Now I’m the first to admit I’m not the healthiest of eaters. Nik and I do eat fresh food every day and we don’t go for package meals and pre bought stuff, but we do tend to cover pretty much everything in butter and cheese! So to talk to you about healthy eating I have enlisted my good friend Becky to the Blog. I have known Becky since I was 8 years old and she is a beautiful and wonderful person. There isn’t anything she doesnt know about eating healthily plus she is an AMAZING cook. So today Becky is going to be giving us her top 4 healthy breakfast ideas, even I could eat these!
Choose one of these 4 DELICIOUS & HEALTHY breakfasts to start your day off
We have all been told how important a good breakfast is: it really does help balance our blood sugars & kick start our metabolism.
I love the focus & energy I feel after a healthy breakfast. I feel happy that I have given myself some raw energising, healing, goodness and that I can get on with my day with no guilt, worry or hunger!
Food for most of us is a great pleasure. I love to eat food that tastes delicious and leaves me feeling physically and emotionally GREAT. I don’t diet as it leaves me hungry, grumpy and I never lose weight anyway; and comfort eating leaves me feeling miserable and fat – not exactly what I want!! So a good breakfast is essential to manage my hunger through the morning!
Planning a healthy meal is simple:
- Think BALANCE: protein – fat – carbohydrate
- Think CLEAN: you should recognise ALL of your food – packaged and processed does not tend to mean FOOD, it tends to mean someone is trying to make some money out of you…
- Think HEALING &ENERGISING: anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytonutrients … the list can go on – it’s food magic that you only get from REAL FOOD!
So here are my four breakfasts. I hope you like you them, and adapt if you don’t like an ingredient or you want a slightly different overall taste – substitute in something you do like or increase a quantity! It’s all play really.
OVERNIGHT OATMEAL
(Very quick to prepare and portable)
This breakfast can be prepared in two minutes the night before, and then eaten on the go if preferred. You can increase the liquid and heat in the morning if you prefer a hot porridge.
- TIP: I keep seeds & nuts in glass jars in my fridge.
Ingredients: –
½ cup* oats
A good sprinkle of each of these: pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seed
1-1.5 cups of almond milk/rice milk/organic milk**
Optional
• Add goji berries, sultanas/raisins, chopped dried apple to overnight mix
• Add berries and coconut in the morning
• Add a teaspoon of pure cocoa powder, cinnamon or ‘all spice mix’ to the mix
• Add Teaspoon of raw honey/maple syrup .
Directions: –
1) Add all ingredients together in an airtight container, stir, leave overnight in the fridge and either eat fresh from the fridge, or take with you to work. Stir before eating.
2) I hope you like. This one keeps me satisfied until lunch and I add the cocoa if I want a chocolatey treat!
* cup means any small-medium cup unless you are very hungry, in which case use a BIG cup! – volumes do not need to be exact.
** I prefer to avoid dairy, read The China Study as a starter if you want to understand recent nutrition research in more depth, but if you do like to eat it, please try and choose organic – this is the most important organic ingredient that I would recommend on a daily basis.
EGG ON TOAST WITH A HANDFUL OF WATERCRESS
(FILLING and SAVOURY – weekend brunch that can be cooked & prepped in 5 minutes max!)
Ingredients: –
Sourdough bread – sliced
1-2 fresh eggs
Large Handful of fresh watercress
Butter for toast (optional)
Directions : –
1) Boil a kettle!
2) Wash and dry watercress
3) Pop a small pan on the hob, pour in about 10cm of hot-boiling water and turn to low-medium heat. Give the water a stir with a big holey spoon – crack open an egg and gently drop the egg into the water (without the shell!) – don’t worry if the waters nearly stopped whirling, it will still work!
4) Pop bread in toaster.
5) Cook each egg for about 2-3 minutes –the best way to judge if an egg is cooked is to watch it. As soon as it looks cooked, it will be. If struggling to tell – use your spoon to lift & check, if you want the yolk or white more solid, cook for a little longer!
6) Use the holey spoon to remove carefully, and then place on a piece of toast. Add your watercress and enjoy!
FRENCH TOAST SPREAD WITH HONEY AND PILED HIGH WITH FRESH FRUIT
(DECADENT and DELICIOUS! Great for Hungry Kids)
Ingredients: –
Coconut Oil*
Slice of bread
1 egg
Small bowl of fruit – choose from one or more: melon,peach, berries, banana, chopped apple, kiwi, pear, pineapple, mango, grapes… the list is endless – choose what you fancy/have in the fruit bowl!
Honey/Maple Syrup
Optional
• Small handful Mixed Chopped Almonds and walnuts
• Dollop of Natural Yoghurt**
Directions : –
1) Pop a teaspoon of coconut oil into a frying pan & turn on low-medium heat
2) Crack egg and pour raw egg onto a side plate – whisk gently
3) Float slice of bread in raw egg until fully coated both sides
4) Add eggy bread to hot frying pan and gently cook both sides
5) Spread eggy toast with honey/maple syrup
6) Add pile of fruit
7) Add chopped nuts and yoghurt if using
* Coconut oil tastes great and can be heated safely
** coconut yoghurt is great if you prefer to avoid dairy, or choose organic Soya yoghurt, non-organic will very likely be GM.
GREEN SMOOTHIE
(A VERY HEALTHY ALL ROUNDER – No brainer and all real food)
My fourth recipe is an all-round health giving, energising, enzyme & antioxidant power house. This recipe does not need to be reserved for breakfast, it is also good mid-afternoon to prevent that SLUMP!
Ingredients: –
1 pear
1 -2 apples
1 avocado – peeled and de-stoned
Large handful fresh spinach leaves – washed
Teaspoon each of: Chia seeds, hemp seeds, local raw or manuka honey.
¼ cup frozen peas
Directions : –
1. Juice the apple and pear if you have a juicer – if not core & roughly chop into big pieces and add straight to blender
2. Add seeds, honey, avocado and juice (if juiced fruit) or if using whole fruit, add chopped fruit and approx. 300-400ml filtered water for liquid.
3. Blend until smooth
4. Add frozen peas – blend again quickly until just smooth.
Smoothiess are fabulous sources of quick and raw nutrition, play, experiment and find recipe ideas that you like.
Have a great Day!
Love
Becky
YUM! I love breakfast, but it’s at the time of day that I am the least creative. I’ve got an early start in the morning, so I think I’m going to throw the overnight oatmeal together now 🙂