar/honey, and chia seeds into a glass container (cup or mason jar).
Stir with a spoon until evenly distributed.
Cover the glass container with a lid or plastic wrap.
Place the container of oats into the fridge and wait until morning or about 4 hours.
After the wait time, top with walnuts, banana slices, apples, more agave nectar and cinnamon!

The best of sweet and savory breakfasts!

Boiled Eggs and Toast

Serves: 1

Prep time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 eggs
Sriracha
Everything but the Bagel seasoning
Any multi-grain bread (I used organic Miche sourdough)
1 tsp. Chia seeds
Peanut or almond butter
½ small banana
Granola

Instructions:

Fill a saucepan with water and put over high heat until the water boils.
Once the water is at a rolling boil, put in your 2 eggs (you can add more to meal prep for up to a week).
Turn off the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let sit for 10-12 minutes.
After 10-12 minutes, remove the eggs using a slotted spoon and place them in an ice-water bowl.
While the eggs cool, place your bread of choice in a toaster or toaster oven until crispy.
While the bread toasts, cut as many slices of banana as will fit on your bread.
Once the toast is slightly cooled, spread as much peanut or almond butter as you’d like.
Top the toast with banana slices, chia seeds, and flavored oats.
Peel 2 hard-boiled eggs and cut into quarters.
Top the eggs with everything but the Bagel seasoning and 1-2 drops of sriracha per quarter. Enjoy!

This one is for those who can’t bear a full meal in the mornings!

Smoothie Bowl

Serves: 1

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup Frozen mixed berries
1 banana
½ cup Vanilla, unsweetened almond milk (any milk/yogurt works)
Ice chips
¼ cup baby spinach
2 tbsp. Chia seeds
1 large strawberry
A few blueberries
A few raspberries
Granola
Coconut flakes
1 tsp. Peanut butter or almond butter

Instructions:

In a blender or food processor, place in the frozen berries, ½ banana, vanilla unsweetened almond milk, ice chips, baby spinach, and 1 tbsp. Chia seeds.
Blend until smooth and thick.
Spoon the mixture into a bowl.
Wash your strawberry, blueberries, and raspberries.
Cut your strawberry and ½ banana into thin slices.
Place your fruit on top of the smoothie mixture.
Top the rest of your smoothie mixture with 1 tbsp. Chia seeds, granola, coconut flakes, and peanut or almond butter.

And finally… a more special breakfast treat.

Smoothie Bowl

Serves: 1

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 piece of bacon (pork or turkey)
1 English muffin
1 Tomato slice
2 slices of avocado
A small handful of baby spinach
Green onion or chives
Paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Start by prepping your veggies. Cut 1 tomato slice, 2 avocado slices, chop some green onion or chive to garnish, and place your spinach on the cutting board for easy access.
In a pan on medium-high heat, cook your bacon for 8-12 minutes (until desired crispiness).
Once the bacon is done, remove it from the heat and place it on a paper towel to soak the excess grease.
While the bacon cooks, pour about 4 inches of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
While the water boils, crack the egg into a small bowl.
Once the water is at a boil, reduce the heat until the water is barely simmering (a few bubbles).
While the water comes to a bare simmer, toast your English muffin.
Swirl the water to create a water vortex, slip the egg into the water vortex, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the egg from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and let sit on a plate.
Assemble! Take one end of the English muffin and layer ingredients in this order: 2 slices avocado, baby spinach, 1 slice tomato, 1 piece of bacon broken in half, the poached egg, green onions/chives, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Depending on how hungry you are, you can top with the other end of the English muffin to make a sandwich, or you can double the ingredients and make 2 eggs benedict!