I LOVE BREAKFAST!
I always have. I have woken up starving for pretty much my whole life, so that first meal of the day always makes me feel good. I know some people just don’t feel like breakfast, butI’ve never understood that. But over the last few years my breakfasts have changed dramatically.
Long gone are the days when I would load up a bowl until the cereal peaked over the crest of the rim before I proceeded to drown it in low-fat milk.
Long gone are the days when 4-6 pieces of toast would help fill me up when eating bacon and eggs.Long gone are the days I would eat scrambled eggs followed by a massive bowl of porridge with honey and fruit on top. Now I’ve entered a new stage of breakfast eating, caveman style.
These days breakfast is just another meal. It can be exactly the same as lunch or dinner. If all I have is leftover beef curry, then beef curry it is. And I feel plenty full after I’m finished with sustained energy to last me through until lunch.
I quite often dont snack between meals any more either. Don’t need to.
There are no more grains in my breakfast (because of gluten sensitivities), so most cereal and porridge which both contain gluten, are out the window. I also don’t eat dairy (lactose intolerance) so that makes things easier too.
So when people ask me what to eat for breakfast, they are often not too happy with the answer. And it sometimes takes a little longer to prepare. It’s so far away from the norm, that they just keep eating the same way they have done most of their lives.
But I’ve finally put together a short list of quick and easy healthy breakfasts which should supply you with enough energy to get you through until morning tea if not lunch. It may take some adjustment for a few weeks, but in the long run will do you good.
There are 7 different Breakfast Ideas with Recipes for each.
Six of them you can eat any day of the week and the other one is for after your workout. Or you could have it as a cheat meal on the weekend. But if you do a short, intense workout beforehand, it will help use the carbs much better and keep you burning fat throughout the day and on track towards your physique goals.
Trav’s Scrambled Eggs
Any Day Breakfast
2-5 free range eggs
1 diced tomato
half to one diced capsicum – any colour
half a small red onion finely diced
handful of spinach finely diced
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of sea salt and pepper or any spices
Combine the eggs, spices and diced vegies in a mixing bowl and whisk them up until they are mixed through. Heat up the oil in a frypan on low to medium heat and spread it so the base of the frypan is covered. Add the contents of the bowl to the frypan and stir every minute until it cooks through. You may need to play with the temperature until you find the sweet spot for your hotplate. Alternatively let it cook through into an omelette. When it looks cooked eat it!
Berry Protein Smoothie
Any Day Breakfast
1 scoop or 3 tablespoons of protein powder. The only brands I recommend are Professional Whey (I have this in stock) and Boomers natural unflavoured protein.
50-100ml coconut milk. You may want light coconut milk or the low quantity if wanting to lose fat. Coconut water is also great, but you’ll want to add in some good fat such as nuts, seeds, avocado to help fill you up.
half to one cup of frozen berries – any kind will do
a handful of fresh spinach or a serve of vital greens powder – you won’t taste the spinach!
100-300ml water depending on how you like the consistency
ice cubes
Throw everything in a blender (not a stick blender) and blend on high until all ingredients are smooth. You may have to use the ice setting. Drink and enjoy!
Peri Peri Chicken & Vegetable Salad
Any Day Breakfast
Half to one chicken breast from an already roasted chicken – I usually buy these every few days and you can get free range ones from Woolworths
half a red and half a yellow capsicum or whatever colours you can find.
a handful of spinach finely diced
quarter to half a diced avocado depending on your size – ladies stick with the smaller quantity
half to one cup of diced and peeled cucumber
a pinch of sea salt and pepper and as much ground chilli, cayenne and peri peri seasoning as you desire
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
You can eat this cold or hot. I am lazy so cold usually wins but hot tastes better! Throw the diced veggies in a bowl with the spices. Heat the chicken up in a frypan on low to medium heat with the olive oil. Once it’s warm throw it in the salad and enjoy!
Protein Pancakes for 2
Post Workout Breakfast
1 cup of whole wheat pancake mix (or gluten free pancake mix)
2 heaping scoops of vanilla whey protein powder
¾ cup of low fat cottage cheese
3 egg whites (half a cup)
3 tbsp flax seeds
¼ cup of water
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or organic butter
Place the egg whites, cottage cheese, flax seeds and water in a blender and process until smooth. Mix the wet ingredients together with the pancake mix and protein powder in a large bowl.
Cook the pancakes any size you like the in a frypan coated with olive oil or butter over low to medium heat. After pouring the pancake batter into the frypan, they will be ready to flip after bubbles form around the edges (about 5 minutes).
Bacon, Eggs With Grilled Tomato, Mushrooms & Spinach
Any Day Breakfast
2-4 free range eggs
1-3 rashes of lean bacon
a whole tomato chopped in half
half to one cup of diced mushrooms
a handful of fresh spinach
half to one tablespoon of organic butter
* for variety you could add a quarter to half a mashed avocado depending on your size – ladies stick with the smaller quantity. You may want to back off the bacon and eggs if you do, to limit your fat intake.
Heat up the butter in a frypan on low to medium heat and spread it so the base of the frypan is covered. Add the eggs to the frypan and fry or scramble them. Take them out before putting the bacon in, then adding the tomato chopped side down and the other veggies thrown together. Once everything is cooked take it out and eat it. If your eggs or bacon look too fatty you can sit them on a paper towel to remove some excess fat.
Scrambled Steak & Eggs
Any Day Breakfast
2 free range eggs
half to one normal serve of leftover cooked steak
one green capsicum
a handful of fresh spinach finely diced
half a small brown onion finely diced
half to one tablespoon of organic butter
Heat the butter in a frypan on medium heat. Add capsicum, onion, and spinach and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the steak and sauté another minute, then cover with the eggs and stir together until it all cooks through. Add a pinch of sea salt and pepper and some mixed herbs to taste.
Leftover Dinner From Last Night
Any Day Breakfast
whatever you’ve got left in the fridge
Grab the bowl or container you stored the leftovers in and heat it up in a saucepan or in the microwave. When its hot, eat it.
If you have a breakfast recipe which in loaded with protein, a little fat and a little carbs, please send it through to me. I’d love to share it with everyone!
Some of these breakfast ideas are from the following sources, so for more quality breakfast recipes like these, you can check out:
Precision Nutrition – John Berardi
The Renegade Diet – Jason Ferruggia
The Paleo Diet Cookbook – Loren Cordain
