10 Breakfast Ideas

Before I get to some fun breakfast options, I have to say: Boot camp kicked my booty today! After my little incident with the concrete on Sunday, I had a sore shoulder that kept me out of the weight room until today. I was finally able to complete Workout A of Week 5 in Tina's Best Body Boot Camp tonight after work, and it was awesome! Tina had us all over the place, working the full body. We did drop sets (one higher weight for only a few reps, then a lower weight to exhaustion) combined with 90-second breaks to get our heart rates up. MAN. Those 90 seconds were TOUGH. From crunches to high knees, I was sweating almost as much as I do during my HIIT workouts! I even took it easy on some sets (my knee was aching, so I lightened up my weights for all the squats), and I was still dying. I love boot camp!

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Okay, on to the good stuff: breakfast talk! Over the last year and a half, I've made one huge change in my life that repeatedly sets the tone for my day: I make breakfast. I used to eat cereal every single day. Maaaaybe I would eat eggs on the weekend. But the cereal was my go-to breakfast. I switched up the type of cereal from time to time; I'd switch off between Honey Bunches of Oats, Kashi Go Lean, and, as a special treat, Lucky Charms.

I always felt hungry within an hour of eating breakfast, and I realized last year, when I started reading Lisa's blog and Michael Pollan's books, that my breakfast wasn't keeping me full because it was void of its nutritional value. When we took our 10 day challenge, I had to get rid of all the processed cereal, and I got much more creative with my breakfasts. Obviously, I could have eaten the same breakfast--as always--for all 10 days, but that wouldn't have been as fun! So I tried a bunch of Lisa's recipes, loved them, and apparently decided to only eat "real" breakfasts from then on.

Now, I love coming up with different breakfasts. Honestly, we eat something different for breakfast almost every day of the week. I love getting creative, and we are MUCH more satisfied throughout the morning (I usually eat a whole piece of fruit around 10, but nothing else before lunch). Here are 10 of my very favorite breakfasts and ways to make them work in a busy schedule.

Breakfast is my favorite! Well, along with all the other meals. 

1. Overnight Oats with banana slices mixed in
   Make it the night before in a portable container and grab it on your way out the door. Easy, filling, and packed with nutritious goodness!
   
2. Banana Nut Pancakes with berries on the side
   I make the batter one day (or even one evening), then keep the container in the fridge to cook throughout the week. You can also make them all at once and freeze to reheat later. I like to start it cooking while I'm busy doing other stuff around the kitchen--making tea, packing lunch, filling water bottles for the day, slicing fruit to eat with the pancakes, feeding the cat, doing my makeup. I just check them after 5 minutes (cooking on low-medium heat), flip 'em, continue my other stuff, and then eat.

   

   Banana Nut Pancakes (usually one is enough for me)

3. Scrambled Eggs
   I love eggs with just milk and cheese, in which case I'm sure to eat fruit on the side. But if I have some leftover veggies, I heat them up and scramble the eggs right in!

   

   With spinach and feta 

4. Toasted Banana Bread with Cream Cheese or Peanut Butter
   Again, I add fruit on the side.
   
5. Smoothie (with or without raw oats blended in)
   I freeze the bananas the night before (or, whenever I have bananas going a bit bad and don't plan to bake with them, I toss them in a container in the freezer to use later). If I'm in the mood, I add a few handfuls of spinach.

   

   Breakfast Smoothie

6. Fried Eggs with Whole Wheat Toast
   A classic! Often, I top leftover veggies with the fried eggs for more nutritional value.
   
7. Oatmeal with fruit on the side
   Another classic, and perfect for cozy cooler mornings. Again, I make it while I get lunch packed and fill water bottles.
   
8. Peanut Butter and "Jelly" French Toast or Almond French Toast
   This one takes a bit more time and "active" cooking, but it's a lovely special treat for Friday mornings. I almost always use whole wheat bread, and I limit my use of syrup.

   

   Peanut Butter and "Jelly" French Toast

9. Yogurt Bowl with Applesauce
   It's simple: Equal parts plain Greek yogurt and unsweetened applesauce (perhaps a bit less applesauce), a sprinkle of cinnamon, and a little honey to sweeten it all up. Sometimes I add peanut butter or a sliced banana. Another easy grab-and-go meal!
   
10. Toast or English Muffin with Peanut Butter and Banana
    As simple as cereal, and easy to take in the car or eat as I run around the house getting ready. Sometimes I add honey or strawberries, and I usually add a glass of milk to this meal. 

So there you go! Certainly a great variety of breakfast options to get your mind and body going in the morning. I really try to mix up our meals to create a more balanced overall diet.

For even more breakfast ideas, you can check out my recipes page!