The old adage “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is highly debated. However, whether you eat it upon waking, or if it’s your first meal to BREAK your FAST, making whatever you call that meal nutritious is pretty important.
In my home, two things have become quite evident: (1) I feel and function so much better when I have a nutrient-dense breakfast and (2) I don’t have time to make one in the mornings. Many of us are in the busiest season of life right now, juggling a million different activities. Who has time to make breakfast?!
Mamas, hear me out. This is your chance to include some self-care on the busiest of days. Even if the rest of the day gets away from you, starting your morning by fueling your body with nutrients will help you feel energized and accomplished.
Here are some of my favorite breakfast hacks to ensure I’m energized for the day AND can get out the door on time:
1. My go-to on days where I’m teaching and on my feet all day is a smoothie. I sip at it throughout the morning, feeling full and energized until lunchtime. In essence, smoothies are relatively easy to throw together. However, finding, grabbing, and measuring the ingredients does take time I don’t always have, so I typically freeze several different varieties full of veggies, fruit, add-ins and protein powder. In the mornings, I simply throw a bag in the blender with some added liquid, pour it into my favorite insulated to-go cup and hit the road. I follow this chart for guidance.
2. I also batch cook healthy pancakes, waffles, or muffins. These don’t last me as long because the kids raid them as well. For those mornings when I want that warm cozy feeling but am low on time, I pop a few in the microwave or toaster, top with berries, and voila! (Click the above links for some inspiration!)
3. My go-to breakfast is eggs. Over the summer, I was in a good routine of adding a side of veggies to my eggs. However, as the days got busier, I barely had time to scramble an egg, let alone cook a balanced breakfast.
Then I stumbled upon this idea, and I’m just going to go ahead and say it has been a game changer.
One morning, I spent maybe an hour tops chopping up a variety of veggies, frying up some bacon and cooking turkey sausage. Then, I put each ingredient in a separate bowl and began an assembly line. I added about 1/8-1/4 cup of each ingredient to a bag, mixing and matching various items. I had no idea how much it would make, but I ended up with 38 bags. That’s 38 nutrient packed breakfasts I will have at the ready!
All I do in the morning is pop one bag out of the freezer and into a pan. Because they are so small, they cook up really quickly. After a minute or so, I throw an egg or two into the same pan. You can scramble it, or just move the veggie hash to the side to make a sunny side up or over-easy egg. Every morning is a new adventure since I made so many different combination packs. Any nutritionist will tell you that variety is key to promoting health!
Here are a few mix-in options: sausage (store bought or homemade), bacon (many healthy options), broccoli, potatoes, cauliflower, onions, multi-colored peppers, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, ham, turkey, squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, spinach, kale, olives, parsnips, cheese, etc. Mix and math the various ingredients together.
If you want a guide, consider mimicking some classic omelet recipes, but don’t be afraid to get creative and create some new combinations of your own!
Denver: ham, cheddar, bell peppers, onions
Veggie: broccoli, cauliflower, tomato, zucchini, onion, kale
Meat Lovers: sausage, bacon, onions, broccoli
Mediterranean: tomatoes, spinach, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, feta
A little bit of prep goes a long way. In this case, a few hours of work has yielded at least six weeks’ worth of nutritious breakfasts from which to choose! What are some of your go-to breakfast hacks?
