Breakfast // Quick & Healthy Ideas

 Hey guys!

So, I've decided that one of the things I wanted to do this year is blog about more recipes and food ideas - I've always really loved baking, for example, but it's never really been something that I've blogged about, even though I love reading other people's foodie blogs and drooling over the gorgeous pictures of delicious looking food!

I thought I'd kick things off with a quick post about some quick and healthy breakfast ideas! So why start with breakfast?

For starters, breakfast is the first meal of the day, so it naturally makes sense to start there. Also, a few years back, I stopped eating breakfast as often. I know there’s a lot of people like me out there, who either don’t have time for breakfast in the mornings, or just can’t face eating when they get up – but breakfast is pretty much the most important meal of the day, as it sets you up for the day ahead, so I've made it a goal of mine to start eating breakfast every day again this year, even if it’s just something small like a banana with a cup of tea.
I usually don’t like eating as soon as I wake up – I like to have a cup of tea and take a bit of time to wake up before I even think about eating – and I’ll usually have something like a couple of slices of toast, some porridge, or occasionally something cooked like sausage and egg! I personally get bored of food if I’m eating the same things too often (I don’t know if any of you feel the same, but my brother could – and does – happily eat the same things day in, day out) so I decided to look up some quick, easy and healthy breakfast recipes that I could try, and I thought that I’d try some with you too! 

First things first –  

smoothies! 

I’d been wanting a specific blender for a while – my dad has the same one (as well as a NutriBullet now) and I like using it when I stay at his – and I finally bought one just after Christmas! It's the Breville Blend Active VBL062, I do believe, and I love it! 

I’ve actually been having smoothies most mornings since New Year, and I keep playing around with different combinations of ingredients! The good thing about making your own smoothies is that you know that there should be less sugar in them than shop bought ones. One of my current favourite recipes is 200ml water, 200ml whole milk (the cups for my blender came with measurements on the side, so you can see how much stuff you’re putting in, and they recommend you don’t fill it above the 600ml mark!) a small handful of spinach or kale, and a small handful of frozen berries (you can use fresh fruit if you want to, but recently I’ve been using frozen because I find it easier). If you want to make it a bit more filling, you can also add a scoop of unflavoured protein powder or 1 – 2 tablespoons of oats. You can pretty much add whatever you want, though – almonds and other nuts, seeds, supplements…whatever you like! Just make sure you blend it well if you put oats in!

 
The second thing is

 overnight oats! 

I’ve seen pictures of this online so often, and it always looks so delicious and tasty! You simply put some oats into a jar or bowl (around 50g is the average on most recipes I’ve seen for this) and add some fruit, nuts, seeds, etc and mix in. Then, top it up with some milk (most recipes seem to suggest almond milk or something similar, but I don’t like the taste of nuts so I usually use whole milk), give it a stir and leave it in the fridge overnight to soften and soak. Then, the next day, simply grab the bowl or jar from the fridge and voila, instant breakfast! (You can also warm it up in the microwave if you don’t like cold porridge).

The final breakfast idea on my list sounds a bit weird, but I see people raving about this all the time – 

avocado and poached eggs on toast. 

Avocado is full of good fats, so it’s a good thing to try and eat fairly regularly. Simply make some toast – wholemeal or seeded bread is best – then add some kind of spread (we usually use olive oil spread at home). Scoop out the insides of an avocado and crush it, then spread it on the toast. Poach a couple of eggs as normal, put them on top, then season and eat – simple! I've only had this a handful of times, and it's pretty nice but also pretty rich and creamy so I don't like to eat it too often!

There’s so many other amazing healthy recipes out there, but these are just some of my favourites – hopefully I'll be trying out (and sharing) some more soon! 

What kind of healthy breakfast recipes do you have, and will you be trying any of these? Let me know!