Healthy Breakfast Ideas to Jumpstart your Day

Ever heard the saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? Well, that’s true for a few reasons. Having breakfast helps kickstart your metabolism and gives you energy for the day. Focusing on having a nutritious and filling breakfast can also help set the tone for healthier choices through your day.  

But healthy doesn’t always have to mean long or complicated. Here are some quick, simple ideas to give a try:  

Overnight Oats  

If you’ve never tried overnight oats, here’s your sign! They’re super simple to make and come with a lot of different flavor options. Here is a good basic recipe to try:  

• ½ cup rolled oats 

• ½ cup milk of your choice  

• ¼ cup yogurt of your choice 

• 1 tablespoon sweetener of your choice (I like maple syrup!) 

• Optional: 1 tablespoon chia seeds  

Mix the ingredients altogether in a jar and store overnight in the fridge. 

If you like things plain and simple, give the basic recipe a try. But if you like to switch it up, here are a few flavor ideas to try:  

• Blueberry pie: mix in ½ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract  

• Cinnamon roll: mix in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract  

• Mocha: mix in 2 tablespoons of cold coffee or espresso, 2 tablespoons of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder  

• Peanut Butter & Jelly: mix in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of jam 

Breakfast Burritos  

It might not be reasonable to make yourself a breakfast burrito every morning, but you can make a big batch, freeze them, and heat them up for later! 

Of course you can load your breakfast burrito with whatever you prefer, but here is a great, simple burrito you can try: 

Ingredients 

• 12 large eggs 

• Salt and pepper to taste 

• 2 teaspoons olive oil  

• 2 cups baby spinach 

• 6 whole-wheat tortillas 

• ½ cup shredded cheese  

• Add any other veggies you like – some good additions are bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, potatoes. 

To make the burritos, whisk together your eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat and cook your spinach (as well as any other veggies you’re using). Cook until the spinach is wilted. Pour in the eggs and cook the eggs until set.  

Assemble by placing a bit of the egg mixture and cheese onto each burrito. Wrap into a nice snug burrito and then wrap tightly with tin foil.  

From here, they’re ready to freeze! 

To reheat them, unwrap the burrito and place on a microwave safe plate. Cover with a paper towel and microwave on 50% or defrost for 1-2 minutes, then on high for any additional :30 seconds – 1 minute, or until completely heated through.  

Enjoy! 

Energy Bites   

If you’re never tried energy bites, this is your sign! They are quick to throw together and can be stored for simple breakfasts or even as a quick snack! 

Here is an energy bite base by wellplated.com that I like to use:  

Ingredients:  

• 1 ¼ cup quick oats 

• 2 tbsp chia seeds 

• ½ cup peanut butter (or nut butter of choice) 

• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup  

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

All you need to do is mix in all your ingredients (including any flavor combo mix-ins) and set in the fridge to 30 minutes to an hour so they can roll easier. After sitting in the fridge, take them out and make into balls. Place in a container and store in the fridge! 

Here are some fun flavor combos to try:  

• Almond Joy: replace ½ cup of the oats with ½ cup of unsweetened coconut flakes. Use almond butter instead of peanut butter. Add ¼ cup of chocolate chips.  

• Classic chocolate chip: Add ½ cup of Chocolate chips  

• Oatmeal Raisin: add ½ cup raisins and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon  

• White Chocolate Cranberry: add ¼ cup of cranberries and ¼ cup white chocolate chips  

Yogurt and Granola 

The concept is simple, but the variations are endless! The base of this is, of course, is yogurt and granola. For me, I use about ¾ cup of plain Greek yogurt, since it has a bit more protein and less sugar. For the granola, I look for a store bought options that have more protein and fiber. I use about 1/3 cup (or whatever the serving size is!). I will also add a tablespoon of honey, since I’m choosing unsweetened yogurt. If you choose a sweetened yogurt instead, I would omit the honey. 

From there, the toppings are endless. Here are just a few flavor combinations you can try adding to the base combination:  

• Apple pie: add sliced apples and cinnamon 

• Berry Bowl: add your favorite berries, like raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries  

• Chocolate raspberry: add raspberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips 

• Peanut butter banana: add a drizzle of peanut butter and sliced bananas   

• Pina Colada: add some pineapple and shaved coconut 

What are your favorite quick, easy, and healthy breakfasts? Feel free to share below!