Like mom always said, breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day. Starting your day off with the right nutrients to fuel whatever lies ahead can be a game changer on many levels, from maintaining a healthy weight to boosting your immunity to increasing your energy level.
But if you’re like most people, burning the candle at both ends, your busy mornings probably don’t allow time to put together and enjoy a balanced breakfast. And whatever extra time you do have is most likely reserved for exercise or a few extra minutes of sleep.
With a few quick preparation tactics, however, a healthy breakfast is easily within reach for even the most time-crunched morning people. Incorporate a couple of these breakfast ideas into your routine and you’ll open the door to better mornings.
Overnight oats. This is one of the most satisfying and nutrient-packed breakfasts you could ask for. And the only thing you need to do in the morning is grab it from the fridge and eat or take it with you to eat at work. Before bed, simply grab a plastic container or mason jar and combine even ratios of old-fashioned rolled oats with your favorite milk and a variety of healthy and flavorful additives, such as bananas and berries, dried fruit, nuts, flax or chia seeds, healthy spices like cinnamon or cardamom, and, if you want, a natural sweetener, such as honey. The ingredients meld together overnight for a powerful breakfast the next day.
Yogurt parfait. This delicious concoction almost leans more toward dessert than breakfast, but has a host of super healthy ingredients to start your day. In a jar or container, layer your favorite, unsweetened yogurt with fresh berries, mangoes or peaches, nuts or granola, and a natural sweetener if you’d like. You can also try frozen fruit, like cherries, instead of fresh fruit, which creates a delicious syrup as it melts. Add chia, flax or pumpkin seeds to raise the nutrition a notch.
Ready-set smoothies. If a shake is your breakfast of preference but you just don’t have the time to prep the ingredients, take a few minutes on Sunday evening to create freezer-pack smoothies for the entire week. Simply chop up all the ingredients for your smoothie—berries, bananas, pineapple, kale, spinach, avocado, etc.—then gather them in individual serving-size baggies and pop them in the freezer. On your way out the door simply add your smoothie ingredients to the blender with your liquid of choice, a scoop of protein powder or peanut butter, and your breakfast is served.
Quick hits. There are a variety of ways to prep for a quick grab-and-go breakfast without having to follow a recipe. Keep hard boiled eggs in the fridge, pre-sliced and chopped fruit salad, or even an old-fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole-grain bread. Preset the coffee machine, and you’ve saved yourself even more time. All of these ideas will have you well on your way to starting your day better without sacrificing any of your precious morning minutes.
