Do you struggle with breakfast? Here’s my favourites

There’s no denying it for me: if I have a good breakfast I feel empowered, I feel full and I feel committed to eating well for the rest of the day.

I also feel like a legend because life would be easier if I skipped it or just grabbed a piece of toast.

Here are a few things I have learnt about breakfast on my journey to eating more real food:

1. I will NEVER stop wanting vegemite on toast and coffee for breakfast.

2. Transitioning out of old habits takes time.

3. Transitioning out of old habits requires thought and preparation.

4. Change is hard.

5. A few delicious options staring at you in the face is going to make all the difference.

6. If I don’t prioritise my own breakfast as an important meal then no one else will!

7. Leading by example is the BEST way to get kids (and husbands!) to try new things.

8. It’s ok to change things up, to experiment and get it wrong.

9. Breakfast can be fast and delicious and real.

10. It’s ok to have croissants sometimes!

I very rarely blog my breakfast ‘recipes’ because they aren’t really recipes and who has time in the morning to think about taking pics and sharing them!?  I do that sometimes, however, and always get a big response.

Why do we struggle with breakfast?

Is it because we were brought up on cereal?

Pouring a highly processed and (most likely) sugar and salt-laden cereal into a bowl and covering it with (most likely) low-fat milk was the norm.  Or perhaps it was white bread with margarine (oh dear no!) and a spread of choice. Perhaps a glass of supermarket-bought OJ to really help with that sugar-spike first up.

Is it because we’re busy?

The morning RUSH means that there is ‘no time’ to cook, ‘no time’ to beg kids to try something new, ‘no time’ to sit and eat and enjoy a meal that is breaking the night’s fast and setting us up for the day.

Is it because we’ve forgotten that to get through until lunch, with energy and vitality, we don’t actually need coffee – we need food that sustains us and serves us?  Food that is real, food that our body recognises as food.

Whatever the reason, it’s fair to say that many of us get caught in a slump when it comes to breakfast.

So here are some of my SUPER SIMPLE breakfast ideas.

Some for during the week, and some for weekends with a little more time.

• Spinach, cucumber, avocado and bacon (good quality bacon from a reputable butcher) , drizzled with olive oil and ADD YOUR FAVOURITE FRUIT – this one has mango.  

• A smoothie!  Like - my perfect green smoothie or perhaps whizz up a frozen banana, an avocado, a few ice cubes, half an apple or pear, a sprinkling of chia seeds, two massive handfuls of spinach, a cucumber and a glass of water with a few teaspoons of my new favourite product – gelatine.

• Granola.  This recipe is a cracker. If I’ve got this in the cupboard then I can always take it with me in a little pouch (I use the 4myearth brand) if I’ve run out of time.  The kids also like a sprinkling of this on top of their porridge.

• Freshly made Rainbow Juice – celery, cucumber, carrot, lettuce, watermelon

• Egg with bacon or tuna spinach, tomato and sauerkraut.

• This pancake recipe is my absolute favourite at the moment.

• Mamacino has a gorgeous French Toast recipe in her Kids in the Kitchen cookbook and we love it topped with pure maple syrup (oh, ok, and bacon, let’s be honest!)

• I still will never go past an omelette.  So quick and so easy. Small Steppers know that it’s one of my favourite breakfasts – they watch my husband make one in real time. I like eggs SO MANY ways.  But an omelette with delicious fillings like avocado, tuna and feta.  Bring it!

Now, I know that some of you may have clicked on the pancake recipe thinking ‘YES – pancakes it is’ and then been disappointed because you don’t have a few of those ingredients in your pantry.  I hear you.  I was you.  Don’t panic.  If you are making pikelets from flour, eggs and milk and not eating Macca’s hotcakes then you are doing GREAT!  I look for options that don’t include wheat flour when I can, just to change things up.

My advice is always to take small steps.

These might be MY favourite breakfasts right now (it changes all the time) but it’s taken me a while to get here.

Do you like eating raw foods? (I’ll admit I have eaten carrot and cucumber and bliss balls for breakfast before!)  Would you have your leftovers from dinner?  Could your first step be moving away from white bread to a dense delicious traditional sourdough?  Or perhaps it’s ditching that margarine and replacing with butter – which is REAL FOOD!

We spend two weeks in the breakfasts module in Small Steps to Wholefoods.  Two weeks learning about different choices and implementing a few new ideas.  But two weeks isn’t going to break habits of a lifetime.  That takes time!

Armed with ideas and inspiration, however, many past participants have had brilliant results in changing their breakfast routine.

The biggest tip I have for you is to try as much as you possibly can to sit down and eat your breakfast.  Give this meal a little respect people!  Sit and eat and enjoy it.  Chew it. Be as present as you can.

Appreciate the gift that this food will give you.  Change your relationship with breakfast and your days might start to feel a little different.

Comment below with what you can start making for breakfast that is totally delicious and doesn’t take a stack of time to prepare?

x

Don’t forget that the EARLYBIRD price for Small Steps is closing soon – don’t miss out!