Three Must Eat Breakfast Foods

Do you love your breakfast?  Do you have a short list of “go-to” recipes?  Do you need a bit of inspiration to start eating breakfast again?

If so, read on!

Getting some protein at each meal can help with blood sugar management, metabolism and weight loss.  This is because protein helps you feel fuller longer and uses up a bunch of calories to absorb and metabolize it.  So I’m going to show you how to get the protein, as well as some veggies and healthy fats for your soon-to-be favourite new “go-to” breakfasts.

Breakfast Food #1: Eggs

Eggs are the “quintessential” breakfast food.  And for good reason!

No, I’m not talking about processed egg whites in a carton.  I mean actual whole “eggs”. 

Egg whites are mostly protein while the yolks are the real nutritional powerhouses.  Those yolks contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats.

Eggs have been shown to help you feel full, keep you feeling fuller longer, and help to stabilize blood sugar and insulin.

Not to mention how easy it is to boil a bunch of eggs and keep them in the fridge for a “grab and go” breakfast when you’re running short on time.

And…nope the cholesterol in eggs is not associated with an increased risk of arterial or heart diseases. 

One thing to consider is to try to prevent cooking the yolks at too high of a temperature because that can cause some of the cholesterol to become oxidized.  It’s the oxidized cholesterol that’s heart unhealthy.

Breakfast Food #2: Nuts and/or Seeds

Nuts and seeds contain protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  Nuts and/or seeds would make a great contribution to breakfast.

And I know you won’t be fooled by “candied” nuts, sweetened nut/seed butters, or chia “cereals” with added sugars – you know I’m talking about the real, whole, unsweetened food here.

Nuts and seeds are also the ultimate fast food if you’re running late in the mornings.  Grab a small handful of almonds, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds as you’re running out the door to start your day!

Not to mention how easy it is to add a spoonful of nut/seed butter into your morning breakfast smoothie.

Hint: If you like a creamy latte in the mornings try making one with nut or seed butter.  Just add your regular hot tea and a tablespoon or two of a creamy nut or seed butter into your blender & blend until frothy. 

Breakfast Food #3: Veggies

Yes, you already know you really should get protein at every meal including breakfast; but this also applies to veggies.  You know I would be remiss to not recommend veggies at every meal, right? 

Veggies are powerhouses of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, fiber, and water.  You can’t go wrong adding them into every single meal of the day so if you don’t already you should definitely try them for breakfast! 

And no, you don’t need to have a salad or roasted veggies for breakfast if you don’t want to but you totally can!  You wouldn’t be breaking any “official” breakfast rules or anything like that.

Adding some protein to leftover veggies is a great combination for any meal.  Including breakfast.

I’ve included a delicious recipe below for you to try (and customize) for your next breakfast.

Recipe (Eggs & Veggies): Veggie Omelet

Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 or 2 eggs (how hungry are you?)
  • ¼ cup veggies (grated zucchini and/or sliced mushrooms and/or diced peppers)
  • dash salt, pepper and/or turmeric

Directions

  1. Add coconut oil to a frying pan and melt on low-medium heat (cast-iron pans are preferred).
  2. In the meantime grab a bowl and beat the egg(s) with your vegetables of choice and the spices.
  3. Tilt pan to ensure the bottom is covered with the melted oil.  Pour egg mixture into pan and lightly fry the eggs without stirring.
  4. When the bottom is lightly done flip over in one side and cook until white is no longer runny.

Serve & Enjoy!

Tip:  Substitute grated, sliced, or diced portion of your favourite vegetable.  Try grated carrots, chopped broccoli or diced tomato.

References:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/eggs-worse-than-fast-food

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/encyclopedia/food/eggs/

https://authoritynutrition.com/eating-healthy-eggs/

https://authoritynutrition.com/12-best-foods-to-eat-in-morning/

 

oatmeal bowl

Fibre Blast Overnight Oatmeal

I’ve got breakfast covered for you!  And it’s so easy!!  Sit down or on the go, this Fibre Blast Over Night Oatmeal will satisfy the hungriest of morning folks.

