Tag: breakfast

Simple Ways to Create a Healthy and Fulfilling Breakfast Routine

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 17, 2024

We all know what a healthy breakfast looks like. Simple foods that provide a good hit of protein and/or natural sugars that are easy to digest just after waking up. A breakfast like this is more likely to make you feel energized for the day ahead, and it’s certainly preferable to heating up leftover pizza for the third time this week!

But have you thought about making your breakfast routine healthy AND fulfilling? Thinking about breakfast as a routine, rather than just the first meal of the day, can change your whole mindset around healthy living. Indeed, it can even make the lifestyle more fun!

If you’re interested in a routine like this, our list below contains three simple ideas for adding a touch of wholesome healthiness to your mornings.

Breakfast Shouldn’t Take Long to Make

Simple breakfasts are always best. That means your morning meals shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes to get ready. This often means making breakfasts ahead of time that only require warming up or plating up with a glass of orange juice.

However, you can also keep breakfasts simple by keeping your cupboards stocked with a range of different foods that are easy to reach for. Yogurt plus a sprinkle of your favourite cereal and some chopped raspberries? Doesn’t require making ahead and won’t take longer than 5 minutes to get your bowl ready.

And remember, breakfast doesn’t have to mean eating ‘breakfast foods’. If you want a sandwich as your first meal of the day, go ahead. Just try to make sure you use wholemeal bread!

If You Like Coffee, Don’t Just Pour and Go

If you’re a coffee drinker who can’t get going in the mornings without your dark roast, turn the creation of a good cuppa into a relaxing multistep process. Don’t just pour and go any longer!

Coffee has a lot of health benefits, and when it’s made right and with care, you’ll get a dose of all of them. Not only that, but if drinking coffee wakes you up, lengthening the process will make you feel ten times sharper!

Start by filling your coffee machine with granules you actually like the flavor and depth of. When coffee tastes good, you won’t see it as just a quick energy hit. Stick around as it pours into the pot to breathe in the smell, which can be very comforting first thing in the morning.

Once that’s done, make a habit of actually sitting down to drink the coffee. Take your time here – yes, even if you need to get ready for work! Coffee with a bit of calm reflection time can make mornings feel a lot more wholesome, especially during the winter when you’re waking up in darkness.

You’re then going to need to buy some coffee tools to clean the grinder and dust off what’s left of the roast when the machine is finished. Don’t skip this step. It’s a quick yet detail oriented task that’ll really wake you up AND you’ll save yourself a job tomorrow morning!

Grab Something for the Road

If you find eating a healthy breakfast leaves you still feeling hungry, grab something for the road while you’ve still got the chance. A banana for the bus to work, a slice of toast for the walk with the kids to school, or a yogurt pot for rounding off that bowl of muesli before heading to your WFH desk.

It’s OK to need an extra little bite to feel satisfied. After all, healthy eating isn’t just about controlling your portions and nothing else – it’s about listening to your body and giving it what it needs. And if your body needs a bit more fuel before the day gets into full swing, make sure you pay attention!

You may also want to spend time preparing breakfast type snacks you can eat on the go. Something you can just grab, as we say, and dig in whether you’re inside or out. If you’d like some ideas for these, we recommend chopped veg that’s nice raw, a cereal bar that isn’t too dry, or trail mix with a few extra dried fruits mixed in.

So, do you want to make your breakfast routine both a healthy and fulfilling venture? Keep it simple and make it more enjoyable! Even if you don’t like eating breakfast, you can still follow a routine like this and have it make a difference to your life. Just listen to your body!

Tags breakfast, fulfilling morning routine, Healthy breakfast routine, quick and easy breakfast, simple breakfast ideas

Healthy Living

7 Simple Meal Ideas for Breakfast

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date October 23, 2021

Are you struggling to come up with easy breakfast meal ideas? You almost certainly are. But it doesn’t have to be this way – if you think a bit outside the box, breakfast need not be a nightmare or a bore. Because let’s face it – cereal gets old pretty quickly if that’s all you’ve got. With how hectic people’s lives seem to be, it’s no wonder many of us find ourselves reaching for the same things time and time again.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of seven simple meal ideas for breakfast that will hopefully help you get out of your breakfast rut and start enjoying this important meal once more. In addition to being quick, they’re also healthy – so there’s no need to feel guilty about enjoying them!

1. Overnight Frozen Yogurt

This is a simple one – buy some yogurt, pour it into a container with a lid, and let it sit in the freezer overnight. That’s it! In the morning, you can enjoy it frozen or take it out of the freezer for 10 minutes beforehand so that it softens. Either way, this recipe couldn’t be much easier or quicker. And because yogurt is packed full of healthy probiotics, this breakfast option will leave you feeling nice and refreshed too.

