Have you heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? I know some find it very tricky to fit breakfast into their morning schedule. Hopefully there will be a tip or two here that can help you out with that! I love breakfast – seriously…. give me all the cheesy egg dishes, give me all the sweet carbs, give me all the fried potatoes… if you mix it all together, this is literally what my dreams are made of.
Eggs… eggs are a fantastic source of protein and have an endless variety of ways to prepare them, but we are here to talk about ways to make things simple! An egg scramble is one of my favorite ways to have my morning eggs. I will prepare items ahead: chop peppers and onions (store in separate containers in the fridge — I do about 4-5 days worth); cook and crumble bacon; I love to add beans, so cook those ahead or even open the can and rinse and drain them so they are ready… Then in the morning, you put a scoop of each in a pain with a bit of oil…. let it saute… add a handful of spinach (you can also use frozen if you prefer, it will just take an extra minute to cook)… then add an egg or two, a sprinkle of cheese, and cover (if you want eggs whole) or stir up (if you prefer scrambled) and let them cook for the last few minutes until done to your liking. You can add some hot sauce or salsa for extra flavor! This is also a good way to use up any veggies that are getting a bit funky in the fridge 🙂
Another egg favorite of mine is to make “egg muffins”… I use this recipe from Gina of Skinnytaste as my guide. You can use whatever ingredients you would like — the can be stored in the refrigerator or even frozen! Just heat them in the microwave for 30 seconds and you are good to go! She also has a breakfast burrito recipe that is freezer friendly! I know a lot of people will also do breakfast sandwiches for the freezer!
Oatmeal is another one that you can prepare ahead. I know many people do overnight oats — honestly I never have because I don’t like my oats cold, but that is certainly a fan favorite. I love this baked oatmeal recipe — she has a lot of other ideas on her site with different fruit combinations. Again, freezer friendly, just reheat in the microwave! These are so good — I am kind of craving them as I type this in fact.
Are you a pancake and waffle fan? You know how Eggo makes frozen ones — so can you! You can make up a big batch and then store them in the freezer — reheat in the microwave or toaster (my preferred way.)
How about smoothies? While most of the preparation for these comes in making sure you have the ingredients on hand, you can measure out the night before or even batch measure for the week. Keeping the fruit and vegetables frozen is a great way to have the ingredients on hand, but not to worry about them going bad.
I also like to have quick “grab and go” options on hand — nuts, clean protein/granola bars, and nut butters — are a few of my favorites. Hard boiled eggs are also easy to have on hand!
What are your favorite items to have for breakfast? What are you biggest challenges to including breakfast in your daily routine? Are you a ‘must have coffee before talkie’ type? 🙂
Happy breakfasting! 🙂
xoxo, Gretchen