Quick Breakfast Recipes

Although I love the idea of being a morning person, I do not think that I will ever be one of those people who purposefully wakes up early enough to be able to make myself a gourmet breakfast. To be quite honest, most of my breakfasts are made in only a couple of minutes before I have to run out of my house to avoid being late. However, just because your breakfast is made quickly does not mean that it cannot be filling and nutritious! In fact, all of these recipes can be made with super simple ingredients in 10 minutes or less without even turning on a stove. Hope this post helps you have a great start to your day, even when you're in a rush! 

To make overnight...

Overnight Oats

Pre-prep time: 3 min, "Cook" time: overnight, Morning time: 0-30 sec

This has definitely become one of my favorite breakfast options: tasty, inexpensive, portable, and can be served hot or cold. Although it's basically oatmeal, overnight oats save you time in the morning and are creamier because of the overnight soaking process. I'd definitely recommend this one to any of my fellow late-wakers - I typically just grab one of these on my way out the door!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/3 cup milk/nut milk
• 1 mashed banana (optional but serves as a natural sweetener and thickener)
• 1 tsp chia (optional but adds more thickness)
• Optional additions: cinnamon, spirulina, turmeric, matcha powder, espresso, cocoa, vanilla extract, protein powder
• Optional toppings: fresh berries, almond butter, shredded coconut

Directions

1.) Pour the oats and milk into a cup or mason jar and stir. After well combined, stir in the mashed banana. Then, stir in the chia and/or one of the 'optional additions' if you choose.

2.) Once the oats are thoroughly mixed, cover and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.

3.) Take out of the fridge in the morning and add toppings if you desire. If you would like the oats hot, microwave them for one minute (just make sure the container you are using is microwave safe.)

Chia Pudding

Pre-prep time: 2 min,"Cook" time: overnight+, Morning time: 0-30 sec

This breakfast option is such a filling way to start your day. Although, at first, I was a little skeptical about putting such a hefty amount of chia in this pudding, I quickly realized that the more chia you add, the thicker and creamier the pudding gets. I would recommend prepping a couple of these for the week at once because the consistency gets more "pudding-like" the longer it soaks. Top with jam in the morning and voila!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Dash of honey
• Optional add-ins and/or toppings: jam, fresh fruit, coconut, spirulina, cocoa, charcoal

Directions

1.) Combine the chia, milk, vanilla extract, and honey in a cup or mason jar, stirring thoroughly. Customize it by adding any additional flavorings you would like. 

2.) Cover the mixture and refrigerate overnight (but preferably longer for a thicker pudding.)

3.) Grab from the fridge and add some "additional toppings" if desired. 

Made in the morning in minutes...

Avocado Toast + Microwave Egg

Prep time: 3 min, Cook time: 2 min

Okay, I know the "recipe" for avocado toast is pretty self explanatory but I thought I'd include this go-to anyways! The addition of the egg makes it even more filling and delicious. No need to pay 6+ dollars for it in a restaurant when you can whip it up  yourself at home!

Ingredients

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 slice toast (Sprouts' multigrain is one of my favs)
• 1 egg
• Seasoning: pepper, salt, crushed red pepper

Directions

1.) Stick toast in toaster.

2.) Combine the avo with the salt, and red pepper until it is a spread. Set aside.

3.) Cook the egg (without using a skillet)! 

a.) Shown above is a microwave-poached egg. I typically use a microwaveable egg poacher and it takes less than a minute! All you need to do is put a bit of water in the container, crack the egg, and microwave it for 45-60 seconds. To all my friends going off to college in the next few months, I'd highly recommend! 

b.) An alternative way is to make a microwave scrambled egg. Simply spray a microwave-safe bowl or mug with cooking spray, add a bit of milk, and whisk with a fork. Next, put the egg into the microwave for 30 seconds, take it out and flip it, then microwave it for another 30 seconds.

4.) Once the toast and the egg are both cooked, spread the avo spread onto the bread and top with an egg and some pepper.

Acai Smoothie Bowl

Prep time: 5-7 minutes

Although these bowls look as though they're not meant for when you're in a rush, they actually can be thrown together within minutes! They also make a more filling alternative to the simple breakfast smoothie. 

Ingredients

• 1 Sambazon acai packet
• 1 small handful of frozen blueberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 4-6 frozen strawberries
• 1/4-1/2 cup almond/ coconut milk (add as you blend)
• 1 tbs almond butter
• Optional toppings: more fresh fruit, granola, coconut, honey, chia

Directions

1.) Blend together the frozen fruit and the milk, adding a little bit of milk as you blend. If you are using a low power blender, include some fresh fruit along with the frozen.

2.) Either pour the smoothie bowl in a portable container and eat on the go or enjoy for a couple minutes at home. Top with anything you'd like!

Banana Oat Waffles

Prep time: 4 min, Cook time: 3-4 min

Thanks to fellow foodie @vegsarach for the recipe for the waffles above! These waffles are super quick to make yet will make you feel like a gourmet breakfast chef. Although they'd make great pancakes as well, I think that not needing to turn on the stovetop to make these definitely saves me time. I'd recommend topping them with some almond butter for a little extra protein!

Ingredients

• 2 mashed bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of oats
•  1 tsp vanilla extract
•  1 tsp cinnamon
• Optional toppings: berries, granola, almond butter
• Material: cooking spray

Directions

1.) Preheat the waffle maker.

2.) Combine ingredients in a blender until they are mostly smooth (it's totally okay if not all the oats are fully blended).

3.) Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the waffle maker & wait.

4.) Once the waffle is brown and non-gooey take it out and enjoy with whatever toppings you prefer!

***I also have a similar (with a slightly longer prep time) recipe found here!! 

Morning Matcha

Prep time: 5 min

Recently, I have tried to drink tea before school instead of coffee because coffee sometimes makes me jittery and my energy crash midday. So, I have discovered that for me, matcha is the perfect pre-school drink because it has a good amount of caffeine, yet that caffeine is released in your body over the span of several hours to give you a more sustained energy. Here is how I make this seemingly complex drink in just a couple of minutes before dashing out the door!

Ingredients

• about 1 tsp matcha power (I really like U-Matcha Single Sips by Republic of Tea's...  a bit expensive for the pack but worth it because it breaks down to just a little over a dollar per matcha)
• 1/2 a mug of almond milk
• 1/2 a mug of water
• honey (optional)

Directions

1.) If wanting your matcha hot, heat half of a mug of water and half of a mug of almond milk.

2.) Blend the hot water, hot almond milk, matcha powder, and honey in a blender for about 30 seconds.

3.) Pour in a mug or two go cup and you're good to go!

Other healthy ideas...

• yogurt & granola
• granola bar (but make sure it's one with minimal amounts of refined sugar)
• almond butter toast
• smoothie with protein
• apple and nut butter

Contrary to popular belief, a healthy breakfast does not have to be time consuming or expensive. So, next time you find yourself scrambling in the morning and looking for something to eat in under 10 minutes, I hope you give one of these recipes a try!