Recently, I have learned the following:
How I spend my mornings will quickly set the tone for the rest of my day.
How often do you find yourself scrambling out of the house in the morning with barely enough time to even grab a granola bar? I know that I’ve had some days where I’m lucky to even leave the house with matching socks on!
While there’s plenty of excuses to not add breakfast into your routine, making time to eat breakfast will leave you feeling energized, organized, and ready to take on the day! Plus, it begins your day with a mini accomplishment of starting your day with a healthy behavior.
Did you know that eating breakfast can also prevent brain fog and fatigue?
Here’s How:
Your body needs energy to perform its best, so consuming nutritious calories before starting the day provides the body with much needed energy for peak performance. Your body is essentially fasting as you are asleep, and breakfast can replenish your glucose levels and provide the nutrients needed to stay energized and productive during the day. In addition, eating breakfast keeps your body full longer, preventing indulgence in unhealthy calories later in the day.
I always had good intentions…
I tried to push myself to wake up early and make breakfast, but it didn’t start to ACTUALLY happen until I made a plan the night before. The results of planning allowed me to know what ingredients I have, what I want to make, to prep as much of it as possible, and basically make it as easy as possible for me in the morning when I’m tired.
When I first started working my full time job, while juggling many other life responsibilities, I learned that a few minutes of organization the night before could really make me feel less rushed in the morning.
While adding breakfast to your morning routine can be an adjustment, it doesn’t have to be difficult! Overnight oats are a perfect breakfast that can quickly be made the night before to save time. It is also helpful to try new recipes on the weekends when you may have more time, so that way you know how to make it quickly when you are more pressed on time!
Whether you’d prefer to prep breakfast the night before so that you can quickly get out the door, or take time to sit down and enjoy your meal with some quiet time before taking on the day, I’ve got you covered.
HERE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE MORNING RECIPES
CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN PANCAKES
Calories: 525
63g carbs
36g protein
16g fat
Ingredients
1/2 cup Kodiak Cakes power cakes dark chocolate mix
3 tbsp egg whites
1/2 cup organics vanilla almond milk
6 tbsp PB fit peanut butter powder
1 tbsp roasted cocoa nibs
The Process
Mix power cake mix, egg whites, and almond milk in a bowl
Spray skillet with non stick spray
Pour small lil pancakes onto skillet on medium-high heat and let sit until they bubble a lot, then flip onto other side for about 1 minute
Make pbfit peanut butter by combining 6 tbsp pbfit with ~6 tbsp water (or until you like consistency)
Layer each pancake with peanut butter and sliced banana, and then top with cocoa nibs
VANILLA RASPBERRY OVERNIGHT OATS
Calories: 243
33g carbs
18g protein
4g fat
Ingredients
1/3 cup Quaker Oats
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp raw organic honey
1/2 scoop vanilla plant based protein
1/4 cup raspberries
The Process
Mix all ingredients together in bowl except for raspberries
Put one half of mix in mason jar, add in raspberries, and then add in the rest of the mix so raspberries are in the middle and soak into it all
Seal lid and place in fridge overnight
Top with a few more raspberries in the morning!
EGG, VEGGIE AND POTATO POWER PLATE
Calories: 542
61g carbs
27g protein
22g fat
Ingredients
2 red skin potatoes
1 organic jumbo free range egg
2 oz natural turkey summer sausage
5 cherry tomatoes
1/4 avocado
1.5 cups baby spinach
1/2 tbsp olive oil
The Process
Preheat oven to 400
Place foil over baking sheet
Chop and peel potatoes into little 1/2 inch pieces and place on baking sheet. drizzle over olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic salt, and parsley (or whatever seasoning you want) and place in oven for 25 mins
Place the egg in a pan with non stick spray over low heat and cover until done (I just eyeball it, but takes 5-7 mins or so probably)
Place spinach in pan with some light salt/pepper and let it kinda shrivel up like it is in the picture here lol, it doesn’t take long
Chop tomatoes
Cut up your avocado and top with some light salt/pepper
Slice the sausage, place on a pan with non-stock spray, and cook to your liking
ABOUT SERENA
(@lookin_like_a_snaack)
Serena graduated from Chapman University with a B.S. in Health Science and is passionate about all things health related. She enjoys spending her time exercising, trying new recipes, being outdoors, and spending time with friends. Serena’s future goal is to become a Physician Assistant where she can use her passion to help others live a healthy life.
