I find breakfast difficult because I never know what to eat, and half the time I wake up late so only have time for a banana! What we eat for breakfast has “profound effects on our health, wellbeing, and cognitive performance”, (Spence, 4) so I thought I’d put together a short list of yummy, yet substantial breakfasts that keep you energised and feeling great.
- Chia seed pudding.
Ingredients:
- Chia seeds
- Milk
- Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Cinamon
Chia seeds prevent “inflammation occurring in the body” and are “rich in dietary fiber”, making them a great ingredient to add to your breakfast. (Motkya et al, 10) If you make this the night before, it literally takes 5 minutes and you’ve sorted out breakfast for 2 days!
Just add 3 tbsp of chia seeds and then about half a cup of milk to a bowl, then mixing in 2 heaped tbsps. of Greek yogurt, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract and the same of cinnamon. Put it in the fridge for the night and you’ve made chia seed pudding. Obviously you can increase the quantity of pudding by doubling the recipe and feel free to play around with the measurements if you would prefer more vanilla, or a thicker pudding. My favourite way of eating chia seed pudding is topping it with fresh fruit and a bit of yogurt and honey.
- Banana pancakes
Ingredients:
- Bananas
- Oats
- Chia seeds (optional)
Bananas contain potassium which helps to give you an energy boost at the start of the day! This recipe is super simple and can be altered depending on how many bananas you have and how many pancakes you want to make. For about 3 medium pancakes, use 2 bananas, but you can always add a little bit of milk and more oats to bulk up your mixture. As I said, this recipe is very flexible!
Simply mush up your bananas and then add around a cup of oats, although I never measure. You want about the same amount of oats to banana ratio so when you mix them together, the mixture is not too dry! If you’ve added in too many oats, don’t worry just add a tsp of milk. Then add in roughly 1 1/2 tbsp of chia seeds, although this is not compulsory. To cook, add butter to your frying pan and use a spoon to add your mixture to your pan, flattening the spoonfuls of batter with a fork. The pancakes should be nicely browned before you flip them over, it shouldn’t take long! I usually add either chocolate spread to top mine, cinnamon sugar, or a berry compote which I make by heating frozen mixed berries in a saucepan. Enjoy!
- Avocado on toast with tomatoes
Ingredients:
- Wholegrain bread
- Avocado
- Salt, pepper, paprika
- Cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil
Avocados have “high health benefits”, (Stephen, 3) and eating wholegrain bread “can create a feeling of fullness”, (Zain et al, 6535) both contributing to a healthy and substantial breakfast in the morning.
By putting the tomatoes in the oven with a bit of oil, salt and pepper on top, they will become soft and delicious. Adding them on the top of your avocado on toast is a great way to spruce up your breakfast, making it delicious but also healthy. Sprinkle over a bit of paprika for an extra layer of flavour and you are good to go. You can also add a bit of fried halloumi, or a boiled egg if you really want to push the boat out!
- Yogurt Bowl
Ingredients:
- Greek yogurt
- Fresh fruit
- Frozen fruit
- Granola/oats
- Yogurt
Greek yogurt is the perfect way to start your morning as it is “a nutrient dense food that contains essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals necessary for growth”. (Weerathilake et al, 8) These yogurt bowls are so great because you basically have free range to cater your bowl to whatever you fancy. Once you have the base: yogurt and granola, you can add whatever fresh fruit you would like. Kiwi is especially good for you, it actually has “more potassium than a banana”! (Tyagi et al, 98) As I said previously, to make the berry compote simply heat frozen fruit in a saucepan until it resembles a compote, you can add honey or sugar if you would like it to be sweeter.
- Cosy banana and blueberry porridge
Ingredients:
- Oats
- Banana
- Blueberries
- Milk
- Honey
- Cinamon
- Dark chocolate
We all know that porridge is extremely filling due to the inclusion of oats in the recipe, however I have found it difficult to make basic porridge interesting ad tasty. This recipe does just that!
Start off my making basic porridge: oats and milk in a saucepan, but then add a chopped bananas and a handful of blueberries. The blueberries will start to burst, releasing their juicy insides, and the bananas will soften. Then add about a tbsp of honey and a tsp of cinnamon and continue stirring. Once the porridge is ready, sprinkle over some dark chocolate (I usually chop it into small pieces) and you have got yourself a delicious, hearty breakfast!
All of these recipes are flexible, so you can put your own spin on them according to your own tastes. I hope that, if you try these recipes, they set your day off to a great start and you feel inspired to continue putting a little bit more love into your breakfasts each morning!
Bibliography:
Motyka, Sara, et al. “Health-Promoting Approaches of the Use of Chia Seeds.” Journal of Functional Foods, vol. 103, Apr. 2023, p. 105480, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2023.105480.
Spence, Charles. “Breakfast: The Most Important Meal of the Day?” International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, vol. 8, no. 8, July 2017, pp. 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2017.01.003.
Tyagi, Sachin. Kiwifruit : Health Benefits and Medicinal Importance. 2015.
Kiwifruit-Health-benefits-and-medicinal-importance.pdf
Weerathilake, W. A. D. V. et al, The Evolution, Processing, Varieties and Health Benefits of Yogurt. 2014.
Zain, Muhammad Zuhair Mohd, et al. “Potential Functional Food Ingredients in Bread and Their Health Benefits.” Biointerface Research in Applied Chemistry, vol. 12, no. 5, Nov. 2021, pp. 6533–42, https://doi.org/10.33263/briac125.65336542.