Fibre is an important piece of a healthy diet.  It is important for aiding us in eliminating waste from our system, balancing blood sugar, cholesterol management and it is a key nutrient source for our beloved microbiome.

And keeping our microbiome happy is vital for our overall good health.

Our microbiome functions in many important ways.  It aids with our digestion.  It is involved in the production of vitamins such as B and K.  And it plays a major role in our immune system.

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With all of this in mind, my general recommendation for fibre intake is 35-40 grams a day.  It’s a lot but absolutely doable if your diet is a plant based one.

This recipe as a whole contains about 23 grams of fibre.  So it’s fairly easy for you to calculate how much your serving size is getting you.  I’ve indicated that the recipe is between 2-4 servings because some can eat a bowl full while others are satiated by far less.

Fibre Blast Overnight Oatmeal

(2-4 servings)

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Rolled Oats

1/2 Cup Steel Cut Oats

1 TBSP Hemp Hearts

1 TBSP Chia Seeds

Zest of 1 Lime

1 Apple, Grated

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

100 g Vanilla Greek Yogurt

1 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1/4 Organic Raisins

How to do this:

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate over night.

That’s it!

As a side note:

  • you can top with things like slivered almonds, flaked coconut, fresh fruit, maple syrup or honey.
  • you can use hemp milk, cashew milk or whatever you choose in place of almond milk.
  • you can substitute dried cranberries or goji berries for the raisins.
  • For a grab and go meal, pack in a mason jar.  So handy!!

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Fermented Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

I love this recipe!  It is a whole-food power pack and is so versatile it may soon become a breakfast staple in your home.

Quinoa, a seed not a grain as is often thought,  is high in protein, gluten-free and just 1/4 cup of it contains approximately 3 grams of fiber.

But the real star in this recipe is the fermented cashew milk.  Cashew milk on its own is a tasty non-dairy milk but by fermenting the nuts beforehand you boost the nutrient availability and add a gut friendly component to the dish.

The notion of fermenting food may seem daunting but the process is really a piece of cake as you will see from the recipe below.  You do need to plan ahead a bit as the fermenting process does take about a day. But the planning ahead is truly the hardest part of the whole deal.

Give it a try and if you get a second I would love to hear what you think of the recipe.

Fermented Quinoa Breakfast Bowl

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa

1-2 cups fermented cashew milk* (recipe below)

1 grapefruit peeled and chopped

¾ cup cherries, blueberries or fruit of your choice

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

1 TBSP Maple syrup (or to taste)

 

Combine all ingredients pressing the grapefruit to release juices and let stand 15 minutes before serving

 

*Fermented cashew milk

In a mason jar cover 1 cup of raw cashews with fresh water leaving at least one inch of room from top.

Add 1 TBSP sea salt.

Seal tightly with lid and shake the jar to combine. Leave this on counter at least 24 hours.

After 24 hours drain and rinse the nuts. Put nuts into blender and add 1-2 cups of water depending upon your desired milk thickness.

Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Blend mixture to liquid.

Drain the milk through a nut back.

Refrigerate.

 

Blueberry Protein Pancakes

These blueberry protein pancakes taste great! I use organic cow’s milk but you can certainly substitute your favourite non-dairy milk. With or without the blueberries, these protein pancakes are a great start to your day or an alternative to your protein shake after a workout.

 

Ingredients

• 3 TBSP coconut flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 scoop vanilla protein
• 3 eggs
• ¼-1/3 c organic cow’s milk
• Blueberries

Instructions

1. Whisk the first 4 ingredients together until no lumps remain. Add milk. The more milk the thinner the pancakes will be.
2. Fold in blueberries.
3. Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat. Add some coconut oil to prevent sticking.
4. Pour batter on to hot skillet. When bubbles start to form flip pancakes.
Heat until thoroughly cooked.
Enjoy!