Today I am sharing my favorite quick and healthy breakfast ideas.
I am a planner by nature and this extends into most areas of my life. Particularly, I enjoy spending a little time on the weekends, grocery shopping, meal prepping and planning for the week ahead. And breakfast is the meal I look forward to most!
Recently though, our schedules have been a tad overbooked, and even with the best of strategies, my weekly meal planning has fallen by the way-side.
When this happens, I usually end up scrambling to coordinate meals (especially breakfast) and I try to make healthy recipes with what I already have on hand. As you can imagine, some weeks, this works out better than others. Our mornings end up rushed and more often than not, I can’t make a full sit-down breakfast for myself or the rest of the family.
So, instead of skipping breakfast completely, I now ensure I keep quick and healthy choices on hand for the really busy days. I don’t want to let a busy evening, or over-scheduled weekend sabotage my nutrition or affect my meals. Keeping healthy grab and go options in the house helps me stick to my goals.
Here are my favorite go-to’s for breakfast. These options are super quick, filling and contain a healthy serving of protein to help you power through your mornings. And best of all, you can find them in your local grocery store!
My top choices for a quick, but healthy breakfast:
Fruit with Nut Butter:
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Any fruit you prefer, that’s in season. Our favorite is a banana with almond butter or another nut butter.
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I love anything maple flavored so Maple Nut Butter is my usual go-to.
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The nut butters come in a glass jar or in convenient, single serving grab and go packets. You can squeeze straight from the packet and onto the banana (or apple, etc) as you dash out the door.
Greek Yogurt and Granola:
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This is another great supermarket option. There are several of varieties in the grocery store, and you likely have one that you like. If not Fage is a great brand.
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I usually opt for Greek Yogurt that has 1% or 2% fat, which keeps me full longer. Then add in a little granola (you can find it in the grocery aisle or follow my low sugar recipe and make your own).
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This combo gives you a hearty protein-packed start to the day with a satisfying crunch of granola.
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If you aren’t making your own: Pick a granola without a lot of ‘extras’ (like chocolate chips or white chocolate). Be sure to read the labels and avoid too much added sugar.
Cottage Cheese:
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This is a high protein option that will kick-start your day and help you power through a busy morning.
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It tastes great on its own, or but feel free to add in almost anything to your cottage cheese. We like adding blueberries or strawberries. You could also mix in nuts or seeds or even veggies. If you’re more sweet than savory, go for a drizzle of honey or agave on top.
Hard-boiled eggs:
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These are great for super busy mornings. They are self contained and designed for grab-and-go. Take a few minutes to hard boil your eggs at the beginning of the week, and you’ll be good to go.
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If you are short on time, the grocery store salad bar (or even in your work cafeteria) might have hard boiled eggs. And bonus sometimes you can find them already peeled.
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I like to eat them plain, but you can also add a little pepper for some extra flavor.
Here are two suggestions if you want a hearty breakfast and you have a few minutes before rushing out the door:
If you have 5-10 minutes:
Oatmeal:
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It’s perfect for those freezing winter mornings. It takes under 2 minutes to make, will warm you from the inside, and keeps you feeling full for a good part of the day.
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I like to use plain quick-cook oats and flavor them with a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg. Cinnamon is great for balancing blood sugar levels and won’t cause a sugar crash later. Mix in fruit or nuts as desired.
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Try to avoid the flavored oatmeals if possible. They are often loaded with sugar. This can make you feel lethargic and lead to an energy crash later in the day.
If you have 20-30 minutes:
Protein Muffins:
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Our family is a huge fan of protein muffins for breakfast (and for an occasional dessert). We love Kodiak Cakes brand, and they carry it at our local grocery store.
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We also add in a few extra ingredients like eggs or egg substitute and milk to up the protein content. Just mix everything together and bake for 15 minutes.
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My only time saving tip here would be to make them in a regular muffin tin. Mini-muffins are great, but unless you have several pans, you’ll be in the kitchen all morning!
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I bet you don’t have time for that.
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I save myself the trouble, and keep it quick by making regular sized muffins. One batch is enough to use all the batter. I fill one muffin tray, pop it in the oven, and call it a day!