2. Muffin Tin Pancakes

Pancakes are often thought of as a weekend luxury (unless they’re DIY). However, they don’t have to be. They’re delicious and easy enough to make every morning if you want to! All you need is a muffin tin, one egg per pancake (so four for a whole batch), one cup of flour, half a cup of milk (or milk alternative), and whatever other mix-ins or flavorings you enjoy. Mix all those ingredients in a bowl until they form your desired consistency (a bit thicker than standard pancakes works best), pop them in the oven at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, then take them out again when they’ve turned golden brown. You can try countless flavor combinations with this recipe to make it your own. Blueberries (frozen if you don’t want purple pancakes) are delicious here.

Bonus Tip: Try out this egg waffle recipe if the kids are famished!

Here are some more pancake recipes you can try:

3. Homemade Breakfast Bars

Who doesn’t love granola bars? It’s a convenient, tasty breakfast option that can be found pretty much anywhere these days. But it doesn’t have to stop there. By making your granola bars, you can create different flavor combinations using ingredients that are as healthy as they are delicious. And from start to finish the whole thing shouldn’t take more than half an hour.

4. Breakfast Quesadilla

Take two pieces of bread, spread some cheese between each one, and stick them together in a quesadilla maker for around 3 minutes. This will give you something kind of like scrambled eggs, sandwiched between crunchy bread slices …yum! You can season this however you like (pepper is delicious), add cheese, add vegetables, add bacon…the sky’s the limit!

5. Protein-Packed Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a delicious and filling breakfast option that doesn’t have to be boring. There are plenty of ways to perk it up on top of just adding some fresh fruit on top. You can blend this one in a blender for a few minutes before you eat it if you want a warm milk-like substance instead of actual oatmeal (not including the water). This lets you get creative with your flavor combinations – throw in some cocoa powder and peanut butter for an indulgent chocolate peanut butter oatmeal concoction, or grate in some ginger and add some cinnamon for something more adventurous.

6. Smoothie Bowls

Smoothie bowls are another great option for those who want to switch up their standard breakfast routine. They’re like thick smoothies that you eat with a spoon (rather than drink through a straw), and because of this, they can be topped off with all sorts of yummy ingredients: granola, fresh fruit, chocolate chips…the list goes on! All you need to do is blend your chosen smoothie recipe in your blender before transferring it into a bowl or other dish, then topping it off as desired. This is a perfect idea if you are finicky about certain foods, because once it’s blended together, you won’t even know the difference!

7. One-Bowl Pancakes

Pancakes made from one bowl? That’s right! This easy-peasy recipe will have you waking up to a stack of pancakes in no time. All you need is a cup of self-raising flour, two eggs, half a cup of milk, and some neutral oil for frying (e.g., grapeseed or sunflower). Blend everything in a blender until it forms a smooth batter, then transfer the whole thing to a pan on your stove at medium heat. Wait until each side turns golden brown before flipping them over and repeating on the other side, then serve with whatever toppings take your fancy – syrup works particularly well here!

So there you have seven simple breakfast options that can be prepared quickly and easily for busy mornings when you want to make sure you get off to a good start and don’t end up running late. All but one (the protein-packed oatmeal) of these recipes can be completed in half an hour or less. So what are you waiting for? Give them a try today!

Tags breakfast

Recipes

Single-Serve Sticky Buns

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date April 20, 2020

The historical ancestor of sticky buns was the bread with honey and nuts that the Ancient Egyptians ate. However, originally known as “Schnecken,” the German settlers of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Dutch) developed what we know today as the sticky bun.

The first people to add honey and nuts to their bread were the Ancient Egyptians. German settlers in Pennsylvania created our modern-day sticky buns.

At first glance, it can be hard to tell the difference between a sticky bun and a cinnamon roll — however, a difference does exist.

Cinnamon rolls are placed directly into a baking dish and glazed after baking. They also don’t contain nuts.

Sticky buns have a caramel glaze that is baked right with them. They also, more often than not, have nuts. In the case of the recipe below, I’ve used pecans.

This recipe makes 10 sticky buns. Cut this recipe in half and buy a smaller package of refrigerated biscuits to make a smaller batch.

How to Make Single-Serve Sticky Buns

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter cut into 10 equal parts
1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided into 10 parts
4 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided into 10 equal parts
1 10-pack refrigerated biscuits

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Using a 10-muffin muffin tin, drop one dollop of butter into each muffin hole.
Sprinkle one portion of pecans and one portion of brown sugar over the butter.
Top with one biscuit.
Bake for 9 minutes or until golden brown.
Place a large platter or cookie sheet on top of the muffin tin. Carefully flip the tin over. If necessary, tap the bottom of the muffin tin to release the sticky buns.
Serve immediately.

