Breakfast has gotta be my favourite meal of the d
ay. Perhaps because I've always been an early bird and loved tucking into something delicious as soon as I woke up. Whatever the reason, brekkie is the most important meal of the day and I strongly recommend getting something in your pie hole first thing.
Break-fast is just that; we are literally breaking the fast our body has been in for all the hours we have been asleep. When we sleep our metabolism slows down so that we can rest sufficiently, so if we don't tuck into something when we wake up, our body is still in slow-sleep-mode (and not burning anything much at any great speed). You follow?
So, if you're not a brekkie fan maybe some of these suggestions will open your mind to all the possibilities beyond white toast and corn flakes. Here are my favourites...
Quinoa Porridge. High in protein and super easy to make this can be had sweet or savoury. Cook up enough quinoa (plain) for a few days on the weekend, and have for brekkies, lunches, or quick dinners. Try it with cinnamon, raisins, almonds and a little coconut milk. Or with shallots, tomatoes, mushies and flax oil.
Here's an easy recipe I posted not too long ago
Eggs any which way. Eggs provide a wealth of hard-to-get nutrients, all in one small bite-sized package. The perfect food almost. Loaded with protein (the body's building blocks + what fills us up), vitamin A (immune function, skin,
hair, and eye health), vitamin D (needed for calcium absorption + loads more), and choline (for
proper fat assimilation, cholesterol metabolism, and brain health). Try fried eggs them with some sauteed greens, mushies and tomato... Enjoy scramblies with your favourite toasted bread... Boiled eggs with some fruit... Or make an omelet.
Sprouted bread + nut butter. I love a slice of toasted sprouted essene rye or khorsan (kamut) bread - amongst all others really. It's dense and filling but never bloats or upsets my tummy - like regular breads do. Delicious with coconut oil and nut butter, or with banana and honey. Or go savoury with some cheese and tomato. You can buy different grains (wheat, spelt, rye, mixed, etc) to suit your taste at all good health food stores.
Granola. Home made or try an organic one sans sugar and other nasties. Sarah Wilson's
Coconutty Granola or her
Pumpkin Ginger Spice Granola (which I have made on numerous occasions - amazeballs) are both easy to make, not full of crappy junky stuff, and are deliciously good for you.
Loving Earth's Buckini's (and their other flavours) are also delicious (with coconut yoghurt and a drizzle of almond milk) and ready made (so a great pantry back-up).
A fruit smoothie. Blend
your favourite/s with coconut milk/almond milk/raw milk/goat's milk/yoghurt and a little
ice. Toss in some extra nutrition from cacao powder (antioxidants + minerals) or carob (alkalising),
cinnamon (blood sugar stabilizing), oats (beta-glucan), flax oil (omega 3), untreated honey (immune help) or fresh mint. If you’re game, add a raw egg yolk for the extra fat-soluble nutrients
and protein.
Sardines. I'll admit I'm yet to say I love these guys. But I wish I did with the host of nutrition packed into these little guys. Buy them fresh or try
Fish 4 Ever's lemon and olive oil, or tomato based ones, with toast or veggies and you'll be ready for an action packed day with a satisfied yet light belly.
Leftovers. A small piece of fish with a few slices of cooked sweet potato, a little
leftover meat and root veg, home-made curry, stir-fry, root vegetable
soup, etc. Small servings of leftovers from home-cooked meals can make
for the most satisfying and nutritious meals as well as snacks, and tend to be fairly
well-balanced options in terms of providing good amounts of all your
macronutrients
Greek yoghurt + honey. A
bowl of high quality (full-fat) Greek yoghurt, raw home-made yoghurt or coconut yoghurt topped with a drizzle of
raw honey is super easy and delicious. Add cinnamon or
ground nutmeg for spice. And extra fruit, nuts, seeds, berries, or buckwheat granola!! (or all of the above) for a more filling and balanced brekkie.
Frittata. Super
easy to cook up a big frittata on the weekend and cut it into slices
ready to go for meals and snacks during the week. You can even freeze
the portions and defrost/reheat them as you need – great served cold or
warm. Great combos include potato and rosemary, capsicum and mushroom, or pumpkin and broccoli.
Bone broth. A cup of bone broth is great first thing in the morning (or as your mid-morning hot bevvie at work) and an easy way to get
glycine into your diet. Add some cooked veggies to make it chunkier and more satiating with some sea salt and fresh herbs – and you're onto a winner.
Read more on the benefits of bone stock here.
Pancakes. Oh my I love a good pancake. Healthify them a bit by changing the flour from white to buckwheat or even coconut flour. Add blueberries and coconut yoghurt, or banana and honey. Try mixing dried coconut or oats into the batter before frying. Delish!
French toast. Another winner from a French family! Eggs and the best bread you can find (try a dark cherry fruit loaf sourdough from Brasserie bread - oh my). Add plenty of antioxidant-rich cinnamon, and couple with sliced bananas, maple syrup, raspberries or pecans and enjoy a lazy Sunday morning with that baby!
Ripe fruit + cheese. Perfect if you've gotta be out the door pronto! Nutrient-dense and satiating, the fruit and cheese combo provides a the
perfect balance of natural sugar, salt, saturated fat and protein (with
calcium, as a bonus.
... and
here's another load of goodies I used to eat for breakfasts more
What are your favourite brekkie options? Do you have the same thing day in and day out? Or do you like to mix it up a little? Get sharing in the comments below and we'll all be having new brekkie ideas.
Christie xx
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