Beyond Bacon & Eggs, Breakfast Ideas to Freshen Up Your Mornings
Are you feeling bored of the same old breakfast every morning? Whether you’re trying to start the day off with a healthy meal or looking to spice up your breakfast, there are lots of creative breakfast ideas to try.
Even if you’re in a rush, with little time to make something special for breakfast, with a little advance planning you can still create a delicious, well-balanced breakfast.
Mixing up your breakfast recipes will give you a fresh start to your day, inspiring innovation. Whether or not you believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you can make it into a memorable start, even with a busy morning competing for your attention. Leave the cereal box where it is, and think beyond traditional bland breakfast offerings to recipes with a little more creativity. Here are some ideas to upgrade your breakfast:
01.
Healthy Breakfast Ideas
When you’re in a rush, it can be hard to think about making time in your busy morning for a healthy breakfast. But, put that donut down and consider all the ways you can plan ahead for a nutritious start to your day. While it isn’t a realistic everyday goal to prepare a gourmet breakfast, that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a granola bar or sugary grab-and-go option.
Consider some alternatives to instant oatmeal, for example. Hearty steel-cut oats have more fiber, to help you feel full for longer. When you make them as overnight oats, your morning breakfast preparation gets cut down to almost zero. Or, switch up the oatmeal for quinoa to create a breakfast bowl topped with fruit.
Although toasted bagels and cream cheese is my favorite fast breakfast treat, there are ways to get the flavor of the bagel shop without the carbs. An everything-spiced frittata topped with whipped ricotta cheese offers delicious bagel-vibes without the simple carbohydrates.
02.
Breakfast on the go
Save the huevos rancheros and cinnamon roll pancakes for weekend brunch – during the weekday morning when you’re juggling getting the kids ready for school and jump-starting your own day, fast and easy breakfast options are a time saver. But, a hectic morning doesn’t mean you have to resort to old breakfast traditions like a bowl of cereal, there are still plenty of ways to spice up the morning meal in a flash.
My go-to options for an on-the-go morning? Anything made in muffin tins! I first discovered how brilliantly portable it was to make individual serving-sized versions of breakfast favorites in muffin tins when discovering eggy toast cups in a bakery in San Francisco. I asked them for the recipe, and they said they simply pressed a piece of bread into a muffin tin, cracked an egg on top, and baked for 10-15 minutes. After the egg was set, they sprinkled with shredded cheese, and voila! You can make pretty much any breakfast dish in a muffin tin, making it easy to grab and eat in the car on your way to work or put in your kids’ hands as they walk out the door. For a low-carb option, just beat eggs with cheese and seasonings and bake in muffin tins for mini quiches.
Smoothies are another fast and easy breakfast option to get you lots of nutrients without any fuss. Just make sure to incorporate plenty of veggies and protein, and not just fruit! Greek yogurt and almond butter make easy protein additions, as well as providing a creamy texture. For the vegetables, try spinach, kale, or any other leafy greens. For a summer smoothie, blend the ingredients ahead of time and freeze into popsicle molds for a cool and easy breakfast.
If you love your slow cooker for ‘set it and forget it’ dinners, try using it for breakfast as well! You can make up to a ready-to-eat, warm and cozy breakfast by planning ahead with breakfast slow cooker ideas. Try Slow-Cooker French Toast Casserole:
To make, simply whisk all eggs, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste and pour into a greased slow cooker over the cubed bread. Cook on low for four hours and discover an easy and delicious breakfast casserole.
03.
Sweet Breakfast Ideas
My favorite thing about breakfast? The polite agreement that you can eat a decadent dessert for breakfast and pretend it’s a proper meal. Whether you are celebrating or just crave a sweet and special breakfast, there are plenty of delicious options that will fulfill your sugar craving.
Case in point: Pop Tarts are really just individual pies. Make just about any pie for breakfast and you can get away with having dessert in the morning. Better yet when they are hand pies (which you can call a gourmet Pop Tart, if you like).
While waffles usually get their special sweetness from toppings, there are plenty of creative ways you can dress up the batter as well. Try your hand at homemade Lemon Elderflower Waffles for a summery breakfast.
For a fast and easy sweet breakfast, you can make pancake batter in the blender (pro tip – pile the ingredients in the blender the night before and stick it in the fridge) so all you have to do to have weekend-worthy pancakes any busy day is pour into a hot skillet and enjoy. And, since you’re only using a blender and a skillet, you’ll only have two easy dishes to clean.
For the most decadently sweet breakfast, up your French toast game with Chocolate Peanut Butter French Toast.
Chocolate Peanut Butter French Toast
INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ cup egg whites
- 3 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 slices bread of your choice
- 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter to top
- Berries to garnish
Directions
- Whisk together egg whites, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and salt to taste, if you’d like
- Soak each slice of bread in the mixture until absorbed
- Coated a skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium high
- Cook bread slices on both sides until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes total
- Top French toast with peanut butter and berries
We hope you enjoy yourself today and keep checking back for ongoing tips, guides and great shopping!