Here are some storage guidelines in case you want to same some for later:

Room temperature: Up to 2 days. Cover with foil or plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
Refrigerated: Up to 7 days. Cover with foil or plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
Frozen: Up to 3 months. Simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying them.

Tags breakfast, sweets

Recipes

Sweet Potato and Avocado Breakfast “Toast”

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 17, 2020

This hearty and satisfying breakfast recipe will get your day off to a great start. Although it can be prepared in 30 minutes, you can save even more time on busy weekday mornings by roasting a large batch of sliced sweet potatoes ahead of time. Simply store the pre-cooked slices in the refrigerator in an airtight container, and then pop them under the broiler or in a toaster oven to warm through before serving.

Ingredients

1-2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced ¼” thick (8 slices total)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
8 large eggs
2 ripe avocadoes
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Smoked paprika, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and place a wire rack inside a large, rimmed baking sheet. Spray rack with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
While the oven is heating, mash the avocadoes in a medium bowl with a fork. Add tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt and back pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Set aside.
Arrange the sweet potato slices on the prepared wire rack and place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until slices are fork-tender, turning once halfway through cooking. Remove from oven and set aside.
While the sweet potato slices are cooking, heat half the olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add 4 eggs and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
Cover the pan and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are done to the desired consistency, around 3-5 minutes. Remove lid and transfer eggs to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 4 eggs.
To serve, top each sweet potato slice with a spoonful of fresh guacamole and a warm sunny-side-up egg. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, if desired.

Don’t like your eggs sunny side up? Try this recipe with your eggs over hard, scrambled or even poached.
Like your guacamole spicey? Add in some red pepper flakes.
Avocados not in season? Use store-bought guacamole. I’ve found that the frozen varieties often taste better than the refrigerated ones.

Tags avocado, breakfast, sweet potatoes

Healthy Living

What to eat for breakfast: Hot vs Cold meals

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 3, 2020

You’ve wiped the night’s sleep from your eyes, performed your morning grooming ritual and are ready to begin your day. First up: What’s for breakfast? Should you have a hot breakfast? Or a cold one?

Although the verdict is still out as to whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day, there is plenty of evidence that it is important.

However, that is not the only “controversy” around breakfast. The other is this: Is a hot breakfast is better for you than a cold breakfast or is it the other way around?

February is National Hot Breakfast Month, which was established to — obviously — encourage people to eat a nice hot breakfast rather than a quick cold one. However, you probably don’t have a lot of time to eat a warm meal first thing every day (unless you include coffee or a stop at your fast food restaurant on the way to work, neither of which are all that nutritious.)

Therefore, I did a little research to discover what the benefits were of a hot breakfast vs a cold breakfast. Here is what I found.

[notification] TABLE OF CONTENTS

Why Is Breakfast Important?
What To Eat for Breakfast
- Healthy Cold Breakfast Ideass
- Healthy Hot Breakfast Ideas
When Temperature Does Count
Conclusion

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[notification type=”success”] “One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday [/notification]

Why Is Breakfast Important?

Eating breakfast provides a variety of benefits to get your day started right:

Jump starts your metabolism
Provides energy for the day
Improves memory and concentration
Lowers levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)
Lowers your chances of getting diabetes and heart disease
Lowers your chances of being overweight

Some of these benefits are directly due to eating breakfast in the morning. Others may only be connected, either because eating breakfast causes healthy behaviors or healthy people tend to eat breakfast.

Research, the results which were published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, compared children who ate cereal for breakfast, to those who skipped and those who ate something else. They found that breakfast skippers were more likely to be obese, most likely because they tended to get more of their energy from “added sugars”, ending up with fewer nutrients, and less fiber and protein.

Now that we know that breakfast is important, it is time to address what to have for breakfast.

What To Eat for Breakfast

Depending on who you talking to and what their particular agenda, nutritional view or dietary soapbox is, you’ll hear just as many experts tell you that cold breakfasts are best as those who will tell you hot breakfasts are best. However, with a little more digging, I found that the temperature of your breakfast is less important than the content.

Healthy breakfast eaters are just as likely to have eggs for breakfast as cereal or a protein smoothie. What is important for breakfast is the protein, carbohydrate and fat ratio. You also want to keep the sugar content low.

Healthy Cold Breakfast Ideas

If you want a quick meal, like before work or school, a cold or room-temperature breakfast is often your best bet. Here are some ideas:

Yogurt or cottage cheese with fresh fruit
A high-fiber, low sugar cereal
A protein shake

Healthy Hot Breakfast Ideas

You can still have a warm meal if pressed for time — I like to prepare overnight oatmeal and warm it in the microwave just before eating — but most healthy hot breakfasts take more time than most of us have time for. That said, when you can find the time for a warm, prepared breakfast, here are some healthy options:

Eggs
Oatmeal
Breakfast burrito

When Temperature Does Count

For some, a warm breakfast is best. Cold food can be more difficult to digest because your body needs to warm it up to body temperature before the digestion process can function properly. Therefore, those with digestive issues may find eating a hot breakfast easier on their digestive system.

