Being locked down has been a pain, as we all know, but now that I no longer have to rely on the limited amount of healthy Seasons options for breakfast in the morning I’ve taken the opportunity to get creative with some nutritious (yet delicious!) breakfasts to try while in quarantine. Now I’m no Gordon Ramsay- anything having to do with the stove or the oven poses a challenge for me. But thanks to the holy grail that is pinterest, I’ve been able to find some awesome breakfast ideas that even the worst of us cooks can successfully make and get creative with. I’m gonna share some of the ones I’ve tried and loved so far!
1. Oatmeal
Before being confined to quarantine I had been wanting to try overnight oats or atleast stovetop oatmeal that I could add fun toppings to- just something different from the instant Quaker stuff. I have yet to make overnight oats but I have made some super delicious stovetop oatmeal with just plain Quaker quick oats, banana, cinnamon, and almond milk! I’ll attach the pinterest idea that I got for it below but it was super easy. Just mix mashed banana , cinnamon, a cup of almond milk and ½ a cup of oats in a pot on the stove and stir for 1-5 minutes until it reaches your desired thickness. Then top with whatever your heart desires! In the times that I’ve made this oatmeal I’ve used a variety of toppings including blueberries, sliced bananas, cinnamon, almond butter, and chocolate chips. If you want to make things a little more exciting you can even add almond butter or honey to your oats while cooking.
2. Granola Bowl
This one has been a favorite of mine for long before corona reared its ugly head and I still swear by it (and even make it at Seasons when they have strawberries). I just put nature valley protein granola, either Oats and Honey or Dark Chocolate and add chopped strawberries, blueberries, and sometimes banana slices if I’m feeling like it, and mix it all together with a tablespoon on peanut butter or almond butter and it is so delicious. You can always add some greek yogurt or dark chocolate chips / cacao nibs for extra sweetness if you’d like but the strawberries and blueberries make it sweet already!
3. Oatmeal Banana Pancakes
Okay- now this one was a HUGE hit. I got this idea from pinterest not knowing how great they would be, but decided to try them out and they have quickly become a favorite of mine. They taste just like pancakes made with flower but with that added flavor of the banana and cinnamon. I’d say I like them even more than flour pancakes, AND they’re gluten free as long as you’re using certified gluten free oats. There are more ingredients to this one than my last two suggestions so I’ll attach the recipe and let you see for yourself but they’re not difficult to make at all and I found it really fun to prepare them (and eat them of course). I also had all of the ingredients in my house already so no trips to the store were required! I made some plain and added blueberries or chocolate chips to others and topped with sliced bananas. I made these on Easter morning for brunch because my parents even loved them despite their reluctance to get out of their culinary healthfood comfort zones.
4. Smoothies
It doesn’t get much easier than sticking a bunch of stuff in a blender. Pinterest has SO many ideas for smoothies to make so I won’t recommend any particular one, but if you have any combination of fruit (frozen or fresh), almond milk, greek yogurt, honey, orange juice, nut butter, spinach, avocado etc, you can make something yummy, filling, and refreshing.
5. Avocado Toast & Homemade Iced Coffee with Almondmilk and Honey
Avo toast is a classic but I was late to the party and have only recently started using avocados- and now I put them on everythanggg. I also don’t usually drink coffee too often and when I did it was for a treat- like at a restaurant or from Starbucks when I was feeling it. But unprecedented times call for change, even if it’s something small like becoming addicted to caffeine :). For some reason I’ve been especially loving coffee with my avo toast so I stuck em together here. I’ve been drizzling a little bit of honey on the inside of a ball jar (my Grandpa is a bee-keeper so I’m spoiled with that fresh, straight out the hive stuff), and then I fill the jar up with ice, pour in some Tim Horton’s medium roast k-cup brewed joe and flavor with vanilla almond milk creamer and mmm it’s delicious. I pair this up with a whole wheat English muffin or piece of toast with mushed avocado, tomato and a lil bit of salt and pepper and voila.
6. Scrambled eggs- but upgraded.
Eggs are a great source of protein and don’t have to be boring! I like to add chopped tomato, onion, a little mozzarella or cheddar cheese, chopped broccoli or spinach, and sometimes even chicken / tukey sausage. Super easy and yuuum.
A lot of these are super basic but I’ve been enjoying them for consistent, healthy ways to start my day. I suggest checking out pinterest for other cool recipe ideas of course, as well as instagram because there are so many awesome accounts with healthy breakfast ideas and alternatives for incorporating more whole foods into your diet or for following a vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free one! I’d suggest accounts like @erinliveswhole, @healthymoodsf, and @macroswithmaddie (Bentley student and fellow Phi Sig Sista), for more inspo. Stay tuned for snacks and lunch / dinner ideas too ;)