Breakfast is important, as your body needs to get enough nutrients at the beginning of the day to jumpstart into work, or school, or whatever is on your schedule. It’s not wise to skip eating breakfast, even if you’re in a rush in the mornings.
Thankfully, breakfast doesn’t have to be a big production, as anything can technically be breakfast. So, here are five breakfast ideas, some more conventional than others, to help you get through your mornings.
#1: Breakfast Bars
One of the easiest go-to ideas is the morning breakfast bar. Choosing a good breakfast bar can be a hassle, but can also give you plenty of time to eat a quick meal and power through what you will face in the mornings.
A breakfast bar is ideal if you have no time in the mornings and must leave almost as soon as your feet touch the floor. No need to get out any plastic bowls or silverware, just grab a bar and eat it when you’re ready.
With a breakfast bar, it’s important to keep an eye out for ingredients; if a bar has more high fructose corn syrup than oats, it’s likely a good idea to stay away. Meanwhile, if a bar has oat as its top ingredient and sugar isn’t the second-highest, the bar likely has a good balance of nutrients.
Typically, if a bar has twice the number of carbs than it does protein or fats, the bar is likely a good meal substitute. Any more carbs and you’re likely to overload on carbs at the very start of your day.
#2: Oatmeal
While oatmeal may not be seen as the centerpiece of a good breakfast, oatmeal can power you through your day if done correctly. Oatmeal has an excellent balance of carbs to protein and can serve as a base for other food items.
Plain oatmeal can be mixed with fruits to give you a sweet treat; it can also be topped with a protein source, like bacon and eggs, to serve as a more savory breakfast. Adding a spoonful of peanut butter can give you a protein kick if you need extra protein in the mornings.
And, if you’re in a rush in the mornings but don’t mind spending time in the evenings doing prep work, you can make overnight oats so that you have something waiting for you when you wake up.
#3: Breakfast… salad?
Breakfast is not one set thing, so one does not need to have all of the breakfast staples in their breakfast to have a good breakfast. And salad, as strange as it sounds, can make an excellent breakfast.
With a leafy green for the base, a protein source such as nuts or hard-boiled eggs, a few cruciferous veggies or fruits are thrown on top, and a fat-based dressing on top, you have a breakfast that has good carbs, fiber, fat, and protein, not to mention the water that comes from the veggies.
Because salads can be prepped overnight, you can easily prep salads for every day of the week, and save yourself lots of time in the mornings.
#4: Small snacks
If you simply don’t have the time for a full breakfast, you may want to consider having several healthy snacks around to get you through the morning. It’s important to have a good balance of protein, fat, and carbs, so vary it up.
Carrots with peanut butter can work as a good, quick snack, as can applesauce, hard-boiled eggs, or just a simple banana. Be willing to experiment, and you may find yourself with a good set of snacks that get you through.
#5: Peanut Butter and Jelly
Again, breakfast doesn’t have to be complex. It doesn’t have to be anything other than what gets you going in the mornings. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich work well for this.
Depending on the bread and peanut butter, it has a good balance of carbs, protein, and fat. And, depending on the jelly, it gives you a nice throwback to happier days, so it can give you a sentimental push through your morning.
With this, there is customization; you can add bananas to give a little extra nutrition, switch out white bread for wheat, you can even add bacon for a bizarre, but tasty and filling breakfast option.