That said, if your digestive system can take it and you are looking to drop a few pounds, cold food might help. Your body burns a few extra calories warming up that food, so there are fewer calories to turn into fat!

Conclusion

Is a hot breakfast preferable to a cold one? Not definitively. What is more important is that you have breakfast and that it provides you with the nutrients and energy you need to get your day started.

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

This Healthy Eating Worksheet will walk you through the process of creating a healthy eating plan. All you need to do is print it out, set aside some time to complete it, and then fill it out. Then you can create your plan, knowing that you have addressed potential obstacles and came up with some creative ways to handle them.

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Tags breakfast, cold breakfast, hot breakfast, National Hot Breakfast Day

Recipes

Cream of Oatmeal

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date March 26, 2018

I’ve been experimenting with this recipe for a few days, trying to get the right mix of texture and flavor. It was inspired because I accidentally bought steel cut oats rather than thick cut oats, and I couldn’t eat them because of what’s going on with my mouth after the accident two years ago. I wanted a smooth, tasty high protein breakfast without having to resort to a smoothie all the time. This is the result and it is so good!

Ingredients

1 cup milk or milk alternative
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 serving of your favorite vanilla protein powder
2 tsp sugar-free fiber powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

In order listed, place all ingredients in a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Place in a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave for 30-40 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 30-40 seconds until the consistency you like.
Let cool one minute before serving.

You can store the uncooked, blended mix overnight. I take it to work and heat it there. The cereal is about the consistency of Cream of Wheat, which is why I call it Cream of Oatmeal.

Tags breakfast, hot cereal, oatmeal

Healthy Living

A Go-Getter’s Breakfast: How to Start the Day Right

Post author By Carma Spence
Post date February 2, 2018

There’s a reason why so many of us put such an emphasis on the food we eat and the fluids we drink: they’re the fuel that keeps our engine running! And, there’s a reason breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. If you’re looking to start the day with all the energy you can muster, then it’s important that you’re starting your day with all the right things that’ll keep you going throughout the day. Breakfast sets the stage for what will play out for your day. Below, I suggest some things you may want in front of you as you begin your day.

Start the Day with a Large Glass of Water

You’ve spent the whole night sleeping, but guess what? You’ve been losing fluid all that time — especially if you’ve been sweating. That’s why it’s important that you have a large glass of water as soon as you wake up; indeed, this is one of the most underrated ways to wake up. It’s free and simple, and will jolt your body into life after many hours of slumber. Before you move onto all the other tasty food and drinks that can use to form your breakfast, you’ll be readying yourself for a day of action: All thanks to good old H₂O.

Mixing up the Fruit

And now that you’ve had your water, let’s think about the other natural goodness that nature provides: Fruit! Most people are content with having a banana or apple on their desk, but true go-getters know that the only way to start the day is with all the colors of the rainbow present in a bowl. Mix your favorite fruits all in one bowl, add some all-natural yogurt, and you’ll ensure that you’ve got a big dose of the all the essential vitamins that are oh-so-important to good all-around health. You won’t be able to achieve anything if you’re laid up in bed all the time!

A note about yogurt: Look for one that is high in protein and low in sugar. My favorites include Greek Gods, Zoi and Fage.

The Tried and Tested Way to Start the Day

Of course, not everything about having an energetic breakfast has to be new or exotic. The old tried and tested have a reputation for energy and alertness for a reason: They work. We’re talking, of course, about coffee. Rich in variety, they’ll provide the caffeine hit you need to feel alert and ready for action. Don’t like hot drinks when the weather is nice? Buy the best cold coffee maker, and get all the benefits of a cup of joe without the heat.

Breakfast of Champions

Some people make do with grabbing a snack and running out of the door. But you? Oh no, you’re different. To keep going all day, consider making what can only be described as a breakfast of champions. That’s eggs. Scrambled, poached, hard-boiled, no matter how you like to serve yours up, they are packed with protein that will fuel your body and keep you feeling fuller longer.

I just finished reading The Craving Cure by Julia Ross (review to be posted soon, but as a sneak peek — I really liked it!), and she recommends eating up to 10 eggs a week! They are an excellent source of protein and amino acids necessary for proper brain function. They are a great way to start the day.

Going Light

Not that there aren’t light options too! To keep things light footed, consider having a salmon bagel mixed with cream cheese, or a pancake with peanut butter on top. Full of energy and oh so delicious, you’ll be running around with energy to burn like it’s the last day on earth.

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Take Charge of Your Health!

Changing your eating habits can be tough. But it doesn’t have to be if you take a little time to think it out and create a plan.

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Tags breakfast