Five Easy Breakfasts (that aren't cereal!!)

Working from home got you feeling a bit uninspired in the morning?

Remember when we had to leave the house to go to that place - what's it called - ah yes, work, in the morning .. wow.

It's been documented that some of us even bought breakfast on the way to work, from .... these places .. food and drink establishments ... what memories.

Well, it doesn't have to be an endless cycle of rolling from bed to desk.

Oh, if you came looking to flex your culinary skillz you came to the wrong place.

Title: Five Easy Breakfasts .. minimum effort. You won't find any poached eggs here. Sorry. Also not even an avocado in sight.

I'm no Nigella, I'm Lucy.

One thing I. just. love. is when I google 'quick' or 'easy' food ideas and articles present me with ideas that are neither 'quick' nor 'easy'.

These dishes aim for a mix of macros (protein, fats and carbs). Each macro definitely has its benefits as an energy source, as well as satiety and calorific value.

It's simply some ideas to widen the horizons from typically carb-rich cereal (which although undeniably convenient when it needs to be) can be high in sugar, have an infinite "portion size" (who even eats a single portion size of cereal .. answers on a postcard please?) and, for me personally, leaves me feeling full for all of 20 minutes.

1. Mini cooked breakfast

Calories: 377

Macros: Carb: 33g, Fats, 12g, Protein 32g

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooked breakfast on a weekday? Before work? Yeah.

Oven cooked sausages, boiled egg and steamed veg might not feel as heavy-duty as a full-on fry up by cutting most of the fat in the cooking process. I personally like Linda McCartney veggie sausages, but we also enjoy low-fat chicken sausages.

Bang it all in the oven/ cooker to cook while you go get sorted for the day.

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2. Salmon, spinach, sorted

Calories: 321

Macros: C: 20g, F: 15g, P: 26g

Prep time: <10 mins

Savoury breakfasts (protein and fat oriented) generally take longer to digest, meaning less chance of that morning spike in blood sugar levels from other sweet morning meals.

Cooked spinach can be livened up with anything from lemon juice, black pepper, a dash of soy or Tabasco if you don't like it as is.

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3. Blitzed brekkie

Calories: 300

Macros: C: 49g, F: 3g, P: 18

g

Prep time: < 5 mins

Managed to forget about that 9am video call? Smoothie is always the answer.

Always more satisfying with frozen fruit, but if there is none, straight up ice will do.

For future prep, I throw my fruit portion into a small container for freezing and then add the water (coconut water if I have it) and whey powder (either vanilla or chocolate) when ready to blitz. The whey is to offer a balanced macro To bulk it out I might add 2/3 tablespoons of oats, seed mix, or walnuts.

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4. I'm for Omelette

Calories: 168

Macros: C: 1g, F: 10g, P: 15g

Prep time: <10 mins

Opting for a 2-egg spinach and mushroom omelette for this example, but the options are endless. Might turn into scrambled eggs, might not. Still yummy.

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5. Starbucks-inspired Bircher pot

Calories: 287 (overnight oats with whey, without toppings)

Macros: C: 32g, F: 5g, P:24g

Prep time: <10 minutes (overnight)

Porridge gets a makeover.

Overnight oats are the cool cousin of the porridge world.

Make these the night before - instant breakfast.

Mix 40-50g oats with a thick natural yogurt (we use low sugar varieties like Skyr or that thicc Greek stuff from Aldi .. it doesn't seem to be as satisfying with normal natural yogurt, and these can be loaded with sugar). Alpro varieties seem to work fine too if you're dairy-free. Natural flavours work best with us because we'll add vanilla protein when prepping and sweet toppings.

If its tooooooo thick, carefully add milk to your own consistency. Overnight oats tend to be much thicker than regular porridge though, probably even more so still than rice/ chia pudding. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

I like sweet things, so I'll squeeze a generous dollop of honey on mine in the morning, add seed mix and maybe some berries too. The possibilities are endless though .. add cinnamon, dried coconut, grate dark chocolate.. excited yet?

To make it more like a Starbucks Bircher, lose they whey. Add a small splash of apple juice with the yogurt when prepping, grate some apple in and mix through. Top with dried berries if you have them, or fresh cherries and raspberries.

Then take out a £5 note and throw it in the bin.

Feels just like the real thing.

So if you came for poached eggs, I truly am sorry. Nobody got time for that.

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Disclaimer:

The calorie value provided with each meal is indicative. It is based on the portion size I prepared for that meal. What you cook may not replicate what I cooked.

If you are interested in this, in order to track your calories you're going to have to... well.. track your calories. It means checking the packaging, weighing portions (stuff you can't weigh by eye - like yogurt, nuts and seeds, fruit and veg), and logging it to keep count.

It's not about guilt or shame, it's about keeping count that's all.